Showing posts with label Paters Vaetje. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paters Vaetje. Show all posts

21 July 2023

Antwerp 2023 - revisits

On my sixth visit to Antwerp (Thursday 29 June to Sunday 2 July 2023) and the first not coinciding with Beer Passion Weekend festival, there was time to revisit seven favourite bars in addition to those visited for the first time (Antwerp 2023 - first visits).

Cafe Kulminator

As it was near Hostel Pulcinella, our group managed three visits to Kulminator but I missed the third visit in order to meet up with Paul and Jennie in De Vagant on Saturday. Groups and tourists are not usually welcome at Kulminator and Dirk in his gatekeeper role must hear the words 'taste', 'cash' and 'euros' before considering admittance. Despite his age, the bright red frame of Dirk's spectacles made him look rather intimidating as he surveyed us on the pavement from his elevated position inside!
On our first visit, David fluffed his lines and said 'sample' instead of 'taste' but eventually the door was opened for us after assurance that we could pay for our drinks with cash (euros).
L to R: Paul R, Graham, Les, Simon, David, Tim & Mark. Photo: Jennie R
Paul and Jennie needed to point to our group, sat near the window, in order to gain admission after our earlier arrival on the Friday!
Leen served the beers for our group including Gueuze for Graham using the traditional method.
Although the classical music and traditions of the legendary Kulminator may not appeal to all, the price list has not been updated for several years resulting in better value than ever!
Tim enjoyed a total of three beers on his two visits with the 75cl bottle of St Feuillien Saison shared. The third beer was draught Gouden Carolus Cuvee van de Keizer Whisky Infused 2022 brewed in Mechelen by Het Anker.


De Vagant

In 2022, Tim had visited an updated De Vagant with a group to honour the late John Reynor with beers and jenevers served by Bart Daems, the new manager. On Saturday 1 July this year, Bart was wearing a Heino t-shirt and posed with the autumn 2022 Ullage magazine opened at the page with a story and photos from that day including John at top left of page in photo below.
This was Paul and Jennie's first visit to Antwerp and it was nice to meet up with them again here while the others were at Kulminator for the third afternoon running.
Tim enjoyed a draught Cherry Chouffe on this visit.

De Ware Jacob

It was only a short walk down Reyndersstraat and Vlasmarkt to reach De Ware Jacob.
The excellent draught range here includes (Tim's choice) Brasserie Dupont Avec les Bon Voeux (9.5% ABV), Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie Seef and St Barnardus Abt 12 (10% ABV). Although there was a table free outside we preferred to enjoy the surroundings of the compact room with its wood panelling, inlaid mirrors and traditional bar furniture.
Guy the owner was not around but Tim asked Dafne to pass on the autumn 2022 issue of Ullage which includes a mention of his previous visit.

Het Souke

Photo: Mark G. L to R: Tim, Les, Graham, David, Paul, Jennie, Simon
Tim was keen to revisit Het Souke after a first visit in 2022 when he met owner Jacob Gouka and enjoyed the music at the cafe on the corner of pedestrianised Hoogstraat and narrow HH Geeststraat.
This was the first time the whole group came together on the Thursday with Les, the last to arrive c/o FlixBus, now able to enjoy his first beer.
The five draught beers are Stella Artois, Bolleke, Seef, Val Dieu Cuvee and Tripel d'Anvers. 
There are 24 bottles including Trappist beers, Minerva and Bootjes Biers from Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie and Tripppel and Blackout from Swiekes bv established in 2020 at Oud Turnhout, east of Antwerp.
Tim gave Jacob the autumn 2022 Ullage magazine which includes an article with his 2022 photos from Het Souk. James posed for a photo holding the relevant page open while resting his left arm in plaster on the shoulder of Maximilian - his 'best coworker yet'.

Paters Vaetje

We enjoyed simple meals like lasagne from the limited menu for the small kitchen next to the bar at Paters Vaetje on the Saturday evening. This reliable beer bar is easy to find as it faces the north west corner of the cathedral near the ground level Nello & Patrasche marble sculpture. Tim's beer selection was draught Brouwerij The Musketeers 'Joyride in a Shopping Cart' a 6.5% ABV honey ale from the brewery's Bucket List series of limited edition beers (4.10 euros). 

Oud Arsenaal

Tim and David's last beer in Antwerp on the Sunday would be at Oud Arsenaal on the way to Antwerp Centraal station for the train to Brussels. We were both keen to revisit this brown cafe with its interior dating from the 1920s. Regula Ysewijn mentions in Belgian Cafe Culture that it is one of the few cafes in Antwerp that is still run by the same family that started the business.
Every table inside was occupied when we arrived but we shared a table and then gained some elbow room as a lady next to us kindly moved to a vacant seat on the other side of her window table, to face her friend.
Tim was delighted with the draught hazy Seef bier which may become his beer of choice on future visits to Antwerp where it is widely available.
David noticed that the young man serving our drinks resembled the current owner and was able to confirm that he was indeed the son and so the tradition continues.
Oud Arsenaal is close to the busy weekend market in Theaterplein so a weekday visit may be more suitable for anyone looking for a quiet spot during the day. 

Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie

Revisiting Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie and a meeting with Johan Van Dyck deserves a separate blog post to do it justice. Watch this space!


17 July 2022

Antwerp 2022 - Het Steen area

Het Steen, a medieval stone fortress is an Antwerp landmark on the banks of the river Scheldt. A statue of Lange Wapper, a Flemish folklore giant, stands at the entrance to Het Steen. Free pedestrian ferries cross the river from a nearby quay to Linkeroever.

Suikerrui (Sugar street) is a broad straight street that runs inland from the riverside road towards the Grote Markt and the Cathedral of Our Lady.

Het Steen and Brasserie Stadscafe - viewed from Cafe Pardaf

Brasserie Stadscafe is on the northern corner and Cafe Pardaf is on the southern corner of this junction.

Cafe Pardaf

Cafe Pardaf

An earlier recommendation from John and Sue Thirlaway, led to Cafe Pardaf being chosen as the rendezvous for Friday evening (1 July). The interior features a stylish curved bar, stage lighting over large windows facing the river and contemporary furniture. 

There is a pinball machine and the stairs to the upstairs toilets are accessed under the Stella Artois sign. Cafe Pardaf is one of the bars that formed the Antwerp Craft Beer Route on 28 November 2019, immediately before Billie's Craft Beer Festival.

Simon and Tim were first to arrive and chose a table on the Suikerrui pavement giving views of the river and Het Steen. The thick beer menu binder includes 11 beers on tap, and bottled beers divided into styles starting with 'IPA & hops'. The 'in the spotlight' section included Black is Beautiful, a stout from Bristol's Left Handed Giant. Tim's ZinneBir, from Brasserie de la Senne, came in a bottle with a new '20 years' label design for the 'The Brussels People's Ale' (5.8% ABV / 33cl / 3.80 euros).

The remaining 'usual suspects' would join us and our group of six needed two tables. It was comfortable sitting outside Cafe Pardaf on a warm evening watching the sun set and the moon rise. 

Reader, I may have drunk one too many strong Belgian beers at Cafe Pardaf and will not be tempted by the Troubadour Magma Triple Spiked Brett (9.8% ABV) again! 

Cafe Pardaf is recommended for its location, range of beers and good service. Twilight on a warm evening is an especially good time to visit.

Paters Vaetje



Previously visited, photographed (above) and featured in Belgian Beer Trip 2017 blog post, Paters Vaetje, Blauwmoezelstraat 1, near the cathedral, was the second rendezvous on Thursday 30 June (after 'T Half Souke). It had been raining and the tables inside were the only ones occupied this year. 

There was a free table near the entrance door and a Bolleke De Koninck was a good local beer to start with while I waited for the 'usual suspects' to arrive. Music playing included Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale.
There was time to peruse the beer menu and pick out the next beers to enjoy. Pages 2 and 4 (not pictured) feature 10 Trappist beers, 11 Blond beers, 6 IPAs, 4 Oude Bruine beers (including Duchesse de Bourgogne (6.2%, 4.5 euros) and Rodenbach Grand Cru (6%, 4.7 euros), Oesterstout and 2 Gueuzes. The Antwerp beer section (page 1) includes several beers from Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie, including Seefbier, Cadix and Bootjesbier.

Having ordered Zeezuiper, from Scheldebrouwerij, I would convince Andrew, Richard (both pictured) and Keith to do the same. Simon's Eurostar train was delayed but Dave would join us later. We considered moving to an upstairs table for more space but decided against.
I later enjoyed Strandgaper golden ale from Scheldebrouwerij. Note that this bottle still had the old label design but all the brewery's beers now have colourful new labels and the branded glasses feature the crab design. 

Scheldebrouwerij had a stand at Bierpassie Weekend in Groeneplaats this year.

Cafe Den Engel


Den Engel is one of the iconic cafes featured in Regula Ysewijn's Belgian Cafe Culture book. It is on the northern corner of the Grote Markt and can be seen on the left of the photo above, behind the illuminated Brabo fountain
On this visit, I took another photo of Den Engel but have yet to visit. Another reason to revisit Antwerp in 2023!

For more Antwerp background material please see Antwerp - The Usual Suspects 2022 and other linked posts from there.

19 July 2017

Belgian Beer Trip 2017 - Day 2

Bruges to Ghent 
On Thursday 22 June, 2017, there was time for black coffee at Hostel Lybeer before heading to the station with Mark and Dave / Bod, who had been staying at Snuffel Hostel.
At Bruges station, after checking that we could break our journey at Ghent, we bought single tickets to Antwerp (15.40 euro) and boarded a long Brussels-bound train.
On arrival at Ghent we were able to fit all our luggage into a large locker (5.50 euro for 24 hours). It was a hot day so it was frustrating to walk past the fountain outside the station without any cooling effect!
Mark led us first to the site of the original Gruut brewery at Grote Huidevettershoek 10, via Bijlokekaai (on the east bank of the river Leie / Lys), Nederkouter (the route of tram #1) and Ketelvest (beside Ketelvaart waterway). He was disappointed to see that everything had been stripped out, including the bar, so that no refreshment break was available here.
However, we passed some interesting buildings in Biezekapel Straat, beyond the cathedral, on the next leg to the current Gruut brewery.
Later research showed that a 2011 light festival show had been held in the rear courtyard of the Royal School of Fine Arts (KASK) / Royal Conservatory, with an unusual circular tower, accessed from Biezekapel Straat.

Gruut Brewery
A street fair was being set up in Rembert Dodoenstreef, a route to Baudelo Park, and the location of Gruut brewery.
With bright sunshine outside we appreciated some shade in the building that was once the city's fish market, although the sun still reached some parts through sections of glass roof.
Our first priority now was a cold beer and some water to go with it. My choice of Gruut Wit was refreshing. A 33cl glass cost 3.20 euros. In his 'Protz on Beer' feature of 31 January 2016, titled 'Annick's Gruut Beer is the Spice of Life', Roger Protz writes 'White is a wheat beer and is cloudy and extremely pale. It has a big spicy nose and palate with a pronounced hit of ginger, with hints of orange and creamy malt. Fruit and spice combine in the lingering finish.'
From our seats around a table near the bar, overlooked by stuffed cattle and a large painting of Ghent characters, we studied the beer menu before ordering a second glass.
Gruut Blond was my second choice. As with other beers from the brewery, apart from Inferno, there are no hops but but various herbs and spices are used instead.
The brewing vessels were relocated here from the previous site and can be seen at the end of the room, underneath the large painting and on the opposite wall to the bar. Fermenting vessels are horizontal.
Although we were apparently the first customers of the day, we later talked with Francois Prowse, a Kiwi now based in Brisbane, who was also on holiday in Belgium. Francois mentioned that he is a home-brewer and is able to source ingredients from Bacchus Brewing Co nearby. As usual, I took the opportunity to give Francois a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA magazine, Ullage.
Roger Protz's feature mentions that Gruut's brewster - Annick de Splenter - has parents who are both from important Belgian brewing families.
There are various brewing related portraits and pictures on the walls of the extensive space available for visitors.

Ghent to Antwerp
Dave and I persuaded Mark that it would be a good idea to get a bus back to the station as the sun was still shining brightly when we emerged. We each paid a cash fare of 3 euros to the bus driver and returned to Gent-Sint-Pieters station by a circuitous route. After retrieving our luggage we boarded a direct train to Antwerp. The first stop was Gent-Dampoort, a mere 500 metres from Gruut Brewery! For visitors to the brewery travelling from Antwerp by train it would obviously make sense to use this station. Other stations on the route included Sint-Niklaas and Antwerpen-Berchem before arrival at Antwerpen-Centraal.
We left from a side exit and walked down Vestingstraat, a narrow street where every shop was a jewellers, reflecting the continuing importance of the diamond trade to the city. Soon we would be on a wide pedestrian shopping street and then back to side streets to reach our modern hostel 'Pulcinella' in Bogaardeplein.

Cafe Kulminator
After checking in we soon headed out again to nearby Cafe Kulminator, Vleminckveld 32.
We sat at the big table by the window where we had sat on a visit the previous year. The noticeboard listing draught beers (bier van 't vat) was easily visible from here.
My first beer was Zure Kriekenlam by Timmermans (Martin's). This rarely available sour cherry flavoured lambic cost 4.20 euros.
This is a classic beer cafe, run by Leen and Dirk who will be winding down to retirement by closing at 7pm, with last orders at 6pm from 2020, according to a notice in the window.
We didn't consult the extensive bottle menu on this occasion and I next enjoyed a draught Chimay Grande Reserve from 2016 (3.80 euros).
The decor here has not been changed for many years which adds to its charm.

Billie's Bier Kafetaria
We only had to walk 400 metres towards the city centre to find Billie's Bier Kafetaria with bench seating on the pavement outside.
A blackboard sign at the entrance suggests 'Beer nerds come in try all Billie's crazy beers' and mentions that there are 11 beers on tap.
We found a table near the entrance doorway, which provided a welcome breeze, on a day which was still hot.
My first beer was from tap 4 - Stone the Crows IPA by Brewski (Sweden). At 5.50 euro this proved to be one of my favourite beers with a hazy appearnace and peppery notes.
We decided to eat at Billie's. The limited menu included Vlaams Stoofvlees (18.50 euros) a casserole dish served with chips and a dish of slaw. There was too much Flemish beef stew for me although Mark did accept one piece from the casserole. This would be a good dish to share between two people on a future visit.
While we ate our meals, the bar's dog spent more time near our table. His patience went unrewarded but perhaps he would be able to eat my leftovers later.
Ster, our charming and attentive barmaid / waitress explained that the bar is named after Billie the dog who seems to have the run of the place when he is not exploring nearby streets. I took the opportunity to give Ster a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine and mention some local breweries that advertise in Ullage and might be able to supply the bar like Wild Weather Ales and Renegade / West Berkshire Brewery.

Paters Vaetje
Paeters Vaetje, Blauwmoezelstraat 1, near the cathedral, is only 200 metres further on from Billie's.
John Reynor, Keith Moore & Mark Geeson
We had arranged to meet Keith and John here, also arriving a day early for Antwerp's BierPassie Weekend beer festival. My first beer, draught Gouden Carolus Classic by Brouwerij Het Anker is in the foreground of the photo above.
This busy bar, like most Belgian bars, has a big range of glasses to match all the beers they serve.
Some extra seating space is available in a raised section at the back of the room where a blackboard has details of beer specials.
After a long day, it was a struggle staying awake. Although failing to keep pace with my friends drinking and conversation there was still time to enjoy a Vedett Extra Ordinary IPA before the bar closed up for the night.