Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day. Our bus driver was supposed to meet us at a road near our hotel. He went to a road with the exact same name as the road near our hotel, the problem was that it was in a city 45 minutes away. So, the day got off to a late start. After finally catching our bus we went to our first brewery tour at Dubuisson, which was an hour and half drive away. The tour was slightly disappointing because, well, it wasn't a tour. They showed us a video and a gave us a few tastings of their beer. Regardless, it was interesting to see a brewery operating in such a rural area. The brewery was basically surrounded by farmland and there weren't any traces of a city anywhere nearby.
After Dubuisson we drove another hour and a half to Het Anker brewery, which was a much cooler experience. The first step of the brewery tour was a quick history lesson. Our tour guide told us that the brewery was started by women during the Crusades who brewed beer to use as a pain reliever in their hospital. The hospital still exists today and is directly across from the current brewery. The brewery itself is a mix of old and new. The brew tank and mash tun both looked weathere
d and older than most of the breweries we have seen, with the exception, of course, of Cantillon. We also got to see the old cool ship, which is no longer used in the brewing process, but was nonetheless very cool to see. The cool ship is what was formerly used to cool the beer after the boil in order to prepare it for fermentation. The cool ship worked because it was outside in open air, much like at Cantillon. Our tour guide did not mention anything about wild strains of yeast entering the beer, which one would expect when beer is exposed to the open air. I would expect that the beer at Het Anker probably had a sour taste, much like at Cantillon. After the brewery tour we got to taste a couple of their beers, which were powerful in aroma, flavor and alcohol content. So that is a brief synopsis of our day yesterday. Expect a blog about the differences in pub culture between here and Germany soon.
d and older than most of the breweries we have seen, with the exception, of course, of Cantillon. We also got to see the old cool ship, which is no longer used in the brewing process, but was nonetheless very cool to see. The cool ship is what was formerly used to cool the beer after the boil in order to prepare it for fermentation. The cool ship worked because it was outside in open air, much like at Cantillon. Our tour guide did not mention anything about wild strains of yeast entering the beer, which one would expect when beer is exposed to the open air. I would expect that the beer at Het Anker probably had a sour taste, much like at Cantillon. After the brewery tour we got to taste a couple of their beers, which were powerful in aroma, flavor and alcohol content. So that is a brief synopsis of our day yesterday. Expect a blog about the differences in pub culture between here and Germany soon.
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