Tour 62 – CHRISTMAS in BRUGES – SAT 22 DEC to WED 26 DEC 2012
This five-day Tour based at four star Hotel Academie in central Bruges is now almost finalised. Our first stop after Eurotunnel is a meal and a beer at the old farmstead ‘t Boeregat in rural Houtem. We then move on to a very special beer tasting at Brouwershof in Fortem of beers from brand new Seizoensbrouwerij Vandewalle given by brewer and founder, Chris Vandewalle.
On the Sunday we call in on Johan at Smisje Brewery for a couple of beers before we go for a unique dining experience at ‘t Eenvoudig Bestaan in Kerkhove. This is followed by a visit to Waregem where we have been invited by the local Zythos branch to sample their winter beer offerings. The afternoon is rounded off with a stop at new cafe De Poulin on the outskirts of Bruges for a go at their superbly chosen 100 strong beer list, plus some Ribs or Chicken from their grill.
Christmas Eve takes us beer shopping at the great warehouse Vanuxeem for beers to take home, then on to Kortrijk for a crack at Gainsbars outstanding beer menu. Christmas Day is a leisurely Dutch experience involving beers at world-class Emelisse Brewery and Brouwerij La Fontaine. Boxing Day us sees heading for home via the coast, including visits to Blankenberge, Ostend and Middelkerke.
The price of this five-day tour is £445 per person based on sharing a twin or double room with a single supplement of £128 if you want a room of your own. If you would like to book a place, please send a deposit of £100 per person. Please be quick as there are very few places left. The balance for this Tour is due as usual five weeks before departure which is 17th November 2012.
Tour 63 – AROUND BRUGES in 80 BEERS and MORE – SAT 2 FEB to TUES 5 FEB 2013
As you read this Siobhan and I are writing the third edition of Around Bruges in 80 Beers, which features lots of new venues and new beers and highlights that Bruges beer scene is better than ever. We plan to launch the new book in February 2012 at the Bruges Beer Festival. This great festival is now established as one of the highlights of the Belgian Beer calander, with its perfect venue below the belfry on the main Markt square. Therefore, we are combining our book launch and the Bruges beer festival in a Tour based at four star Hotel Academie in the centre of Bruges, near Minnewater. We will fit in lots of other beery visits including a bar crawl of some of the new bars which appear in the new edition, and we hope to arrange brewery visits to Strubbe, Alvinne and Eutropius.
The price of this four-day tour is £396 per person based on sharing a twin or double room with a single supplement of £100 if you want a room of your own. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payment of a single supplement. If you would like to book a place, please now send a deposit of £100 per person. The balance for this Tour is due as usual five weeks before departure.
Chelmsford Winter Beer & Cider Festival – Wednesday 20 February – Saturday 23 February 2013
At a great new bigger and better venue, King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS), Broomfield Road, Chelmsford CM1 3SX.
- 200 Real Ales
- 50 Real Ciders & Perries
- Wide Selection of Belgian & International Beers (including Budweiser Budvar Yeast Beer on draught)
Tour 64 – LAMBICLAND REVISITED – FRI 19 APRIL to MON 22APRIL 2013
This Tour is now based in Ibis Brussels Centre Sainte Catherine Hotel in the centre of Brussels. This is ideally situated to explore the heart of the Belgian lambic scene. We aim to visit all of the lambic brewers and blenders, some on the superb bi-annual lambic day – Toer de Geuze – and some on other days so we have some more time to spend at certain venues. We will also visit the new Lambic Visitors Centre De Lambiek in Beersel (Alsemberg). There will also be meals at the superb beer cafe and restaurant de Heeren van Liederkercke and Café-Restaurant 3 Fonteinen. We will also call in at specialist Lambic cafe In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst.
The price of this four-day tour is £396 per person based on sharing a twin or double room with a single supplement of £100 if you want a room of your own. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payment of a single supplement. If you would like to book a place, please now send a deposit of £100 per person. The balance for this Tour is due as usual five weeks before departure.
Tour 65 – BEER AND BATTLEFIELDS – THURS 23 MAY to MON 27MAY 2013
This is our fourth Beer & Battlefields Tour. Our base is the friendly Oude Abdij Hotel in Lo, the site of one of the many Belgian breweries destroyed in the First World War. This Tour will centre on battlefields and breweries in the Ypres Salient in Flanders and will as usual include visits to well known and some less well known sites. We will have the services of Siobhan McGinn as our guide to Flanders Fields, and this year Siobhan will be giving us the benefit of her experiences on the MA British First World War Studies which she is currently undertaking at Birmingham University.
The price of this five-day tour is £440 per person based on sharing a twin or double room with a single supplement of £120 if you want a room of your own. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payment of a single supplement. If you would like to book a place, please register your interest with me now to be added to the provisional list. Deposits can come later. The balance for this Tour is due as usual five weeks before departure.
Tour 66 – BEER AND HERITAGE – FRI 23 AUGUST to MON 26 AUGUST 2013
Based at Novotel Leuven, this Tour will combine beer tourism with historical and cultural sites. Watch this space for further details.
Included in the cost of these Tours are:
v Hotel accommodation and breakfasts.
v Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet.
v Pick up from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway Chapel St South Layby) or Chelmsford (The Woolpack, Mildmay Road). Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
v All Brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings.
v Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites.
v All items marked with an asterisk on individual detailed tour itinerary.
v Copies of Podge’s City Bar Guide & Map for the town or city where we stay or spend some time on Tour.
v Free still and sparkling water on the coach.
Personal insurance is not included but is strongly advised, as is carrying the European Health Insurance Card available online, by phone or via the Post Office. If you would like to join us on any of the above tours or if you need more information please contact Podge on 01245 354677 or email podgehome@blueyonder.co.uk. Places are limited to the number of rooms booked, so book early to avoid disappointment.
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CHEERS! Podge
Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours
Driving people to drink since 1994
01245 354677