Now that Christmas and New Year is out of the way, we can get on with our 2013 programme. Our recent Christmas in Bruges Tour sold out very early, so if you want to register your interest for our Christmas Tour 2013 just drop me a mail to book and get to the front of the queue.
Tour 63 – Around Bruges in 80 Beers & More – Sat 2 Feb – Tues 5 Feb – Last few places available!!
The third edition of Around Bruges in 80 Beers is now written and with the printers. It features lots of new venues and new beers and proves that the Bruges beer scene is better than ever. We will be launching this new third edition at the Bruges Beer Festival 2013 in February, which we will be visiting on this tour. This great festival is now established as one of the highlights of the international Beer calendar, with its perfect venue set below the belfry on the main Markt square. This Tour is based at the excellent four star Hotel Academie in the centre of Bruges, near Minnewater. On the tour we will be visiting three great breweries, Alvinne , De Ryck and Strubbe. We have planned a beer cuisine meal at the outstanding Bistronoom in Ostend and a visit to top new beer café Kunstmaecker in Steenkerke. The programme also includes calls to the Surprise café & Pig museum in Herdesem as well as a beer with Marc Vanzeebrouck at The Lost Shrimp on his retirement. We also pack in a meal and a beer at two great beer cafes, The Street without End at Desselgem, and an old favourite, Bistro Nieuwege at Varsenare.
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. The balance for this Tour is now due so if you have booked please contact me as to payment. We still have space on this tour if you would like to join us so please get in touch.
Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival – Wed 20 February – Sat 23 February
Hopefully we will see you at this festival where we are looking to feature beers from De Molen in Holland, Rogue in USA, draught Yeast Beer from Budvar and lots of new beers from Belgium.
The festival takes place at a great new bigger and better venue, King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS), Broomfield Road, Chelmsford CM1 3SX.
- This is over twice the size of any previous site used for the Chelmsford CAMRA Winter Beer Festival
- There will be over 200 Real Ales and Ciders
- We will be there with our BelgaFest Beer Bar offering a huge selection of Belgian beers, plus
- A range of International offerings that will knock your socks off with some beers not usually available in this country
- To encourage you to come and visit us on the first day of the festival we will be offering your first pint of draught Budweiser Budvar Yeast Beer at half price. Come and say Hello!
Tour 64 – LambicLand Revisited – Fri 19 April – Mon 22 April
This Tour is based in Ibis Brussels Centre Sainte Catherine Hotel, 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, the Toer de Geuze, and some on other days so we have more time to spend at certain venues. We will also visit the new Lambic Visitors Centre De Lambiek in Beersel (Alsemberg). There will be meals at the superb de Heeren van Liederkercke and Café-Restaurant 3 Fonteinen in Beersel, plus calling in at specialist lambic cafe In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst. To add to the theme of using oak in the brewing process, we will visit Bockor Brewery in Bellegem. They have recently upped their game and are now doing marvellous things with their foeders (Oak Barrels) and their revamped brands.
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 send a deposit of £100 per person. This Tour is getting full, so if you want to go, act now. The balance for this Tour is due as usual five weeks before departure.
Tour 65 – Beer & Battlefields – Thurs 23 May – Mon 27 May
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. This year we are planning visits to:
- Six-Colpaert Brewery, Reningelst – a first world war brewery, for a beer tasting.
- The renovated In Flanders Fields Museum in Ieper and the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.
- The Memorial to the 2nd Worcesters at Gheluvelt and their pivotal role in the First Battle of Ypres (1914)
- The Brooding Soldier Memorial to the gas attack at Vancouver Corner and the Second Battle of Ypres (1915)
- Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the world
- Sanctuary Wood Trenches & Hill 62 Museum
- Hooge Crater Museum
- The Ijzertoren, Dixmuide
- De Dolle Brouwers Brewery Tour, Esen
- Vanuxeem Beer Warehouse – possibly the biggest in Belgium
- The Christmas Truce Memorial at Frelinghien and the story of what happened in this sector in December 1914
- In de Vrede, Westvleteren, home of the famous Trappist beers, and a First World war billet for the Allies.
- Evenings free in Veurne, Poperinge and Ypres, armed with Podge’s local beer guides.
Once again we have the services of Siobhan McGinn as our guide to Flanders Fields, and this year Siobhan will be giving us the benefit of knowledge gained on the MA British First World War Studies which she is currently undertaking at Birmingham University. If you have a particular cemetery or memorial in the Ypres Salient that you would like to visit in connection with your family, please let us know and we will see if we can incorporate it in the Tour. 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 secure a place, please send £100 per person as deposit. This Tour is filling up, so let us know if you would like to join us. The balance for this Tour is due as usual five weeks before departure.
Tour 66 – Beer & Heritage – Fri 23 August – Mon 26 August
Based at Novotel Leuven, this Tour combines beer tourism with historical and cultural sites. We are looking at visits to the new Delirium Brewery in Melle and some new boating experiences in Wallonia. Watch this space for further details including Tour price which will be announced shortly.
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).
v 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