Tuesday 1/24

Woke up at 6:45 (sooo early) got ready, ate breakfast, and left at 7:45 for Leuven. The town was only a 20 minute train ride from Brussels, and is a big university town. We made it there in time for our 9:00 tour of Domus. Their brewery was unique in the fact that they don’t bottle. They brew on a much smaller scale as well. When the beer has finished fermenting, it is transferred to bags that are in large metal cylinders. The bags are connected by piping to the taps at the bar, and pushed out with CO_2, which also carbonates it. Our tour guide works for the university, and has been brewing on the side for 10 years. He (and some other people) experiment with beers at home, then if they are good take them to the brewery. I know at least one of his beers is available at Domus. It was interesting to hear him talk about how they experiment with brewing. He said that he wanted to make a spin on a wheat beer and make it extra hoppy. In order to do this he made a few batches with different amounts of hops until he found one that tasted good. I believe that is the beer that can be found at Domus. The experimenting that he does really made me want to mess around with creating different beers myself. We were asking some questions and he said that once you start mashing and using your own malts and what not, it’s hard to mess it up, which is comforting. I bet I could make some good beer. We then went on to taste their Condomus (yes that’s what it’s called) beer, which the guide said was a favorite of the college kids. We had a good laugh about that. The beer was good, very bitter, but good. They use a lot of hops, which causes the bitterness. Then we tried their Christmas ale, which was also very good. It was sweeter, which was interesting with the bitterness, and also tasted a bit banana-y. I think I liked the Condomus better, but both were pretty good. It was another 10:00am tasting and we were still a little sleepy from waking up early, so it was pretty funny. The new saying has gone from “it’s 1 o’clock somewhere” to “it’s 10:00am somewhere.” 

After the tasting we were able to venture around the town for a while. First thing me and a couple other people did was look for some coffee and a bathroom. Once we found that we strolled around the town. Found the university and walked through there for a bit. We felt a bit weird because there were students everywhere and we didn’t belong, but I think we fit in, we could have looked like students. Then we found the large church in the middle of the town and were able to walk through it. It wasn’t as intricate as the church in Ghent, but it was still beautiful. It leaves me awestruck every time I visit one of those huge, old churches. Then we did a bit of window shopping and actual shopping. I got two new head bands that are pretty cute and some new earrings, all for only 6 euros! Such a good deal. 

Beer in bag, bag's about half full, ready to be pumped to the bar tap

Condomus

Double fisting at 10:00

Church and city hall, and some classmates and professors

Monday 1/23

We woke up early this morning in order to head out at 8:00am to Bosteels. The tour started out with a showing of about 10 “coaches” (cars) outside of their brewery. They were very old cars, trucks, and one that was used to transport barrels. The cars were very interesting, but the most unique fact about them was that they had a special holder for the kwak beer that they produce. Their brewing process was similar to most of the other breweries that we have been to, but today they were actually brewing while we were there. So we got to see them taking the wort from the mash tank to the boiling tanks. It was pretty cool. Then we watched them getting rid of the spent grains. We saw their fermenters, and also a big thing that they recently acquired in order to create their strain of yeast. After the tour we tasted three of their beers, kwak, triple karmeliet, and dues. 10:00 in the morning and were drinking three full beers. It was pretty funny. I really enjoyed the kwak, it is served in a glass that is basically shaped like an open topped hour glass, and held in a wooden contraption. (I’ll post a picture.) If you don’t drink it carefully the beer will get stuck in the bottom half and splash you. Unfortunately, no one got splashed, but I was secretly hoping someone would. 

Then we napped a bit on the way to Ghent. Ghent is a very beautiful and old town. It was a lot more low-key than any city we’ve been to so far. Not many people walking around and definitely less touristy. Christa went with us, the same tour guide, and showed us around. We got to see the exact place where the Treaty of Ghent was signed. I believe she said something about how the city consisted of 19 islands that were all made up by 3 rivers with buildings built along them. It was all very peaceful and beautiful. The city is also very old. We got to see a castle that was built in 900, and a very old, gigantic, and beautiful church. We then got a sandwich and left to Liefmans. 

Liefmans was a cute brewery that was directed and head brewed by a lady, who actually stopped in and said hi to us when we tasted. We walked through the older parts of the brewery that is unused now due to hygienic reasons. But all of the equipment still remains there for people to view. The only part of the brewing that takes place at Liefmans is the fermenting and conditioning. They only do top fermenting, and had the largest top fermenters I have ever seen. It was crazy. Then we got to taste the beers. Lactic acid comes from fermenting in the open air, which makes the beer sour. They also brew with fruit, such as cherries and blackberries. We tried their old brown ale which smelt like a wheat beer to me, but then shocked me when it was sour and kind of fruity and sweet. Then I tried their cherry beer (kriek), which was similar but sweeter, with a deep red color that was very pretty. They also create a fun summer ale that has more juices and fruits in it than the cherry beer, and less alcohol content, that is often served over ice. I only tried a sip of that which tasted pretty much like carbonated juice. 

It was an awesome day in Belgium, and I had a blast. We got Vietnamese food for dinner at around 8:30pm, which we all chowed down. We were pretty hungry. We went to bed pretty early since our train to Leuven leaves at 8:00am. 

Au revoir!!

Old car, the holder for the kwak is right in the  middle of the photo under the top of that round piece of wood

The boiling wort

Getting rid of the spent grains, about to be sent off to a farm for the cattle

Kwak

Twins (whoops) drinking kwak at Bosteels

Where the Treaty of Ghent was signed

Ghent

Castle built in 900

Cool ship at Liefmans

Empty open fermenter at Liefmans

Tasting at Liefmans

Sunday 1/22

Slept in, which was necessary. Hit the gym for a bit, showered, then got some lunch, frites and a wrap. The fries (frites) are SO GOOD, definitely blog worthy. And now were just laying low. I think that a rest day is needed today; I feel like I’m starting to get sick because of lack of sleep. But tonight Caleb and Marissa are giving their presentations, which is weird because they are the last ones to go. I don’t want to think about how this trip is about to come to an end… After that we are all going out to dinner. My dad and I went and saw Tin Tin before I left, which is funny because he is all over this town. There are paintings on the side of buildings, small statues, and I see people with bags that have Tin Tin on them. The comic Tin Tin is from Belgium, I need to go check out the comic museum one of these days. 

Saturday 1/21

Woke up early, and a bit tired. Breakfast then went out to the street to meet our bus that would take us to two different breweries. The bus was supposed to pick us up at 9, but there was a mix up and the driver got sent to a different town that had a street with the same name as the one we were on, which we figured out after about 45 minutes of waiting there trying to figure out where he was. The language barrier was a huge problem. Once we figured everything out the bus arrived (about 11:00) and we headed out to Dubbison, which is about a 1.5 hour drive. The bus was very nice and it was perfect timing for a nap. 

At Dubbison we experienced another huge language barrier when none of the employees spoke English. The tour was actually a video though, which had an English setting so that was nice. Then we got to taste a few of their beers, which were good. One was peach infused that I enjoyed; it reminded me of peach champagne. Not many others liked it though. I found it interesting that they opened up another brewery near a college campus where they created their troll symbol for marketing purposes. Their beer is of higher alcohol content, and tasted good, which is a good product to market towards people in college. 

Once we finished at Dubuisson we got back on the bus and headed to Het Anker. We were pretty late at this point so we had to do a speedy tour in order to be done in time for him to give another one. Their brewery was very similar to the others that we have been to, but they also produce whisky. He didn’t explain how they make the whisky, but he told us about how it is stored in barrels and aged for 3 years. Good whisky needs to be in barrels for longer, but to keep revenues up they sell their whisky after 3 years. Their brewing process was pretty cool, and they actually brew one beer with licorice, and they brew with star anise which I thought was interesting. My dad would like it. I was going to purchase one to bring home but didn’t have any euros at the time   They also had a good marketing strategy, where they bottle their beers in multiple different sizes.  The largest was a 9 liter bottle, which is about 18 glasses. I thought that was a pretty unique and interesting method of marketing. Creating those large bottles is unique compared to any other brewery we’ve been to.  Then we got to taste their beers, which were pretty good! I liked their dark ale that had licorice in it the best. Once we were done with the tour it was about 4:00pm and we hadn’t eaten since 8:00am, so we were all pretty hungry and had a hard time focusing on the beer. I can’t believe monks could go for 49 days just drinking dark beer. Probably a good weight loss plan though…maybe I should try it for lent. 

Once we got back we grabbed some frites which were delicious, then hung around until dinner at 8. The first day in Brussels we made the mistake of going to dinner at 6, when here dinner doesn’t start until later. Dinner was great, then we came back to the hotel and hung out for a bit, then Emma, Lindsey, Keith and I went out to the Irish Pub again, where they had pints for 2 euros until 12 which rocks. Then we went upstairs to tear up the dance floor. It was a very interesting scene. A lot of older men were standing around the sides which was kind of creepy, but then a ton of people around our age in the middle. They weren’t really dancing at first, but Emma and I got this big show off dance circle going which was hilarious, so we take credit for starting the dancing. The night continued, we had a blast and showed Brussels what’s up.

The troll 

Tasting!!

Reclined and ready to nap

Star anise, licorice is the rock looking thing, then they have hop pellets and some malts

Whisky 

Friday 1/20

**Sorry these pics got put up to the top and I couldn't figure out how to move them down.

Where the wort is cooled (at Cantillon)

Lambic beer stored in barrels 

Friday started with a group walking tour of the city. It was very interesting; we saw the exact center of Belgium (which was marked by an obelisk inside a building that was closed), and the exact center of Brussels which you will see in the photo. The city center was pretty cool as well, all of the houses that represented different professions, and the capital building itself were all so cool. We climbed to the top of the “mountain” which is the highest point in Brussels. I don’t think they know what a mountain is here… There was a café in a museum at the top, which was 10 stories up. We went there and got some coffee. It was pretty awesome. 

After the tour we went to Cantillon brewery. They brew lambic and gueze beer there and the process was similar to the other breweries that we have been to, but there were a few big differences. Once they have mashed and boiled the wort they cool it in a big square flat bath overnight. In order for the wort to cool to the appropriate temperature it needs to be a specific temperature outside. This is why they can only brew their beer in the winter season. They brew three times a week for only a few months, and their goal is usually to brew 31 times a season. The wort is inoculated in the cooling process due to the bacterias in the air, and then it is put into barrels where it is starts to spontaneously ferment, and where it will stay for up to 3 years. Lambic beer is kept in the barrels for three years or more, and gueze is a mixture of one year old lambic and three year old lambic. After the tour we were able to try some of their beer, which was very interesting. I had never tasted such a sour and fruity beer before, it tasted a lot like champagne. It was comparable to the beer that I had the night before, but still very different. It dried out my mouth, but not in a bad way. Lastly we tried a kriek which was a lambic mixed with cherry, which was good, but I think I liked the regular lambic better. 

On the train back from Cantillon Gudrun, or professor, explained how she had gotten pick pocketed on the train and lost 200 euros (which she had just gotten from the bank), so sketchy. Turns out people wait outside of banks and follow people out until they find the right moment to pick pocket them. Now we are all very paranoid, and keeping our possessions close.

At night our group went to Delirium again, which was pretty fun. Downstairs was much more upbeat than upstairs. When I ordered my beer I said I wanted a blonde and wasn’t sure what type. He asked first “how bitter” and second “how much alcohol content,” which I thought was hilarious because I’d never hear that in the states. Met a couple of people who spoke English and we were all pretty excited to talk to other people here that could understand us. After the Delirium we went to this Irish pub that was awesome because there was a big dance floor upstairs. 

Our guide explaining how Belgium is the shape of a hand and all of the features go along with the natural lines of your hand, pretty cool!

Standing in the exact center of Brussels 

Houses that were for specific families or professions, the one right behind the lamp on the left was boaters

Part of the view from the cafe

Got a latte…decided against the cappuccino (dad and mom would get it) 

1st Day in Brussels!!!

We arrived in Brussels at about 2:30 on Thursday afternoon. I instantly got anxiety when we got off the train and had no idea what was going on. The train system here is much more confusing than the German train system. Once we figured out how to use our train passes to get through a series of gates (with our luggage which was difficult because we had to get through the gate before it closed) we found our way to the street, which was also difficult. Luckily we had a guide help us out, or else we would have been stuck in the train station for a while. Once we stepped out onto the street I noticed how different it is here than in Munich and Berlin. The streets are mostly all cobblestones and wide enough for basically one car plus cars parked on the side and a sidewalk. 

Our hotel is only a few blocks away from the train station, so we only had to run over the cobblestones with our luggage for a few minutes. Our hotel is very nice here, and also has a gym, so a couple of other students and I went to that before we had to meet up an hour and a half later. Turns out treadmill’s in Brussels are much different than America, either that or I just run too awkwardly that I break the machine. It kept stopping and showing an “error” message. Great.  I got a decent at best work out in, but it still made me feel better after eating out for every meal. 

We showered then went out to stroll around the town and find some dinner. Our hotel is centrally located in the town, which is very nice, so there were a lot of options around. We found a hole in the wall place that was actually pretty cool. I ordered a lambic blanc, which was way different than anything I’ve ever fasted. It was very fruity and sour, and almost dried out my mouth. It almost tasted like champagne, and it was very refreshing. After dinner we went to the grocery store to pick up some “gnome” beer, which is actually Brasserie D’Achouffe Belgium, which was pretty good! Here in Belgium beer comes in smaller sizes than Germany, but is much stronger in alcohol content. Since Belgium doesn’t have the purity law, the beer here is MUCH different than the beer in Germany. Then we went out to the Delirium Café, which was bumpin’, and full of people our age, which was different because most people we saw at the pubs in Munich were older. We didn’t stay for too long though because most of us were pretty tired (especially myself). But we took note of the spot, and will definitely go back. That spot rocks because they offer 1,000 different beers. Crazzyyy. 

Amanda and I at dinner

Lambic blanc, Emma and I both ordered it, so it came in this pitcher

Tuesday and Wednesday - Last 2 days in Munch :(

Tuesday:

Had a very fun day, and a crazy night. Woke up, ate breakfast, then went to Münchner Stadtmuseum which was pretty cool. It was all about the history of Munich. It was a bit confusing because everything was explained in German...but we got the gist of it. We were also given guide books in English, but that didn't explain everything. My favorite part of the museum were the models they had of the entire city during certain periods of time. They had a whole floor dedicated to puppets, it was cool, yet a little creepy. We didn't spend too much time in there, but we managed to take some pictures in front of silly mirrors. 

We had lunch and glühwein at our favorite little restaurant in the market. The glühwein was home made there, and is the best I've tasted so far. We also got sandwiches that were SO GOOD. It had about 4 different kinds of cheeses with ham, and some miracle orange sauce. Great lunch.

Gudrun and Kieth both gave us a little information in the afternoon. Gudrun talked about how the printing press was invented by a monk. It was interesting to hear how monks continued to improve the efficiency of copying religious texts, which eventually lead to the printing press. Kieth talked about monks and beer, and how during lent the only thing they were allowed to consume was the beer that they created. Thus, they had to make their beer strong, and nutritious. It is said that they made such good beer, then sent it to the pope to make sure that it was okay that they were to be drinking it. When the pope finally received it, the beer had been heating under the sun and sploshed around so much that it tasted bad, and the pope decided it was fine that they drank it. 

Later we toured the Paulaner Brauhaus, which was pretty cool. This is the very first Paulaner brew house that was founded in 1889. They gave us a beer to drink during the tour, I got a weisse beer. It was probably the best weisse beer I've had so far. The aroma was very banana-y, but it didn't taste that strongly of banana. The beer perfectly coated the tongue, and was just fruity enough. Our guide works there and is also going to a brewing school here in Munich and is almost done. He was talking about how he would like to go to the states and brew, which we encouraged. 

That night we went to Augustiner again and drank a mas, which was good. It was very crowded, any day of the week people here are down to drink beer, which rocks. A common phrase we've started using is "it's 1o'clock somewhere." We went to the Hard Rock Cafe Munich, which was neat, but was closing soon after we got there. But we had enough time for a beer and conversation with the bar tender, who was from California. He knew a lot about beer, and told us to go to the Rock Box, which was just down the street. It was a small bar, but fun. We met some guys from London who told us they were a band. Didn't believe it. 

Wednesday

Today was the most BEAUTIFUL day we've had in Germany. Sunshine and not too much wind. We woke up early and went to Kloster Andechs Braueri. It was very similar to all of the other breweries that we've seen, but it was unique in the fact that it was owned by monks. There are currently 6 monks living there that make all of the managerial decisions, but don't work in the brewery (there are 20 people that work in the brewery). After the tour we climbed up to the top of the hill and sat at a little cafe overlooking the area, which was breathtaking. It was clear enough that we could see the Andes mountains too. I was very content, could have stayed there all day. We then climbed a bit further and saw the church, which was also very beautiful. 

After that we came back to the hotel then Emma and I went and got some lunch and did some shopping. We ran into a fundraiser FC Bayern was having where I got a t-shirt for 5 euros. It rocked. 

Munich today

When the wall was up around Munich

Short legs

Short people

Gluhwein

Paulaner Weissebier

Paulaner

Where Oktoberfest is held

Emma is the Bavaria lady, I'm the lion

Kloster Andechs

The Alps!!

Were going out to our last supper here in Munich tonight as a group. I've had a blast in Munich, I might not leave...

PROST!

BMW Plant tour and Ayinger Tour (aka Robots and Beer)

Today was AWESOME.

Started with a tour of the BMW Plant. We were walked through the entire process of building a car, from where they cut the pieces of steel to form the body, to painting the car, to installing the engine. Each finished car travels about 7 miles throughout the entire process, which is so wild. They have robots at almost every station, preforming the same actions and creating precise and very well thought out pieces. Our guide explained them as the best workers because "they never need to go to the bathroom and never complain." We were not allowed to take photos at the plant, so unfortunately I have nothing to show you from the tour, you will just have to take my word that it was really cool. 

Then we went to Aying for lunch and a tour of Ayinger brewery. The lunch was great, I got broccoli soup which was delicious. The tour was cool also, the tour guide was very funny and it was evident that he really enjoyed his work. We have been on several tours now and understand the process, so a lot of the tour was review, but it was cool to see how their brewery worked. They actually use water from a different source from the rest of Munich, which is softer. We have been complaining a bit about how the water from the tap in Munich isn't very good, but the water in Aying was amazing. This is something that helps them in brewing lighter beers. We got to walk right next to their whole bottling process, which was so cool. Then when we got to their fermentation takes, the guy turned a lever and poured us some beer strait out of it. This was what is called "young beer," because it has finished fermenting but is still in the conditioning phase. This their Jahrhundbrt, which is a stronger beer that is usually filtered, but since it was still in the conditioning phase, it hadn't been filtered yet. So right there is the only place in the world where we could have tasted that exact beer, which I thought was pretty cool. After the tour we were able to taste a few other beers. I tasted the  Jahrhundbrt which was filtered, and a Urweisse 

Going into Ayinger, it was a BEAUTIFUL day

Putting on the caps at Ayinger

Lables

Describing how the water is much softer in Aying

Our guide getting us beer right out of the fermenter

Enjoying the beer! 

Tasting the filtered Jahrhundbrt