Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours

forthcoming tours

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours was founded by Podge, aka Chris Pollard in 1994 and is now run by his wife, co-beer-writer and co-traveller for thirty years, Siobhan McGinn. Podge was famous for his encyclopaedic knowledge of Belgian beers, breweries and culture, but Siobhan was never far behind him. On a recent Tour one traveller was overheard saying to a fellow traveller ‘Siobhan – she knows her stuff’. She and Podge travelled in Belgium for almost thirty years, first alone, then with Tours and visited hundreds of Belgian breweries and probably thousands of cafes.

Podge & Siobhan at Leuven Innovation Festival 2016.

As well as a Belgian beer expert, Siobhan is a historian and an expert on beer in the First World War in Flanders. She has a Master’s degree from Birmingham University in First World War Studies (2014). Siobhan personally conducts each Tour and loves to tell travellers on the coach microphone about Belgian culture, cow breeds, Flemish dog carts and the meaning of obscure Flemish road signs. Given that Siobhan also has a degree in English Law, another two Masters degrees in Victorian Studies and English Literature and is an Egyptologist, she is rarely short of subjects to talk about! You need a vacation. You need a beer. You need a beercation. Come and join us on one of the following great tours. We have pick up and drop off points in Suffolk, Essex and Kent as can be viewed on our joining points for Podge's Belgian Beer Tours Map.

Toer de Geuze & LambicLand Revisited Tour

Thursday 02 May - Monday 06 May 2024

This is our classic Tour taking in the biennial Toer de Geuze and based in the luxury Hotel Keizershof in Aalst, the perfect base for exploring LambicLand - the name coined by Podge for the area which produces Lambic beers, and the name of our book published 20 years ago. Come and join Siobhan for a Tour round her favourite beers, the incomparable lambic beers of Belgium. Read more.

Beer on the Waterfront

Wednesday 26 June - Sunday 30 June 2024

An excellent summer beer Tour featuring the Belgian coast, rivers, canals and inland waterways and the breweries, beer cafes and restaurants which inhabit them. Staying for four nights, five days at the centrally based Ibis St Baafs catherdal Hotel, in Gent, that most beautiful of Flemish cities with an astonishing density of brilliant beer bars. Read more.

Beer & Battlefields

Wednesday 04 September - Sunday 08 September 2024

This is our special 'like-no-other' battlefield tour taking in the battlefields of Flanders in the First World War, combined with Siobhan's other great specialism, Belgian beer. We are based for five days and four nights at the very central Novtel Flanders Fields in Ypres, at the heart of the salient. Join us for a Tour by comfy coach around the unforgettable Salient and hear what happened here and why. Read more.

Christmas in Leuven

Tuesday 24 December - Saturday 28 December 2024

This is our annual Christmas Tour, this year based in the lovely city of Leuven in Flemish Brabant. Our stay for five days, four nights is the centrally based Penta Hotel. Join us for a leisurely drive round Flanders in our cozy luxury 49-Seater coach with some winter beers! To give you an idea of what the Tour might look like, have a look at what we did on the Christmas in Gent Tour 2023. Read more.

The Flemish Ardennes Beer Tour 2025

Wednesday 19 March - Sunday 23 March 2025

This is a brand new Podge's Belgian Beer Tour exploring the Flemish Ardennes. Our stay is for five days, four nights in the luxury four star Leopold Hotel in the historic city of Oudenaarde. Join us for a leisurely drive round this land of hills and mills at the southern end of East Flanders in our luxury 49-Seater coach! This is the über-cycling area of Belgium and has some great beer cafes at the tops of the cobblestone hills. Bruin beer, breweries and bluebell woods. Join us. Read more.

Questions?

Questions?

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Tour archive

Browse past tours here. You can also browse previous tours on our old website here.