Saturday 4 February to Monday 6 February 2012
This three day, two night Tour takes in the Fifth Bruges Beer Festival and is based in Bruges. We also add in an optional Sunday jaunt in East Flanders to the great Bosteels brewery and a lunch stop in Flanders flower-growing district. Here is the detailed itinerary:
Bosteels brewery
Saturday 4 February
05.15hr Coach pick up at Crown Street Layby, Ipswich.
05.45hr Coach pick up Southway Layby, Colchester.
06.15hr Coach pick up The Woolpack Mildmay Road, Chelmsford.
09.20hr Eurotunnel Train Crossing from Folkestone.
11.00hr Arrive Calais.
12.00hr The first stop will be at ‘t Potje Pate in Alveringem for a superb West Flanders lunch and our first Belgian beer chosen from their excellent beer menu. This is the café outlet for the famous and highly regarded "De Veurn'Ambachtse" pate and charcuterie makers. Owner Jan Missiaen is the fifth generation of fine butchers in this area and is famed for his high quality, handmade pates, Rillette, Potjesvlees, pressed meats and terrines.
14.30hr Leave on coach for Bruges and the newest hotel in Bruges, a short walk from the centre of Bruges.
Tour of Bosteels brewery, Buggenhout
Sunday 5 February – Optional included Day Out
Brewer Luc at De Leite brewery, Ruddervoorde
Monday 6 February
15.15hr Arrive at Bruges Etap Hotel and check in. Copies of Podge’s Top Ten Bruges Bar Guide* and a City Map* will be provided. Afternoon and evening free to explore Bruges Beer Festival which takes place in the Halletoren in the Markt Square and maybe a café or two.
Tour of Bosteels brewery, Buggenhout
Sunday 5 February – Optional included Day Out
10.00hr Leave Hotel Etap after breakfast and head off by coach for a special brewery tour.
11.00hr Arrive at Buggenhout and the fantastic Bosteels Brewery, creators of the iconic Kwak, Karmeliet Tripel and Deus beers. We will have a brewery tour* and a beer tasting* in their comfy tasting room.
13.30hr Call in at the lovely café restaurant Bloemenlust in Wetteren for lunch and a few beers from their superb menu of around 100 beers.
16.30hr Arrive back in Bruges in plenty of time to enjoy the Bruges Beer Festival which closes at 21.00hr today and/or a wander round the great bars and cafes of Bruges.
Brewer Luc at De Leite brewery, Ruddervoorde
Monday 6 February
10.00hr Leave Hotel Etap after breakfast.
10.30hr Call in at Drankencentrale Rotsaert one of Belgium’s top speciality beer warehouses for an opportunity to buy some specialist beers to take home at great prices.
12.00hr On the way back to the coast we take in a visit to the bijou De Leite Brewery in Ruddervoorde. Here we have a brief brewery tour* and a beer tasting* which hopefully will include their new beer Ma Mère Spéciale.
14.00hr Arrive at the friendly Bistro Nieuwege in Varsenare opposite the canal for a cracking pre-ordered Flemish lunch and some great quality beers. Their food is excellent and includes Flemish Beef Stew made with Westmalle Dubbel, Ham Knuckle in Mustard Cream Sauce and the ever delicious Spare Ribs. They also have a great beer list of more than 150, with always something special on draught
16.45hr Finally on this tour we are delighted to be calling in at an excellent brand new beer café just outside Veurne at Steenkerke. The Kunstemaecker has around 50 beers, all superb quality, no fillers, including eight from Struise Brewers, three De Ranke beers, four Het Anker beers and a good range of lambic beers. They also have two unique beer selling points in West Flanders which is to offer Girardin Lambic on draught which they collect from Girardin themselves and also Valeir Blond on draught.
18.00hr Leave Kunstemaecker for Eurotunnel, Calais.
19.50hr Leave Calais on Eurotunnel Train.
19.30hr Arrive Folkestone.
21.15hr Arrive Chelmsford, drop off at Mildmay Road.
22.00hr Arrive Colchester, drop off.
Lunch at Bistro Nieuwege, Varsenare
All above times are local and approximate. Food, drink, passport and insurance costs are your responsibility. The items marked* are inclusive of the tour price. This tour fits in nicely with Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival which starts on Wednesday 1st February 2012. Our map of Central Chelmsford shows the location of the Winter Beer Festival, the Travelodge and The Woolpack, our Chelmsford pick up point for Tours. For those of you coming from out of town there are special deals to be had at Travelodge if you are staying overnight.
Kwak at Bosteels Brewery Buggenhout
22.30hr Arrive Ipswich, drop off.
Lunch at Bistro Nieuwege, Varsenare
All above times are local and approximate. Food, drink, passport and insurance costs are your responsibility. The items marked* are inclusive of the tour price. This tour fits in nicely with Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival which starts on Wednesday 1st February 2012. Our map of Central Chelmsford shows the location of the Winter Beer Festival, the Travelodge and The Woolpack, our Chelmsford pick up point for Tours. For those of you coming from out of town there are special deals to be had at Travelodge if you are staying overnight.
Kwak at Bosteels Brewery Buggenhout
The price of this three-day tour is £235 per person based on sharing a twin or double room, with a single supplement of £60 if you want a room of your own. Included in the Tour price are coach travel from Ipswich, Colchester or Chelmsford, still and sparkling water available on the coach, hotel breakfasts on Tour and brewery visits and tastings and all items marked with an asterisk. Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway) and Chelmsford (Woolpack, Mildmay Road) to Dover/Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel. 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.
