Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours

The Belgian Family Brewery Tour

Wednesday 18 March to Sunday 22 March 2026

Belgium is justly famed for being the best beer-producing country in the world, and much of this repuation is built on generations of brewers and experience. So, we are planning a great new Tour investigating and visiting members of the special Belgian Family Brewers association, their breweries, brewery taps and cafes which offer their beers. Our hotel for this five day, four night Tour is the luxury four star Park Hotel**** in Kortrijk, West Flanders, from where we will explore some of the finest and most traditional family brewers in the world.

Park Hotel, Kortrijk.

The Belgian Family Brewers Association has 21 members. They have rules. Their objective is to promote historic, independent family breweries and they have a logo on each bottle of approved beer, involving a stylised Belgian flag, so customers can identify what they are drinking. To be a member there is a high bar to the family-owned-brewery bit. The brewery must have been going continuously for at least 50 years. Not every beer from each member brewery can show the logo on their label - it must be brewed in Belgium itself and must be an original beer, no copies of which are sold under any other name or label. Siobhan is aiming to experience ten of the members of the association, either by way of a visit to the brewery or the brewery tap, if it's not possible to visit! Strap on your beer crampons - we're going in!

Kortrijk is a lovely, vibrant and historical city with loads of excellent beer bars. Just have a look at Podge's Kortrijk Bar Guide which gives an idea of the hand-picked beer bars we have included on the map within a walk of the hotel. We will manage to fit in brewery visits, some great meals in top beer/restaurants and plenty of visits to interesting cafes. All from the comfort of ourt luxury 49 seater coach. Join us.

We are based in Chelmsford in Essex and we use a UK hired coach to travel. We try to use Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) from Folkestone to get to and from Belgium, but if not available we go by ferry from Dover to Calais. Most of our Travellers join the Tour at our main pick up point outside The Woolpack Pub, 23 Mildmay Road, Chelmsford CM2 0DN and most come from other parts of the UK, and some from further afield, especially USA. Lots of our Travellers stay the night before a Tour (and often the night of our return) at Chelmsford Travelodge only a few minutes walk from The Woolpack or at the Premier Inn near the Railway Station, about a 10 minute walk to the pick up point at The Woolpack. We all usually pop in to The Woolpack the night before departure for a meet, greet and a few beers with Siobhan who is your Tour Manager, Tour Guide and drinking pal for the duration.

A tasty Hommelbier.

Our Galloways luxury coach (49 seater coach with toilet) starts from Suffolk and on the way to Folkestone (or Dover if we go by ferry) and picks up at several points, as agreed with Siobhan, as below:

Ipswich, Bus Stop, Tesco Store, Pinewood, Ipswich IP8 3TS.

Colchester, McDonald's, Tollgate West, Stanway, Colchester C03 8RG.

Chelmsford, The Woolpack, 23 Mildmay Road, CM2 0DN.

Dartford, BP Garage (formerly Esso) 474 Princes Road, DA1 1YT. On the return leg we drop off at Dartford Railway Station DA1 1DR.

Swanley, Unit 4, Moreton Industrial Estate, London Road, BR8 8DE.

Ashford, pull in Outside Dobbies Garden Centre, Opposite Premier Inn, Ashford Eureka Leisure Park, Rutherford Road, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4BN.

Folkestone, Shell Garage, Stop 24 Services, J11, M20, Kent, CT21 4BL.

This Tour is currently being built so keep an eye on this web page or subscribe to our monthly email newsletter for updates - there is a form to do this at the foot of this page. The final detailed and timed itinerary will be posted here at least four weeks prior to departure. If you would like to join us please send Siobhan an email or call on +44 (0) 7722 724 558 for details on how to secure a place and pay the deposit for this Tour, or if you have any questions about this Tour.

St Bernardus Abt Beer - A Black Beauty.

Tour Price is £1055 per person price sharing a double or twin room.

Single Supplement: £335 if you would like a room of your own.

The deposit payable to secure a place on this Tour is £200 per person.

Send Siobhan an email to find out how to pay the deposit.

Included in the cost of this Tour are:

Hotel accommodation and breakfasts;

Hotel city taxes;

Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet;

All brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings;

Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites;

All items marked with an asterisk above and on the individual detailed tour itinerary when issued;

Copies of Podge’s City Bar Guides and Maps for the town where we stay or spend some time;

Still and sparkling water on the coach;

Pick up from one of our agreed joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.

Courier Services from Siobhan McGinn, your Tour Guide.

Travellers are responsible for the costs of all food and drink apart from items marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary plus all passport and insurance costs.

All itinerary times are local and approximate.

Personal insurance is not included in the Tour price but is required to be taken out by Travellers on Podge's Belgian Beer Tours, as is carrying the free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which is the 2021 replacement for the old EHIC. You can still use your EHIC card so long as it is in date, then you need to apply for the GHIC replacement online.

All Tours are subject to our Terms and Conditions.

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