Drie Fonteinen is a Lambic brewery we were visiting to fill some kegs to take back to Denmark.  We were expected, and led by one of the brewers straight to the barrel cellar where we were treated to samples of 2007 lambic from two different casks.  We tried the 2002 Oude Gueuze, along with the brewer’s private distillation of a lambic.  Accompanying cheese and meat plates at the pub, we tried the Beersel Gold and Pils, their Faro, a sweetened lambic, and their kriek, lambic blended with cherries.  Unfortunately it was during the staff afternoon meal, so we couldn’t sample from the recommended full menu.  Next trip…

In Brussels we visited a below street level restaurant called Spinnekopke.  The server was on older French gentleman who at first seemed like a caricature of a French waiter, but we soon realized had a very good, and very dry sense of humor.  He recommended the house aperitif of blended witbier and cherry liquor which we had to try.  I guess I like the beer itself a little better, but it was unique to me to see the different ways beer is used in Belgium.  Beer is such an integral and appreciated part of the culture.  I was told I had to have the rabbit, which I did, and which was delicious.  For a change of pace I had a Zinnebier, from Brasserie de la Senne, a Belgian bitter.  Ah refreshing hops. 

Later after the mandatory visit to mannequin pis we stopped at Poechenellekelder, a beer café across the street with lots of things to look at all over the walls and ceilings, including replicas of mannequin pis in various costumes over the years, cross bows and other weapons, and all manner of curiosities.  We had a Saison from De La Senne, along with their Tarras Boulba, a nice Belgian bitter we compared with XX Bitter from De Ranke. 
Delirium Tremens Pub was too crazy with people and smoke for me.  We stayed long enough to get a pint of La Rulles Trippel on draft from their beer list 2500 beers strong, and drank them in the alley by the pub.  On one of the many walking streets, you can sit at an outside table, have a pint, and watch the people go by, or in this case, get kicked out of the pub by the bouncers.

One of the highlights was certainly visiting Cantillion, a world famous and historic lambic brewery.  Many people visit just as they would a museum; not necessarily beer pilgrims at all.  With an amazingly unassuming façade on a crowded street, once you walk in you enter an older world. 

Lambic is spontaneously fermented in a “coolship,” a large, shallow wading pool type vessel where the hot wort is pumped located in the uninsulated attic with louvered windows open to the breeze.  After the primary fermentation it’s racked into casks for aging.  Lambic is generally aged one year at least.  It can be then blended with cherries to become “kriek”, or blended with 2 and 3 year old lambics to become gueuze.  The grand cru is generally from a single cask that is judged superior to the rest. 

That rounded out our 2 day whirlwind trip to Belgium.  Far too brief, but a better introduction I could not have imagined.  Thanks to Shaun, Peter, and Anders for making it possible.

Back in Copenhagen I got the chance to visit several bars and cafes with good beers on tap and bottled beer from all over the world, including many from the US.  I had a wonderful opportunity to share in the traditional Norrebro Bryghus “Christmas lunch”.   Along with a delicious array of traditional foods we were treated to a tasting of varietal schnapps with thyme, walnut, and my favorite; aged in oak and sailed across the equator and back.  I couldn’t understand the periodic speeches and drinking songs, but I appreciated the spirit.
Peter took me to Herslev Bryghus outside of town which his friends operate and where his beer is produced under contract until such time as his Halsnaes Bryghus is up and running with its own facility.  This brewery has a great rural farm site.  It’s made up of a combination of vessels, some designed for brewing and some not, but seems fairly efficient and well designed despite that.  Creative and judicious use of equipment works well here instead of a high priced, engineered system.  We only had time to taste a couple of their beers while there, but they were clean and delicious. 

We visited the BB production brewery.  This place is set up to work, with a dense tank farm in a large warehouse space.  They brew a huge variety of brands and styles here.  I got to see the production facility for Norrebro Bryghus too.  That facility was brand new a few years ago and still looks it.  All the bells and whistles here; the brewer sits at a computer terminal for the most part.  The bottling line was operating while we were there.  This place has the potential to crank out a lot of beer.   There’s a five barrel brewery in town we stopped by too called “Brewpub”.  We got to see the place and talk to the brewer, but the pub wasn’t open so we couldn’t actually sample any of the beer.  I had never been to a brewery before where you couldn’t even taste the beer, but the conditioning tanks in Denmark are all set up with plastic liners that don’t allow sample valves.

The real reason for the trip was for me to do a guest brew at the pub.  We decided to brew a braggot, something I had experimented with, but not done much, and something that they wanted to do, but hadn’t got round to yet.  We settled on Orange Blossom Honey for the delicious aromatics, and Marris Otter Pils base malt.  250 Kilos of each led to 1000 liters of 27* Plato wort which we fermented with Orval yeast in the primary, and champagne yeast in the secondary.  I loved the idea of using the Orval yeast.  I wish we had done that at home when brewing a similar beer before I left.  A braggot is a type of mead made with malt.  Meads have their own wonderful vocabulary with different words for many different types.  Because meads are usually so strong (over 10% abv) they take months to ferment and condition.  Both brews taste great so far.  We put 1/3 of our batch into a bourbon barrel, and it sounds like Shaun is planning to do that too. 

My trip was rounded out by a some family time with friends I met at a wedding several years back in Oregon.  They took me to a castle, Kronborg, north of Copenhagen, as well as on a walking tour of town.  (I think I identified some ancient fermenters in the cellar.)  We visited a palace and saw the changing of the guard and got a brief glimpse of the queen.  We stopped at the marble church, and roamed the streets of Christiania.  All through my time in Copenhagen I was hosted by Anders, Shaun, and the Noltensmejers, for which I cannot thank them enough.  I love my job.

Ben Millstein
February 2009

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