klondike

One of our sons is very fond of beer, all kinds, and during our upcoming trip this summer we have the opportunity to visit some breweries-we will be in Amsterdam and Brugge, which both have breweries to visit/tour. We also have plans to stay near Stenay (Meuse), but won't probably arrive in time to visit its beer museum/brewery before it closes for the day.

If anyone has visited some or all of the breweries in these cities...is it worth waiting until 10:00 am the next day to see the one in Stenay before heading to Amsterdam (where we will be spending 3 days and have more time)? We only have 1 full day in Brugge, so I was thinking it would be better to not visit the brewery here, unless it is exceptional.

I want to have a variety of experiences, including some WWI and WWII sites as we drive through the Verdun/Belgium areas so don't know which of these 3 brewery sites are the most interesting. I'm not sure I'm up to visiting 3 breweries, and the one in Stenay SOUNDS interesting, but it's always nice to hear what others have experienced.

adrienne

IMHO if you've seen one brewery you seen them all. I haven't done the 2 you mention but I've done others. Don't trade part of your day in Brugge for another brewery tour. Brugge is a delightful small city and you'll have more than enough there for a full day's sightseeing.

adrienne

Forgot to add that if he's very fond of beer, a better use of your time is to sit in an outdoor cafe sampling the product rather than in a smelly brewery looking at large metal vats of fermenting hops. Guess you know my thoughts on this now!

wojazz3

I agree that touring a bunch of breweries in a row is not much fun. Find the cafes that serve the local brew or if the brewery has it's own, go there. No reason for the tour though.

He should come to Denver in October for the Great American Beer Festival. Close to 2000 beers in one location, 400 breweries. It's a thing of beauty.

Bill

klondike

Thanks for the candid opinions...he may have already visited one already and feel the same way (he's been in Singapore and I haven't had a chance to discuss w/him) LOL. He's in it for the taste and is very slowly converting me to an occasional beer...I'm a wine person, myself.

Wojazz3, is this held around Civic Center or where in Denver?

klondike

Just wanted to report back...The European Beer Museum in Stenay, France is worth a detour if you are in the area. It would make a fine break from WWI sites/cemeteries if you are staying in the area for several days, or even just passing through as were.

It is very well done. Staff is most helpful though it is self-guided and you tour at your own pace. Lockers are available at the entry, free of charge if I remember, for backpacks, etc-which came is very handy for us since parking is down the road and we were on a "travel day" and didn't want to leave valuables in the car.

The museum explains the whole process, start to finish, in several languages including English. The first floor recreates a Gallo-Roman brewery of the legionary camp of Regensburg in Bavaria, a 15th century brewery, and explains the traditional brewing metod of the 18th and 19th centuries. The second floor concentrates on the Industrial Revolution & Modern Eras. It was great fun to get up close to the very first bottling machines--so primitive by today's standards.

What I liked about this museum was its beautiful bottle collection and exceptional original advertising signs of Breweries from all over Europe. Those from the Turn of the Century/Belle Epoque were my favorite. Copies of of them are for sale down in the Tavern (see www.laplaquepublicitaire.com as well), as is artisanal beer and local cheese and sausage, gift packs and fun/good looking T-shirts. We tried 4 different beers-Chimay Blanche, Orval, Ardwen Blonde and Ardwen Ambre- and liked them all.

By the time we finished with Amsterdam and Bruges, I was becoming a stalwart fan of beer (though wine will always be my true love)!

adrienne

Thanks for posting! This sounds a lot more interesting than the breweries I've been to.