Tuesday was spent in Bruges, most of it in free time and that was just what everyone needed with this beautiful weather in this splendid town where there is so much to see.

Some went shopping, some went cycling to Damme (!), some climbed the 365 stairs of the Belfry Tower and Spencer did this for the second time, since he was on the tour three years ago as well!! In the afternoon there was a visit to the local Brewery “De Halve Maan” which makes a new 6% blonde called “Brugse Zot” We saw the new fermentation tanks and tasted the beer in the pub.

In the evening we met in the lobby of the hotel and took off for a small pub-crawl before dinner. We went to Café De Kogge, the smallest pub in town; we just fit in there with the group! Located at the North side of the "Braambergstraat", between the Fish-Market and the
Rosary quay (Rozenhoedkaai) in a little but charming and attractive house. It's not very artful but nice and in typical Bruges style, and of historical importance. This little house is the guild house of the former Bruges cereal-carriers, responsible for loading, unloading and transporting of cereals in Bruges. Since many years the "Association of the Braamberg" hired the little house from the rich guild of the Bruges tanners. In 1617 it was so ruinous that a restoration was urgent. The tanners wouldn't do it, so the house was sold to the cereal-carriers.
It had a wooden facade. On the 9th of september 1637 the municipality allowed
to replace the wooden facade by a stone one. The used materials and the proportions are harmonious. The facade is not only decorated by a nice door and windows but also by three gable-stones, one dated 1637, and two others on both sides of the same windows, on which
you see a man carrying a sack of cereal.

At seven PM, we sat down at Den Dyver restaurant for a fabulous beer dinner. The interior of this place is very pretty and the service is perfect. They know their beers there! It is considered to be one of the top restaurants wit beer cuisine in Belgium.

After dinner, we went for a tasting in the Brugs Beertje. Regnier had set up a contest first for flipping coasters and Daisy let us use the private room in the back. It was fun!

After that there was a comparative tasting of an American Aged Oak La Folie from New Belgian Brewing Company and Rodenbach grand cru. The Rodenbach turned out to be disappointing and Sandy qualified it as “Pickled juice” We took a bottle with us to tell our friends at Rodenbach the next day, since we were going there anyway. In the second part, we compared Orval Trappist to some of the American IPA’s which Spencer had brought along. That was a great experience and the Orval came out favourite to most of us.

Day VII