The Beer Tourist

Last weekend, starting Friday afternoon and lasting until Sunday evening, was the Bierpassion Weekend in Antwerpen. The event took place inside a big tent on Groenplaats, next to the cathedral and under the watchful eyes of Rubens (or at least a statue of him).

156 different beers could be tasted, (almost) all served in attractive tasting glasses. Admittedly, some were more interesting than others. My drinking tokens were spent on great new beers from Leireken, Contreras, De Halve Maan and even the American India Pale Ale-inspired Hop-It from Urthel. Somehow, another American beer promoted by Corsendonk did not really capture my interest, though I suppose you could use their Bud Light to cleanse the palate between the beers.

Furthermore, it is not every day that you get a chance to sample the great Bush Prestige or the Deus, the latter described as the most heavenly drink among the Brut beers in the latest edition of Michael Jackson's The Great Beers of Belgium.

The tent on Groenplaats last weekend truly was a cathedral for beers, proving that passion for greatness did not stop with Rubens in the Scheldestad.