Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours

The Namur Tour - Capitale de la Bière

Wednesday 05 July - Sunday 09 July 2023

This is a brand new five day, four night Beer Tour based in the beautiful capital of Wallonia, Namur which is a picturesque city with its citadel, a Merovingian castle, perched on top of limestone cliffs sets off this lovely city nestled at the join of two mighty rivers, the Sambre and the Meuse.

Nieuwege Varsenare

Saison beer from Brasserie St-Feuillien in Wallonia.

Namur has always had some great beer bars, but in recent years it has been promoting itself as ‘La Capitale de la Bière’. For this beer Tour we will be staying at the Hotel Ibis Namur Centre. On this Tour we will be going out and about in the region on our coach visiting some of the great breweries and beer bars of Namur province, and further afield into Limburg where we will pay a visit to the Wilderen Brewery and Distillery. We plan to visit the beautiful town of Dinant and the nearby Caracole Brewery It’s going to be a great beer Tour in a beautiful part of Belgium. Join us.

We are based in Chelmsford in Essex and we use Eurotunnel from Folkestone to get to and from Belgium in our UK hired coach. 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.

Rochfort bottles

Rochefort Beer Bottles at Rochefort in Namur Province.

Our Galloways luxury coach (49 seater coach with toilet) starts from Suffolk and on the way to Folkestone (or occasionally Dover) 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.

The crossing times we usually go for are the 10.20hr Eurotunnel train from Folkestone and the 19.50hrs from Calais, so we arrive back in Folkestone at 19.30hrs UK time. It is possible that for this July Tour we will cross the channel by ferry from Dover to Calais. This is because Eurotunnel, since summer 2022, are restricting coach places to very few in July and August. We will try to secure a place on the train/Eurotunnel, if this is not possible we will go by ferry, as we did in August 2022.

This Tour is currently being built so keep an eye on this web page or subscribe to our monthly email newsletter for updates. 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 her on +44 (0) 7722 724 558 for details on how to secure a place and pay the £145pp deposit for this Tour, or if you have any questions about this Tour. Should your plans change, we are happy to return your deposit to you in full provided the date of the return request is more than six weeks before the departure date of the Tour.

Day 1 - Wednesday 05 July 2023

04.15hr Coach departs from Galloways coach depot at Denters Hill, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5RR.

06.00hr Coach pick up at The Woolpack, Mildmay Road, Chelmsford CM2 0DN.

07.15hr Coach pick up at the pull in outside Dobbies Garden Centre, Opp. Premier Inn Ashford Eureka Leisure Park, Rutherford Road, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4BN.

07.30hr Coach pick up at Shell Garage, Stop 24 Services, J11, M20, Kent, CT21 4BL.

08.00hr Arrive at Dover Ferry terminal.

09.55hr Sailing P&O from Dover.

12.30hr Arrive Calais Ferry terminal.

14.15hr Our first stop is at Trolls & Bush Café, restaurant and brewery (Dubuisson) at Pipaix. Here we will have a meal and a beer or two from their selection of fresh tapped beer and bottled versions. Dubuisson are part of the Belgian Family Brewers Association and have a long history being founded in 1769. They are most famous for their big Amber Bush beer at 12%abv. In 1933, brothers Alfred and Amedee inherited the brewery across the road from their parents and decided to try to compete with the English who occupied a good position in the market for strong beers in Belgium, being around 8%abv. So they created a strong amber beer to compete, but at a mighty 12%abv. They wanted an English name, so called it Bush beer. It is still made strong today , but in the USA is sold under the name of ‘Scaldis’ which is the Latin name for the River Schelde, so as there is no customer confusion with US brewer Anheuser-Busch.

16.20hr Leave Trolls & Bush Café, restaurant and brewery (Dubuisson) at Pipaix.

17.30hr Arrive at Floreffe Abbey, and we are headed for the Moulin Café located below the abbey buildings. Floreffe Abbey is a former Premonstratensian monastery, the second of the order to be founded in 1121. When the French Republican army invaded Belgium all monks were expelled, and the abbey was confiscated along with all its possessions. Though it was bought back for the monks after the revolution, and they returned, it was not the same, so became a seminary and now houses a school, but much of the buildings as well as the church survive. The certified abbey beer "Floreffe" is produced for the abbey by Brasserie Lefebvre and is available in the traditional Blonde, Double, Triple, Blanche and Prima Melior, a black beer. We can have a beer in the old mill-brasserie which is a superb building from the thirteenth century, the oldest industrial architecture in the Province of Namur. Until the French Revolution and the closure of the abbey in 1797, they stored the grain here and brewed beer. It was renovated and saved from oblivion in the early 70s since when it has been a reception centre for visitors and a brasserie. All the Floreffe beers are available, some on tap and also in bottles. These are not seen much in Flanders where we often Tour, so it's nice to be able to try them. Here they also have a shop with beers and souvenirs from this lovely historic place.

18.45hr Leave Floreffe Abbey Café.

19.00hr Arrive at Ibis Namur Hotel with the evening free to explore this beautiful city situated on the confluence of the mighty River Meuse (Du. Maas) and the River Sambre. All travellers will be armed with a copy of Podge's Namur City Bar Guide and Map*.

Day 2 - Thursday 06 July 2023

10.00hr After a leisurely buffet breakfast* we leave the hotel by coach.

11.00hr We will pay a visit to the Wilderen Brewery, Distillery and café in Sint Truiden. This was an ambitious project with entrepreneur Mike Janssen at the helm. The big red brick buildings go back to 1642 when it was a farm and beer was brewed here until 1800. The old distillery here closed down in 1939, but distilling now takes place here too. Mike opened up after extensive renovations in 2011. Their beers include the blonde Wilderen Goud at 6.2%abv, the Triple Kanunnik (‘Cannon Triple’) at 8.2%abv, brewed with four types of grain. They also make the malty-amber Betty Ford at 5.2%abv and the ruby-red, liquorice/caramel notes Cuvee Clarisse at 9.2%abv and the Cuvee Clarisse Whisky Infused at 10.2%abv in which the house-distilled spirit Wild Weasel Whisky is incorporated. We’ll have a Tour here* and a taste of their beer* at this interesting site. Tour starts at 12.00hr.

13.00hr Leave Wilderen Brewery, Distillery and Café in Sint Truiden.

13.15hr Arrive at the beautiful, fairy-tale castle Chateau de la Motte, just outside Sint Truiden. This is a picturesque impressive chateau with a moat, pointy turrets and everything. They have a restaurant/ café with a splendid terrace overlooking the moat and so we’ll rest here for awhile for something to eat and an accompanying beer or two.

16.30hr Leave Chateau de la Motte in Sint Truiden.

16.20hr Arrive at the L’Elysee Beaufort Café which is a traditional stone built beer café found to the west of the city of Huy on the riverside road to Andenne, on the edge of the forest. They have a beer card of some 250 choices, so we will have a stop here on the way back to Namur.

17.50hr Leave L’Elysee Beaufort Beer café in Huy.

18.20hr Coach drop at Ibis Hotel, Namur. Evening free for a night out with the snails. You can find them on the corner of Rue de la Monnaie and Place d’Armes. One is in a cage and one is on a lead.

Day 3 - Friday 07 July 2023

10.00hr After a leisurely buffet breakfast* we leave the hotel by coach.

10.40hr Arrive at the brilliant Brewery Caracole. This is a small artisanal brewery in Falmignoul, near Dinant. It is known for heating the water for brewing with a wood-fired oven. The bottling and labelling are done manually. There has been a brewery here since 1766, originally called Brasserie Moussoux, which changed its name to brasserie Lamotte in 1941 and in 1992 this little place was taken over and renamed Brasserie Caracole. Their artwork involves lots of snails, as befits this area of Belgium. I have always loved their labels and glasses, especially the classical-looking fella with the horned snail helmet. Their main beers are: Caracole, a strong blonde beer at 8.5%abv. Saxo is their amber beer of 8%abv named after Adolph Sax, the inventor of the saxophone and bornin nearbt Dinant (more of him later). They also brew Nostradamus which is a dark brown, mocha-liquorice notes brew weighing in at 9.5%abv. Last, but my personal favourite is the wheat beer, Troublette at 5%abv. Most of theor beers are also available in bio (organic) versions, and these are now the ones with the beautiful artwork. We will have a brewery visit* and a taste of their lovely beers in this grey stone built brewery and tasting room.

12.30hr Leave Brewery Caracole in Falmingnoul.

12.45hr Arrive at the stunning town of Dinant. First we will pay a visit* to the famous “La Merveilleuse” Grottes (Caves) of Dinant. The amazing three levels of caves were discovered in 1904 when local workers were constructing the railway. The caves can be visited on foot by descending and walking through different ‘rooms’ which contain white stalactites and stalagmites, waterfalls, an underground river, colourful rock curtains and other natural wonders. The caves have 850meters of galleries of which 650 meters are accessible to visitors. There is a “Great Hall” which is inhabited by hundreds of bats, but apparently only in the winter months. After a trip of about an hour we will climb back up to daylight. The caves are said to be accessible to everyone and as they are at a constant cool temperature underground, we will need to wear something warm, even in July.

13.45hr Leave “La Merveilleuse” Grottes (Caves) of Dinant.

14.00hr Arrive by coach and get dropped in the centre of Dinant for a free afternoon to wander about and find something to eat, if you wish. Travellers will be provided with Podge’s Dinant Bar Guide and Map*. This is a famously picturesque town of Wallonia, with a dramatic limestone rock back-drop rising out of the River Meuse (Du. Maas). This is because the town is sited at a point where the river cuts deeply into the western Condroz plateau and lies in a steep-sided gorge, between the rock face and the river. The original settlement had little space in which to grow away from the river, and therefore it expanded into a long, thin town on a north-south axis along the river edge. Historically the town was enriched by the quarrying of the black marble and bluestone in the area. The main sights include:

The Citadel Can’t miss this on the top of the cliffs. The first building was in the 11th century in order to gain control over this part of the Meuse valley. The French destroyed the Citadel in 1703 and its present aspect, with its 408 rock-hewn steps dates from 1821. There is a cable car which you can get from the church right up to the citadel if you want to visit and get the panoramic view. Or there are the steps.

The Church of Notre Dame de Dinant This impressive church was rebuilt in the Gothic style on the foundations of the old Romanesque church after falling rocks from the adjacent cliff partially destroyed it in 1227. This place is famed for its central tower with the onion dome and the facetted multi-staged lantern. Because of its position directly under the Citadel, it features in all photogenic snaps of Dinant.

The Birthplace House of Adolphe Sax Not his actual name, but he was always called Adolphe, he was born here in the street which now bears his name, and it is a museum to his life and work. He invented the saxophone in the 1840s and had an amazing amount of accidents and near death experiences, falling out of windows, buildings, drinking inappropriate liquids and generally getting involved in scrapes.

Local Edibles:

The Couque de Dinant This is an extremely hard sweet biscuit native to Dinant. They are huge, much bigger than a standard biscuit and are made with only two ingredients: wheat flour and honey, in equal amounts by weight, and nothing else at all: not even water or yeast. The dough is then pressed into special wooden moulds made from pear, walnut or beech wood. The moulds have a variety of shapes which include animals, floral motifs, people or landscapes. On cooling after cooking, the biscuit becomes very hard, and can be preserved indefinitely and people actually use them as Christmas tree decorations! Due to their extreme hardness and large size, Couques de Dinant are not intended to be bitten into directly. They are instead meant to be broken into pieces and can then be sucked, left to melt in the mouth or soaked in coffee. They have traditionally been given to teething babies. I wish I had known this around 15 years ago when I was last here and bough one of these big biscuity buggers and tried to eat it!

The Flamiche Dinantaise A ‘Flamiche’ is a northern French savoury pastry tart made with leeks and cream, a bit like a quiche. This variety is a speciality of Dinant and Walloon cuisine and is made with a low-fat cheese called ‘boulette de Romedenne’, butter and eggs and is usually eaten hot. You might want to wash it down with a Leffe beer, which I would not normally recommend (owned by ABInBev), but the brand Leffe apparently originates from Dinant and there is a museum in the town, to Leffe beer called Maison Leffe – it’s on the bar guide.

17.00hr Leave Dinant.

17.40hr Drop outside Ibis Hotel, Namur.

Day 4 - Saturday 08 July 2023

10.00hr After a leisurely buffet breakfast* we leave the hotel. We will walk from the hotel to the bridge in Namur, the Pont de Jambes for a river cruise.

10.15hr Arrive on foot at Pont de Jambes.

11.00hr Embark on a Namur Croisières boat for a cruise down the Rivers Meuse and Sambre.

12.00hr Disembark the river cruise boat at Namur Pont de Jambes.

12.15hr Coach picks up to pay a visit to our beer warehouse visit for this Tour which is called Beer, Wine & Spirit and is just outside Namur. This is your opportunity to buy some of your favourite beers to take home and enjoy at leisure. Hopefully you’ll find some local beers here too.

13.15hr Leave Beer, Wine & Spirits and return to namur for the rest of the day at leisure. Walk up the Citadel anyone? Actually, the cable car to the top was reopened in 2021 and apparently takes three minutes. If you want to climb start at the Rue Du Grognon. The best viewpoint is a spot through a gate called Vieux Puits, up a series of broad steps designed for horses. Look for the square tower at the top, where you have a spectacular view of Namur’s old houses and churches. Climb further up the hill and you reach a second viewpoint on a grassy plateau near a perfume workshop. You could visit the Garden of Smells at Chateau de Namur Rue de L’Ermitage 1. Created by garden historian Catherine Mathys it is a collection of six small gardens in the grounds of the Chateau de Namur. Located on the Citadel hill above Namur, the gardens have 350 plant varieties grouped according to different properties. There is a garden of emotions, a lavender garden and a taste garden and also a garden of strange smells, devoted to plants that give off unpleasant odours. Always open, free.

Vapeur

Masterclass on Cheese & Beer from Jean-Louis Dits of Brasserie à Vapeur, Pipaix, Wallonia.

Day 5 - Sunday 09 July 2023

09.45hr After breakfast* check out of hotel. Coach leaves for our last day.

11.00hr Arrive at the Taverne Saint-Gery in Aubechies which is a member of an association of “most beautiful villages of Wallonia”/ The Taverne we are visiting is named after the Romanesque village church of Saint Gery opposite. The pub is also next door to the Archeosite and Museum of Aubechies which is a huge museum dedicated to local pre-history until Roman times and is the largest archaeological open-air museum in Belgium. This is a lovely 17th century café, a classic Hainault white-washed farmhouse found opposite the church. The inner wall incorporates local Roman finds and an original stable trough. They have a huge beer list of 140 choices including lots of Wallonian 75cl stunners.

12.00r Leave Taverne Saint-Gery in Aubechies.

12.15hr Arrive at our last stop of the Tour, the incomparable steam brewery Vapeur in Leuze-en-Hainaut run by the characterful Jean-Louis Dits. This is an amazing survivor, and here we will have a superb buffet of local chesses and meats along with a taste of Jen-Louis’ Cochonne beers.

15.00hr Leave Vapeur Brewery in Leuze-en-Hainaut.

15.20hr Coach drop at Tournai Railway Station, Boulevard des Déportés 1, 7500 Tournai.

17.00hr Arrive Calais Ferry Port.

18.50hr Leave Calais on P&O Ferry crossing.

20.20hr Arrive Dover ferry Terminal.

20.50hr Coach drop Shell Garage, Stop 24 Services, J11, M20, Kent, CT21 4BL.

21.05hr Coach pick up at the pull in outside Dobbies Garden Centre, Opp. Premier Inn Ashford Eureka Leisure Park, Rutherford Road, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4BN.

22.30hr Coach drop Junction of Lady Lane & Mildmay Road, Chelmsford CM2 0EA.

22.40hr Coach drop Travelodge Hotel, 128-136 Parkway, Chelmsford CM2 7GY.

22.45hr Coach drop Premier Inn Victoria Road, Chelmsford CM1 1NY.

Rochefort tasting at Rochefort Abbey

Rochefort Beer tasting at Rochefort Abbey, Namur Province.

Tour Price is £925 per person sharing a twin or double room

Single Supplement: £275

We regret that we need to charge a single supplement for travellers who would like their own hotel room. This is because increasingly hotel room prices are quoted with very little difference between single person or two person occupancy.

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.