The Bruery Takes Off for Belgium

Belgium is a door mat. In the course of European history, one country/kingdom/empire/duchy can't conquer another without trampling over the country. It's the original Game of Thrones.

In the course of the last 2000 years, the Romans, French, Habsburgs, Vikings, Germans, Spanish, English, Austrians, and countless fiefdoms have had there way with large swaths of the Low Countries. No wonder Belgium is the world's beer capital, as what could be more needed than a nice pint after another day of storming the castle?

Today, The Bruery prepares for its own invasion.
Armed with little more than five boxes of beer for bartering, a Lonely Planet guidebook, and a love of Lambic, Patrick Rue, his wife and 4 others are off to tour breweries of Flanders, Brussels, and Wallonia. Our home base will be in Brugge. Our itinerary includes day trips to Het Anker, Duvel, Gueuezerie Tilquin, Drie Fonteinen, Boon, De Struise, Rodenbach, and Westvleteren, not to mention beer bars throughout the country.

But right now, we wait for our connecting flight. We fill our stomachs in O'Hare and prime the pump with brews from Goose Island and Revolution. Two more hours, one Lunestra and eight hours of flying, we'll disembark and have our turn to conquer Belgium.

Post written by Carl Katz, our CFO and resident champion of eastern culture.