Drinking Local: De Dolle Brewery
Posted by David | Filed under blog
This installment of “Drinking Local” comes to you via my recent trip to Belgium. There is no better activity than to drink local in Belgium. Not only is it incredibly easy to do, but the beer is second to none. De Dolle Brewery is hidden away in the smallest of towns in West Flanders. They have a small, family-run business, and happen to like it that way. No behemoth overlord owners that have bought up their name in order to mass-produce their recipes. Instead, every beer is made here by the family on weekends (the only days they operate). You can visit the brewery on Sunday afternoons (the only time they’re open to the public) and enjoy a tour of the facilities as well as some of their wares.
There is a definite artful and home-grown feel to the grounds. The brewer’s artwork decorates everything from the beer labels to the entrance gate. At the time of our visit, they were still fixing up their pub area that had been damaged during a fire, so the tasting room was moved into the operations house next door – which also seemed to serve as a makeshift art gallery with more of the brewer’s work – where beer was dispensed from the kitchen, and you could sit down on one of the available couches or chairs, or perhaps just take it out into the back yard.
The brewmaster’s mother gave us our tour, and elaborated both on the history of her brewer sons and the start of De Dolle, as well as her thoughts on the current state of brewing in Belgium (along with some dirt on who does and doesn’t use all-natural ingredients). These guys are serious about handcrafting their small-batch beers the old-fashioned way. From their inherited and antiquated equipment, to their commitment to sourcing natural and premium ingredients, you could tell they had a true passion for their product and the traditions that it springs from.
That meticulousness in brewing comes through expertly in their beers. These were simply the best beers I had in Belgium. Although I was only able to taste two varieties, they were both exceedingly rich, fascinatingly complex and simply delicious. If you fancy yourself a beer geek, would like an authentic Belgium brewery experience, or would simply just like to take in some of the countryside and relax with a good brew then it is well worth the effort to schedule in a visit.
It was a beautiful afternoon at the brewery when we visited, with bright sun and mild weather. At the picnic tables outside we were surrounded by regulars, who had biked, walked and driven to enjoy some familiar beer and familiar faces. They spread out plates, sliced up a baguette with some cheese and sausages, while others enjoyed some sandwiches of pate slices made with De Dolle’s Oerbier. And we were all enjoying several glasses of excellent beer. It was the perfect end to a trip through Belgium.
When last we left you, I teased a new feature/series/focus for the website related to a new cookery book of almost mythic girth. A thousand-page testament to food on paper that we would not only use in exercise by simply picking up, but also something that we would be cooking from. And I’m here to tell you a little bit more about that.
