Belgium Trip: Day 7, Part 1 - A Side Trip to the Outlying Village of Adegem

Thursday was intended for Brugge but first I wanted to drive out to Adegem to hit an epic beer store called De Bierloods. Their website boasted a selection of more than 800 Belgian beers and was only a 10 minute drive east of Camping Memling.

We arrived shortly after they opened and the selection lived up to the hype. The shelves were 60 ft long and as tall as me. Name a beer brewed in Belgium and it was probably here. Only Westvleteren was notably absent. (Although when I think about it now, I wonder if I had pressed Vacas, the owner, if he might have had a stash to sell us. Hmmm....) I focused mainly on Christmas (Kerst) beers and Belgian stouts....I kind of had to or I would have been overwhelmed by the choices. He also sold us an dusty old bottle of St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition...it had to have at least 5 years of age on it. Prices were decent as far as I could tell. Dave picked up some glassware too.

Mr. Vacas was very proud of his store and the bar that he housed in the basement below. He took us on a quick tour of the facilities and the bar. He also brews his own beer at De Proef called Koantjes, a spicy crisp blonde ale. He snagged a 750 ml bottle, some snacks and served us some (gratis!) out on of the outside tables. Spicy, hoppy and effervescent....it was a tasty ale, maybe the best blonde I had while in Belgium outside of the Westvleteren 6.

Our boxes full of beer, we loaded up the back of the Polo and headed back to Brugge. Thanks to Mr. Vacas for making the beer shopping very enjoyable. If you are in Brugge and you have a car, you must get out there. Hell, even if you don't have a car, Vacas was such a nice fellow that he might come and get you himself!

Bierloods