Our day started at the Van Steenberge Brewery in Ghent with a quick sample of their new Augustine Blonde Ale. This brewery has been brewing beers since the 1784 and is one of the only breweries to refermentate their kegs. Jef Versele is a 7th generation brewer and owner of the brewery. He is a very passionate spokesman for his company and the brewery is a reflection of their family’s passion and dedication to producing quality beer. Van Steenberge Brewery is best known for their high alcohol content beers such as Gulden Draak and Piraat, which won gold at the 2012 World Beer Cup.

We were then off for sightseeing in Ghent. We did a walking tour with stops for local candy, mustard, meats and cheeses. It was amazing to see books that were 300-400 years old in their library. We had lunch at a local Augustine monastery. We then took a boat tour (while Jef continued to fill everyone’s glass with Piraat) that ended at a pub followed by a carriage ride to the oldest fencing club in Europe. At the club we were awarded Gulden Drak Ambassador certificates and shirts.

We had dinner at a restaurant under the Gulden Draak Tower followed by a little pub-hopping in Ghent—one pub required you to deposit a shoe in order to drink out of their large mugs. So with one shoe on and one in a basket above our table, we had our last beer of the night and enjoyed all the sights and sounds in the city of Ghent.

Beer Consultant Evan Kaye and Chris Brower