Belgium Part III - Ghent

De Trollekelder, 17 Bij Sint-Jacobs Brasserie Deus, 128 Vlaanderenstraat Bierhuis Castel, 9 Koningin Maria Hendrikaplein Waterhuis aan de Bierkant, 9 Groentenmarkt Het Trappistenhuis, 164 Brabantdam De Hopduvel, 10 Rokerelstraat.

No trip around the region is complete without a visit to the acclaimed restaurant and tavern Heeren Van Liedekercke at 33 Kasteelstraat, Denderleeuw (www.heerenvanliedekercke.be), off the road from Oudenaarde to Brussels. The geography is odd - but this Belgium - as the river Dender divides the two small towns of Denderleeuw and Liedekercke, with the former in Brabant and the latter in East Flanders. The brothers Joost and Tom De Four (right) say they are from Liederkercke but they are actually in Denderleeuw. If you feel the need for a strong beer to work this out, you've come to the right place, for the Gentlemen of Liederkercke have one of the biggest beer selections in the whole of Belgium and specialise in beer cuisine, not only matching beer with food but cooking with beer as well. The rustic tavern, with the air of a Swiss chalet, has a vast range of lambic and gueuze, including Cantillon of Anderlecht, Trappist ales, including Westmalle Dubbel, and their own house beer, Heerenbier, an 8.5% bottle-conditioned bruin produced for the brothers by Boelens, a micro based in Belsele.

I had a Girardin Gueuze as an aperitif and then enjoyed cod cooked in a sauce that contained Chimay White and supported, naturally, by the same beer. I learned that Chimay has re-branded this beer from its monastic range as Chimay Tripel to avoid confusion with Belgian "white" or wheat beers. The wonderfully spicy beer was the perfect accompaniment to the dish. Sadly, because of the need to catch the last Eurostar from Brussels, I had to cut short by visit to the tavern. But I shall return.

Beer tours

Beer In Flanders organises visits to breweries, bars and restaurants in the region. The tours include special rates at participating hotels. For full details see the website www.beerinflanders.be. In Ghent, I stayed in the hotel Monasterium Poortackere, 56 Oude Houtlei, 9000 Gent (www.monasterium.be). Special packages arranged by the hotel, based in a former monastery, include a beer dinner.

In Oudenaarde, Hotel Steenhuyse is a participating guest house in an elegant building overlooking the market place: 37 Markt, 9700 Oudenaarde (www.steenhuyse.info). A package offered by the hotel includes accommodation, dinner in a local restaurant and a beer cycle trail.

Both Ghent and Oudenaarde can be reached by regular trains from Brussels Midi, the Eurostar terminus. Eurostar tickets can be used for onward destinations on Belgian trains (not Thalys or ICE), making a 55 Eurostar return ticket good value. Thanks to Sacha Jennis of Beer In Flanders and Anneliese Mertens of the East Flanders tourist agency for their support.

go to Part I - history of Oudenaarde and Liefmans go to Part II - Roman Brewery and beer tasting notes