A Belgian Beery Break Pt 2: Ghent

A view of the river Leie

Leaving Delirium behind, we made our way into Ghent to find the AirBnB that we had booked for a couple of nights. Now I could write a post on the perils of AirBnB, but I'd rather not go into that. Suffice it to say that, after sobering up remarkably quickly, we managed to find somewhere different to stay.

After a stressful afternoon we were very much in need of food and a relaxing drink, so we were delighted to discover Frites Atelier. Apparently, just a few weeks earlier there had been queues round the square when this place had first opened. The frites themselves were wonderful, as was the flemish stew they were served with and the selection of flavoured mayonnaise. There was also a great beer selection; a Petrus Dubbel went very well with my meal.

Stadhuis to the right and Belfort in the centre

Suitably refreshed, we went for a wander around the city centre. In both Ghent and Brugge we never ceased to be amazed by the stunning architecture, atmospheric in the night, and imposing in daylight. Having done a bit of research I had a few places that I wanted to visit, strangely all bars! 

The first we went to was Het Dreupelkot, which specialises in geneva. Now, I'm not really a gin drinker at all, so this was more of a treat for Fi, who had been driving earlier in the day and hadn't enjoyed Delirium as much as me! However, if there wasn't so much wonderful beer to be drunk, I could easily have stayed there all night. If you have never tried Belgian geneva, then I can say that it bears as much resemblance to gin as an imperial stout does to a pint of Guinness. The range and complexity of the flavours is amazing, and it is great not to be drinking from a goldfish bowl full of fruit.

Gravensteen by moonlight (well lamplight actually)

From there we went next door to Het Waterhuis were I had a Gandavum and a 
Kapittel Winter. Whether it was due to the cumulative effect of beer and geneva, or the AirBnB related stress, I Untappd these beers without rating them. From memory they were decent enough but not striking. After a little more wandering, we made for Den Turk, where I thoroughly enjoyed a Westmalle Dubbel to round the evening off.

Kraanlei

The following day we enjoyed a wander around the city in bright winter sunshine. We had considered a boat tour, but decided that it was rather too chilly to spend long sitting around. As well as the classical architecture we had read that Ghent is famed for its street art. The Rough Guide recommended taking a guided tour for this too, but we found plenty to catch our eye all by ourselves. Especially striking was Graffitistraatje (or Werregaren Straat, to give it its proper name).

Just one shot from Grafitti Street

Graslei - not one of the guildhouses!

An unexpected collision of drink and culture occurred when we stumbled upon Bookz & Booze. This combination of book shop and bottle shop is virtually an art installation in its own right. 

Entrance this way

Proprietor, Ive Stuyvaert, explained that he had been looking for something different to do after a career in TV production. Being a lover of both reading and drinking, he had the idea of curating a collection of books and booze linked thematically. 

Ive explains his vision

It's a beautiful shop, and Ive is passionate about his project. Of course there is a bit of a price premium for this kind of specialist outlet, but you are buying the concept as much as the product.

Waterstones it isn't

In between the culture, we checked out the location of bars for the evening, and enjoyed a couple of afternoon drinks at Het Verlootje, which we stumbled across on our way to Gentse Gruut. Glancing down a side street we spotted what looked like an interesting bar. 

't Verlootje as we first saw it

Closer inspection led us to believe that it was closed, until a door opened in front of us and a peculiar, old, grey haired, cigar smoking character asked us if liked to drink beer. Before we knew it, he had ushered us into what looked more like a junk shop than a bar!

Lieven, the owner of 't Verlootje

Inside, an art student was filming a documentary as part of her course work. Lieven presented us with a 750ml bottle of Saison d'Erpe-Mere to share, while we told us about his lifelong fascination with bicycles and trains. Quite how this place can hold enough customers, amongst all the clutter, to stay open is beyond me, but somehow it does! Prices are steep, but this bar offers a unique experience.

Candlelight supplements what little daylight gets through the cluttered windows

Gentse Gruut is altogether more mainstream. In fact, it would be quite at home amongst the craft taprooms of Bermondsey or Hackney. Its distinguishing feature is that it brews beer entirely without hops. Instead, a variety of gruit herbs are used to impart bitterness. 

More street art

This is a style of beer that I have no real experience of. To be honest I was expecting that it might present more of a challenging flavour profile than it did. Both the Amber and the Bruin were very drinkable and the bar was just as interesting a space as Verlootje, if a lot more spacious and airy.

Two striking characters overlook drinkers at Gentse Gruut

Our evening began with dinner at The Holy Food Market - a disused chapel, which is home to 16 different food outlets featuring the cuisines of cultures from all corners of the globe. 

Holy Food Market is quiet early in the evening

Once we had eaten we checked out Dulle Griet and Trollekelder, two bars that are well known destinations in Ghent. Both have impressive beer selections - a mere 200 choices at Trollekelder, but more than 500 at Dulle Griet. The beers were obviously good, but, with so much choice, it was actually really difficult to decide what to drink! Both bars were reasonably busy for a midweek evening, but somehow both of them felt a little too touristy for our liking. 

Trolls are everywhere in Trollekelder

And so we made out third visit in two days to Den Turk (we had called in for coffee during the afternoon). Despite, or perhaps because of, the limited selection, it seemed easier to choose a really great beer. This time it was the Orval that I went for.

Den Turk - best bar in Ghent

However, the highlight of our time in Ghent came when we stopped concentrating on our beer choices and switched to Jupiler! The reason this was the best thing we did? Well, it coincided with getting into a wonderful chat with a Den Turk regular, who had been in the bar the previous evening too, and the barman. We talked about Brexit (of course), Belgian culture from the point of view of a second generation immigrant, the Ghent festival, football (the barman was old enough to remember when Ipswich was a successful club in Europe), and the topic that started it off - the fact that Belgians can drink beer from the age of 16. 

You see, the best thing about beer is the people, and especially the way that it can lead us to talk to people who we otherwise wouldn't.