Hurry Only 07 Spaces Left! - SAVE $200!*
Join your friends from O’Brien’s on the
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tours
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates & Champagne Crawl
LONDON, GHENT, PARIS
Four Exciting Tour Choices
5 nights Ghent – GBBT 1
March 03 - 09, 2009
From $995 Land Only OR From $1499 w/AIR from San Diego
2 nights London and 5 Nights Ghent GBBT 2A
March 01 - 09, 2009
From $1899
5 Nights Ghent and 2 nights Paris – GBBT 2B
March 03 - 11, 2009
From $2099
The 2009 GBBT GRAND TOUR
2 Nights London, 5 Nights Ghent and 2 Nights Paris
March 01 - 11, 2009
From $2399
Hurry – Only 07 Spaces Left!
These SALE PRICES expire February 10, 2009
*With O’BRIEN’S SERVER GBBT Coupon
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates
& French Champagne Cellars Crawl
March 01 - 11, 2009
March
Sun 01
Depart San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle on American Airlines for
your transatlantic, overnight flight to London, England.
''...when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London
all that life can afford.'' Dr Samuel Johnson
Mon 02 Arrive London’s Heathrow airport this morning, then take the “Tube” (London’s Underground subway) to central London to our hotels.
London’s historic sights! For those unfamiliar with London an optional hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus is a great way to explore; Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, The National Gallery, Downing Street, Big Ben, London Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London & Westminster and more!
The Great London Beer Tour and Ultimate Pub Crawl
This afternoon we’ll meet the inimitable Chris Pollard aka “Podge” co-author with Siobhan McGinn of “Around London in 80 Beers” who will guide us on “The Great London Beer Tour and Ultimate Pub Crawl”, a walking/Tube tour to London’s top pubs featuring cask-conditioned ales and of historical note.
We’ll start out on London’s south bank to visit The Royal Oak pub for a brief orientation and to taste Harvey’s Sussex ales, then visit the forecourt of The George Inn, London’s last 16th century galleried coaching inn for photos, then visit The Hop Exchange, Market Porter and Rake’s pubs.
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates
& French Champagne Cellars Crawl
March 01 - 11, 2009
March
Mon 02-Continued
Continuing our Great London Beer Tour and Ultimate Pub Crawl, we tube over to Holborn to choose from the following: Cittie of York; Princess Louise, Olde Mitre, The Castle, Seven Stars and the Edgar Wallace.
For those hardy souls we will continue our pub crawl until “closing hours
Podge is also the author of “Around Brugges in 80 Beers” and “LambicLand, LambikLand” and will be happy to autograph your books!
A few of the ales we’ll taste: Harvey’s Sussex ales, Marston’s Pedigree, Courage Directors, Shepherd Neame’s Spitfire and Bishop’s Finger, Meantime Porter & IPA, Young’s Winter Warmer and Fuller’s Old Harry – along with a few surprises among London favorites. The Market Porter features a wide range of ales from microbreweries all across the United Kingdom.
Tue 03 After a full English Breakfast to fortify ourselves we’ll meet at Fullers Griffin Brewery for a tour
of London’s last Victorian brewery, followed by a tasting and optional lunch at the brewery tap.
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates
& French Champagne Cellars Crawl
March 01 - 11, 2009
Tue 03 – Continued
This afternoon we will tube out to Parsons Green to the legendary White Horse Pub!
This is a grand pub with high ceilings, large stuffed chairs and long chunky tables is a welcome home to both drinker and diner.
The beer list remains arguably the finest in London, with in excess of 80 bottled beauties and more than a dozen perfectly kept draught beers pulled through lines cleaner than a nun's conscience.
Not just a Beervana for Belgian beer buffs, it features wonderful wheat beers, fancy fruit beers, brilliant pilsners and the best of British with eight rotating cask ales that strive to showcase a mild, a porter or stout and beers seldom seen elsewhere in the capital.
Every dish on the menu comes recommended with a suitable tipple. Toulouse sausage & mash with beer gravy is paired with Adnams Broadside, Hoegaarden-battered haddock with Harvey's Sussex and custard tart with Anchor Porter from San Francisco.
Wed 04 This morning we say farewell to London and depart for Belgium on the Eurostar
“Chunnel” (channel tunnel) train to arrive in Lille in just one hour and 20 minutes.
This year’s Great Belgian Beer Tour and Ultimate Brewery Crawl begins with two GBBT Favorites:
St Bernardus and Westvleteren!
On arrival in Lille we’ll be met by the GBBT private luxury motor coach for a drive to St Bernadus brewery for a tour and tasting.
After our visit to St Bernardus we’ll lunch at our favorite Belgian destination:
Westvleteren’s “In de Vrede” cafe – where you can enjoy Wesvleteren abbey cheese, pate, smoked ham and, of course, the world’s most rare and renowned Abbey ale: Westvletern 12!
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates
& French Champagne Cellars Crawl
March 01 - 11, 2009
Wed 04 – Continued
It just wouldn’t be a GBBT without lunch, tasting and the opportunity to buy Westvletern ale direct from the Abbey’s “In de Vrede” café.
After lunch the GBBT luxury motor coach rolls on to visit Rodenbach Brewery where we’ll see the brewery and famous oak casks where the beer rests before a tasting of the famous Flemish red ale.
After a short drive, we arrive and check-in to our superbly located hotels in historic Ghent, one of the most beautiful historic cities in Europe. Ghent was the seat of the counts of Flanders whose great Gravensteen Castle is a “must” visit. Of even greater importance to the Beer Traveler, Ghent is a conveniently located to visit the great Breweries of Flanders!
Tonight enjoy an evening at leisure to explore the City’s restaurants and specialty beer cafes.
At our doorstep are the world renown: Waterhuis, Bicycle Bar and HopDuyvel cafes.
And don’t miss master choclatier: Daskalides. http://www.daskalides.com/en/default.aspx
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates
& French Champagne Cellars Crawl
March 01 - 11, 2009
Thu 05 Today you have the option of exploring Ghent and the magnificent castle, cathedral or museums or continuing on today’s GBBT Coach to the Huyghe Brewery – brewers of Delirium Tremens, well known to all as the beer/bottle/glasses festooned with Pink Elephants.
We’ll then travel north to Holland to discover Koningshoeven - “The Lost Abbey”
Home of the brilliant Trappist Koningshoeven and Urthel Ales for a brief brewery tour, followed by a tasting with traditional Dutch snacks bitterballen and the abbey’s fine cheeses.
We’ll then return to Belgium to visit Het Anker Brewery in Mechelen, home of Gouden Carolus ales and Belgian Beer Chocolates!
We’ll tour the brewery, then enjoy a tasting of ales as an aperitif to the optional dinner in the Brewery’s café’.
After dinner we return to Ghent where your evening is at leisure to continue your exploration of the cities many specialty beer cafes.
(Don’t worry if you want to join the GBBT coach to visit the Breweries. You’ll have plenty of time on the weekend to visit Brugges, Antwerp & the 24 hours of Beer Festival!)
Fri 06 Today you have the option of exploring Brugges or joining the fun on the GBBT Coach to
explore all new breweries: The Bosteels Brewery famous for Kwak, Karmaliet and DeuS, MALHEUR, and DE SMEDT, brewers of AFFLIGEM Abbey beers.
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates
& French Champagne Cellars Crawl
March 01 - 11, 2009
Fri 06 – Continued Tonight your options include traveling to Brussels to
explore The Grand Place and nearby Delirium Café.
Or join us for a GBBT exclusive private dinner and tasting of vintage Gueze and Lambic ales at: “In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst” (The Pub with Insurance Against Great Thirst) is the name of the famous pub that hosts The famous semi-annual Geuze and Lambic Festival (which we attended last year).
Our great friend Yves, the pub owner and producer of the bi-annual “Night of the Great Thirst” festival, welcomes GBBT back for our very own mini-festival; a Gueze & Lambic tasting and beer-menu dinner. You’ll all remember the incredible food. For those of you who found the vintage Gueze a bit of a challenge, you’ll be happy to learn that Yves has laid on a range of alternate, contemporary Gueze, Lambic and Trappist ales for us to enjoy.
Sat 07 Today the beer traveler is greatly challenged – before the
ZYTHOS 24 HOURS OF BEER FESTIVAL begins!
This morning is yours to explore Brussels. Don’t miss The Grand Place, and it’s Maison de Brasseurs (Belgian Brewers Guild), the superb Contemporary art museum, Auto Museum and even a Museum of Comic Strips (invented in Belgium). Perhaps you’ll have a pint and enjoy lunch in the nearby Petit Sablon – an area renown for its antique shops and great beer cafes, all serving great food and abbey cheeses.
Don’t miss Cantillon’s Open Brewing Day! From 6:30am to 5pm, the Master brewer, his family and friends invite you to experience the bi-annual Cantillon open-brewing day, wherein you learn the various steps in the traditional production of Lambic and Gueuze ale in a 19th Century brewery with all it’s original equipment : 6.30 to 9.00 Brewing process; 9 to 13.00 Filtration d hopping; from 12.00 to 15.00 Cooking; 15.30 Pumping of wort into the cooling tun; 6.30 to 12.00 Barrel cleaning "ancient method" Guided tours are offered every 2 hours on the hour from 7am Croissants and coffee are offered free until 8.30am
Then it’s time to take the train to Sint Niklaas for the
ZYTHOS 24 HOURS OF BEER FESTIVAL from 12 NOON to MIDNIGHT to sample from the 60 Belgian brewers and 200 Belgian beers!
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates
& French Champagne Cellars Crawl
March 01 - 11, 2009
Sat 07– Continued
The wise Zythos beer festival attendee will take a few breaks from the festival to explore nearby Antwerp’s many delights, such as Castle Steen or G-BASTIN CHOCOLATS http://www.gbastin.com/?page=txtpic2&pid=240&alang=EN&submenu=No
Or explore two of Brussels top chocolatiers:
WITTAMER CHOCOLATS http://www.wittamer.com/ and
LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT ARTISANAL http://www.chocolatartisanal.com/default.aspx?language=1
Sun 08 This morning you might decide to enjoy a leisurely breakfast then visit Gravensteen Castle. Or you might take a train to nearby Brugges – “Venice of the North” to tour the famous canals and 16thcentury houses and De Halve Maan brewery – brewer of Bruggse triple. Explore the master chocolatiers of Bruges: PRALINETTE CHOCOLATS: http://www.pralinette.be/Pages/index.php or BRUGES CHOCOLATS: http://www.brugeschocolates.com/index.html,
Today the second half of the ZYTHOS 24 HOURS OF BEER FESTIVAL runs from 10AM to 10PM.
Mo 09 After breakfast we’ll enjoy a late morning Thalys
fast train ride to Paris. After checking into our central Paris hotels we have the afternoon to explore the city.
For those unfamiliar with Paris an optional hop-hop off sightseeing bus is a great way to explore Paris’ historic sights; the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame cathedral, the Champs Elysées, the Opera House, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre and more!
This evening we’ve found what must be O’Brien’s French
cousin; BRASSERIE O’NEIL! Situated on the rue des
Canettes, in the heart of the St Germain des Prés district,
and only a stone's throw away from the famous St Suplice
square, the Brasserie O'Neil was the first brewpub ("brasserie" is the French word for brewery) in Paris.
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates
& French Champagne Cellars Crawl
March 01 - 11, 2009
Mo 09 cont The Brasserie O'Neil opened in France’s capital city over fifteen years ago. Its trump card is,
It’s excellent pure malt beers brewed on the premises.
The Bre
O’Neil’s brewery is dominated by a magnificent gleaming brass beer vat. The warm, intimate atmosphere that reigns over this establishment is created by the low ceilings and filtered lighting casting delicate copper rays around the room. We’ll enjoy a tasting of Brasserie O’Neil’s beers. You may then opt for dinner or continue to explore Paris ala carte!
For those souls who really neeeed an English Pub fix
“Les Frog & Rosbief“ is in the 2nd arrondissement,
just around the corner from the rue Montorgueil, the oldest market street in Paris. The Frog & Rosbief is a beautiful,
traditional English pub with a busy little brewery in the cellar. It is a popular and busy live sports venue, and on weekend nights the bar is bursting with a young and international party crowd.
Tue 10 Today you may choose to continue your Paris sightseeing, visit some of Paris’
Artisan Beer Shops; The Paris Temple of Beer: “Bier Bootlegger”
http://bieres-bootlegger.nuxit.net/ or “Cave a Bulles” http://www.caveabulles.fr.
Take a ride on a Bateau Mouche, one of the “fly-boats” cruising along the Seine, seeing Paris’ sights from the river. Or, perhaps, visit Notre Dame, then enjoy some world renown Berthillon Ice Cream on the Isle St Louis, behind Notre Dame!
Or join the GBBT Champagne coach for a visit three of the top champagne houses in Reims and Epernay. We’ll visit the cellars and taste the champagnes of: Moet et Chandon; Piper Heidsick and Perrier Jouet, as we learning about the “other” bubbly stuff.
This evening you may dine around Paris on your own or join us at the legendary Café’ de la Paix for an optional Farewell to Paris dinner! Café de la Paix is famous for it’s French Onion Soup, fresh Fish and a sidewalk café where it’s rumored if you sit there long enough, the entire world will pass by!
The 2009 Great Belgian Beer Tour
The Ultimate British & Belgian Breweries, Castles, Chocolates