Venture into the historic and scenic world of saisons and biére de gardes. Their roots can be traced to rustic ales originally brewed on farms for seasonal workers in this wide area once known as the Kingdom of Flanders (which then included parts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands).  On this tour you will experience breathtaking views, scenery, geography and architecture. You’ll enjoy regional cuisine and fine beer beyond compare.  We’ll visit some small independent artisanal breweries still located on working farms and sometimes large, modern ones, most situated in scenic countryside locations, where we’ll experience these very satisfying ales in rustic taprooms.  Some will be well-known breweries such as Brasserie Dupont and some you may not yet know, but soon will come to love. While the spirit of the tours remain the same, each Farmhouse Ale Tour departure itinerary will vary to take in different opportunities, keep it interesting for returning travelers and just because there are so many interesting breweries in a relatively small region.  Also, while the theme of this tour is farmhouse ales, be assured you will have access to many styles of beer.

As a bonus, we will also visit the taprooms of Trappist Westlvleteren and Trappist Abbey of Mont des Cats, too... since we will be in the neighborhood.

[ back to top ]

This tour feature two nights Bruges, Kortrijk and Leuven, and three nights in Watou at the Brouwershuis at Brewery St. Bernardus. We’ll visit a number of breweries in Belgium including de Halve Maan, Bourgogne des Flanders, de Dolle, St. Bernardus, Dubuisson, Dupont, 2 caps, Lifefmans, Cantillon and the taproom of Trappist Westvleteren. Plus, we’ll visit the Zythos Beer Festival, the largest one in Belgium.

We will also be segueing into France for some beer hunting.  France has some amazing, but little known, beers and specifically farmhouse ales.  If you have not yet discovered fine French beer, you will be delightfully surprised.  Some people who have taken this tour have found their favorite beers of the entire tour in France.  You might, too.  They are just that good!
We will also visit the charming and romantic town of Cassel, located on one of three small “mountains” that rise out of the bucolic farm country of the Nord department of France.

Farmhouse ales, with a few exceptions, come mostly from Wallonia region of Belgium in the south and the northwestern French departments of Nord and Pas de Calais. We will visit many breweries, brewery taprooms and beer cafés.

On this tour you will be staying in Antwerp, the scenic hop growing region of Watou, close to the French border, Tournai and Gent. It’s a nice mix of urban and rural settings. We will visit many breweries, beer cafés, and brewery taprooms.  

• Nine nights accommodations in nice, friendly, centrally-located hotels often in the old town section of the city and some in bucolic rural settings.

• All breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners with gratuities.

• Beer during brewery tours, taproom visits, festivals and company meals as listed on the itinerary.

• Some ground transportation via nine-passenger van and private luxury coach with professional driver. Leave the driving to us!

• Professional and courteous BBM! guide services.

• All tours and admissions.

• An instant group of interesting and fun, beer-loving friends you haven’t met yet. Maximum size 24 people (half the size of some tour groups).

• Guaranteed tour price the moment submit your deposit.

• Plenty of unstructured free time to relax, shop and explore on your own.

• Custom BBM! name badges.

• Souvenir BBM! luggage tags

• One souvenir BBM! soft-sided cooler per household.

• Flexibility in the event you need to transfer or cancel your tour.

[ back to top ]

• Airfare

• Airport transfers.

• Some meals and beer on your own.

• Free-time sightseeing. Suggestions available from tour leader.

• Fine Print: You are responsible for the costs of your free-time sightseeing. Be sure to read our Terms & Conditions Agreement for important details.

• Gratuities, at your discretion, for brewery tour guides and canal boat, etc.

Spring and Fall are the perfect time to visit Belgium. Combine this tour with the Ardennes Mountain Beer Tour or Lonely Monks Trappist Tour that immediately follows and have a grand multi-week tour of beer paradise.

[ back to top ]

Deadline to sign up is one month before departure. 

$3050/per person + Air

* Prices based on double room occupancy, per person, U.S. dollars, land only.

[ back to top ]

[ back to top ]

Mon., April 18 • Watou Meet at 11 a.m. in the lobby of your hotel in Gent, to head to lunch at Trappist Westvleteren and the In de Vrede Cafe. 

• Afterward, we’ll have a tour and tasting at de Dolle Brouwers.

• Afterward we continue on to Watou and the newly-remodeled Brouwershuis Inn at St. Bernardus Brewery, our home for three glorious nights. Here we will enjoy the Great Room and the bottomless refrigerator of the full line of St. Bernardus beers.

• Dinner will be at the Terminus Restaurant near the Brouwershuis in Watou. (Breakfast & Lunch #1)

Tues., April 19 • Watou At 9:30 a.m. we board our van to Command Bunker Kemmel.  Alternate plan: WWI Plugstreet Museum, where you’ll see the best short film that describes how WWI started and what took place. It’s masterful. Students of history will enjoy this museum.  We’ll also visit the nearby site of the famous Christmas Truce. 

• Lunch at Grand Estiminet du Mont des Cats.

• After lunch we have a tour and tasting at Brasserie du pays Flamand Approx. travel time 1 hour. 

• Afterward we’ll visit nearby Cassel, France, where we will explore the town and view the landscape from the mountain top there. Dinner will be at 6 p.m. at Het Blauwershof Estiminet in nearby Godewaersvelde, France. (Breakfast & Dinner #1)

Wed., April 20 • Watou

• 9:30 a.m. we board our van to Brasserie 2 Caps, near Tardinghen, France, on the Opal Coast. Approx. travel time 1 hour. Brewmaster/owner Christophe Noyon will be our guide for this true farmhouse brewery. Be prepared to be impressed.

• Lunch on your own afterward in nearby Wissant, France.

• After lunch, we’ll visit Cap Blanc-Nez, site of German bunkers and shell craters. Great view of the English Channel and surrounding countryside. This is one of the two Caps (points) for which the brewery is named.

• Next, we return to Belgium (approx. 1 hr). 

• We’ll enjoy some beers in the Great Room before we have a company dinner at 7 p.m. at Bar Bernard, the rooftop cafe of Brewery St. Bernardus, and located next to our inn. From the cafe you have a 360 degree view of the surrounding hopfields and the beautiful countryside of West Flanders. Then it’s back to the bottomless St. Bernardus beer fridge at the Brouwershuis. (Breakfast & Dinner #2)

Thur., April 21 • Kortrijk At 9:30, we board our van to head to a tour of Brasserie DuPont  at 11 a.m. and a company picnic lunch at the taproom of the brewery. (Approx. 1 hr. time.) We’ll visit the gift shop on arrival.

• Tour and dinner at Brasserie Dubuisson.

• To the centrally-located Ibis Centrum Hotel in Kortrijk for two nights.  (Breakfast & Dinner #3)

Fri., April 22 • Kortrijk  

• Morning is free to sleep or explore.

• At 9 a.m. we’ll have a short walking tour of Kortrijk, climb a church tower with an epic view and see the interior of the magnificent town hall of Kortrijk.

• Tour and tasting at Brewery Cnudde.

• Lunch is on your own.

• Tour and tasting at Brewery Verzet.

• Evening on your own in beautiful and Historic Kortrijk. I suggest for dinner Cafe Rouge and Oud Cortryck for drinks. It’s the taproom of Brewery Verhaeghe (Duchesse de Bourgogne) in Kortrijk.

Sat., April 23 • Leuven  We depart the hotel at 9:30 a.m. Today has the makings of a very special day as we visit Brewery de Kroon near Leuven.  Once there, we’ll have a tour and then lunch, where you will be able to enjoy their full line of beers. Lunch is on your own, the company buys the beer. This is one of the best breweries in Belgium, hands down. Afterward, we’ll get checked in the Hotel Binnenhof, have a short walking tour of the town then head to dinner at the atmospheric In den Rozenkrans, nestled on the grounds of an ancient abbey. Evening is on your own to explore the many beer cafes of this thriving University town of Leuven. (Breakfast)

Sun., April 24 • Leuven  Today we attend the Zythos Beer Festival (ZBF), which is the granddaddy of ‘em all in Belgium. It's where many of Belgium’s diverse, unique and intensely-flavored beers, and their brewers come together in one place. The Festival will be held near the Leuven in a massive convention hall. Festival admission, a glass and beer is included in the tour. Later this evening, we’ll gather in the lobby to walk to dinner at the Nacht Owl restaurant. Dinner is on your own. (Breakfast)

Mon., April 25 • Bruges • At 8 a.m., we meet in the lobby to catch a train to Brussels Midi, to meet the Wild & Spontaneous Tour and travel with them for two days. We’ll all meet at 9 a.m. in the lobby at the Park Inn Radisson Brussels Midi. You’ll be able to store your luggage there. We have a tour at Brasserie Cantillon at 10 a.m., followed by lunch at the Park Inn. From there we’ll board our coach and head to a tour and tasting at Brewery Liefmans. Then it’s on to Bruges for two nights. (Breakfast & Lunch #2)

Tues., April 26 • Bruges  Morning is free. Meet at 10:45 in the lobby to head to a tour and Lunch at the nearby de Halve Maan Brewery.  Afterward we’ll do a canal boat tour of Bruges. Then we’ll have a short walking tour to give you the lay of the land and visit the taproom of Brewery Bourgogne des Flanders for a beer on your own. The rest of the day is free to explore. Dinner is on your own and the evening is free to explore some of the most interesting beer cafés in the city. Use Stu’s Guide to the Bruges’ Beer Cafes to show you the way. Be sure to check opening days and times before you depart the hotel. Many cafes in Bruges tend to close earlier than what we’re used to in the United States.  (Lunch #3)

Wed.., April 27 • Bruges   Tour concludes with breakfast at your leisure. Trains run frequently to the Brussels Airport (BRU). It’s about 1 ½ hours by the direct train to the airport. Don’t take one where you have to switch trains in Brussels. You may buy your ticket the night before, then be ready to go in the morning without having to wait in line to buy a ticket. Train tickets are date specific, but not train specific. (Breakfast)

* This itinerary is subject to change.

[ back to top ]

[ back to top ]