Den Stillen Genieter

Readers of my blogs know that I love to visit Den Triest in Kapelle-op-den-bos when it is open on the first Sunday of each month. Usually when I am there, an older man with long white hair is sitting at the bar silently enjoying some of Mar Struyf’s brews. Little did I know that he was Den Stillen Genieter, Dutch for the silent enjoyer.

Mechelen

For many decades until December 2014, Gerard Walschaerts ran a beer bar in central Mechelen which sold over 800 different beers. The bar was called Den Stillen Genieter. This spring, he reopened in a new location, however, with only a selection of 300 beers.

A couple of months ago, when I was at Den Triest, Gerard stopped me as I was leaving and gave me his business card. He had heard about Ginger Tipple and was interested in selling it in Den Stillen Genieter.

To keep it short, we visited Gerard one afternoon and he liked all the Tipples we presented him. He ordered and we delivered!

Boulevard

I could not resist the opportunity to try one of the many beers on tap and drank a Boulevard Tropical IPA with my son.  Even though I use hops and experiment with them, it never ceases to amaze me how some brewers manage to produce amazing flavours without adding fruits and other additives. In this case, we really enjoyed the refreshing grapefruit and passion fruit flavours from the hops.

Many IPAs are not much more than dishwater with lots of hops, but Boulevard knows how to make an excellent ale. This is one of the reasons why Duvel-Moortgat invested in them a few year ago.

My only criticism? The foam was too perfect, but then I am jealous of beers with a great head, because Ginger Tipple’s foam does not last very long.

The City is Worth a Visit

Mechelen as a destination is an interesting city. For a period it was the capital of Belgium and Holland and vied over the centuries with Antwerp, Leuven and Brussels for commercial and religious dominance. Its Gothic cathedral, St Rumbold, at almost 100m dominates the skyline and the last of its 12 gates, the impressive Brusselsport, dates from the 13th century. The military Casern Dossin was used by the Nazis in World War II as a transit camp for Jews, gypsies and others before they were sent by train to the extermination camps. There is a new and informative museum on that period nearby.

For the younger visitors, there is the Technopolis science museum and a toy museum.

And of course, for refreshments between attractions there is always Den Stillen Genieter!