What's included in the tour:
​
-
Accommodations for 9 nights at 3-4 Star hotels*.
-
All transportation during the tour: train tickets between cities (1st Class when available), transportation to and from venues (breweries, museums etc.) and tram passes.
-
All event (brewery, museum, etc.) entry fees.
-
Breakfast daily.
-
Group lunches (6).
-
Group dinners (5).
*Accommodations based on double occupancy.
Tour cost: $2895.00 USD
Our adventure begins with the Zythos Beer Festival, an excellent way to experience many of the beers which would be inaccessible in a practical sense. From here, we will enjoy Brussels, a city that has a rich history of brewing both within the walls of Trappist Monasteries and in the long established breweries such as Cantillon. We will also visit some of the newer microbreweries, some of which focus on traditional styles of the area while others brew contemporary styles and are highly experimental.
Amsterdam is a wonderful city to explore. It is a city rich in history and picturesque views await the traveler around every turn. It's canals and narrow streets make it the perfect city to explore on foot and the tram system makes it easy to hop around the city. Add to this the growing microbrewery scene and Amsterdam is the perfect stop on any European beer trip.
Day 1
We meet in the hotel lobby at 10:00 am. After a brief orientation session we head to Brussels Centraal where we take a short train ride to Leuven for the Zythos Beer Festival. There will be quite a bit of high ABV beers there so be sure to eat something in the food court. We return to Brussels around 17:00 and relax at the hotel until dinner at 19:00.
Day 2
After a nice breakfast, we leave the hotel around 09:00 we head to Brasserie de la Senne for our first tour and tasting. Brasserie de la Senne is a wonderful, small brewery with a true, hands-on craft philosophy which is evident in their beers.
After lunch we visit Cantillon and the Gueuze Museum where we tour the brewery and taste some of the finest spontaneous fermented beers in the world. The rest of the afternoon is free free for exploring the city. We meet in the lobby of the hotel at 7:00 and head out for a Belgian dinner of mussels.
Day 3
After a nice breakfast, we board the shuttle at 08:00 and head for our first stop - Westvleteren. We have lunch in the tasting room where we will have the opportunity to drink the famous “Westie” beers and possibly purchase small quantities to take with us. From there we head to De Dolle Brouwers for another tour followed by Sint Bernardus. Time permitting, we visit the hop museum in Poperinge before returning to Brussels. The evening is spent exploring some of the many beer bars in Brussels.
Day 4
Today is a day to relax and enjoy the city. After a nice breakfast, we head to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History for a guided tour. After the museum, we enjoy lunch on our own and have the chance to explore more of the city. We meet in the hotel lobby at 6:30 and head to dinner at Moeder Lambic, a bar and restaurant with an extensive beer menu.
Day 5
Today is another long day. We leave the hotel around 08:00 and head south towards Dinant where our first stop is Abbaye d'Orval, the Cistercian monastery where Orval is brewed. The grounds are beautiful and we are free to explore the open areas before we enjoy private tasting. After our visit, When our visit is over, we head to Brasserie Artisanale de Rulles. This small brewery is producing some amazing beer with exceptional flavor profiles. Here we enjoy a short tour and tasting along with our lunch After lunch it's off to Brasserie Caracole. This mall, 250 year old brewery still uses wood s fuel to heat the hot water used to brew it' beer. We enjoy a tour and tasting before returning to Brussels. The evening is free to enjoy the city.
​
Day 6
After a leisurely breakfast, we take the train to southern part of Brussels where we will visit Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen. This is one of the larger breweries with a modern facility and tasting room. After a tour and tasting we head to another brewery that uses spontaneous fermentation, Gueuzerie Tilquin. Like 3 Fonteinen, Tilquin only produces gueze and lambics. We enjoy a tour and tasting before returning to Brussels. We retrieve our luggage from our hotel and board a train for Amsterdam. Upon our arrival in Amsterdam, we check into our hotel and relax before heading out to Haesje Claes, a wonderful restaurant which features Dutch cuisine.
Day 7
Today we visit two breweries in Haarlem, a small town to the East of Amsterdam. Haarlem is fun to explore as it is filled with shops, restaurants and wonderful sites. After breakfast, we board the train for a short 20 minute ride to Haarlem. Here we visit the Jopen Brewery, a microbrewery brewery with a growing barrel aging program. After a private tour and tasting we walk a few blocks to the Uiltje Brewery. This is a small, fairly new brewery that is producing some great beers. After a tour and tasting, we head back to the city center of Haarlem where we have time to explore the city before heading back to Amsterdam. The evening is free to explore the city.
Day 8
This is a more relaxed day. We have breakfast and leave the hotel by 09:00. We travel to the museum district and visit the Rijksmuseum which houses a vast collection of European art. Lunch is at the Brouwerij Troost brewery where we also enjoy a tasting of several of their seasonal and flagship beers. After lunch the afternoon and evening are free to explore the city.
Day 9
We meet in the hotel lobby at 10:00 am. and head to the center of the city and visit Brouwerij de Prael, a growing brewery which produced a wide array of beer styles ranging from traditional German and Belgian styles to American IPA's. Here we have a tour and tasting and enjoy a leisurely lunch. We then walk a short distance to the Nieuwmarkt where we find the De Bekeerde Suster brewery. This relatively small brewery focuses on traditional styles and does an excellent job in brewing. From here we head to our last stop of the day, the Wynand Fockink distillery. This small distillery specializes in creating a wide variety of jenevers. The rest of the afternoon is allotted for exploring the city. We meet again in the lobby at 19:00 and go to dinner at Cafe Gollem, arguably one of the best bars in Amsterdam.
Mobility Notice
This tour involves substantial walking through breweries, museums and the cities we visit. In addition, climbing of stairs, navigating entryways, etc. is required. Many venues visited on this tour would not be considered ADA compliant. If you have concerns regarding these issues, please contact our staff as this might not be the best tour choice for you.