From Forbes.com Once a magnet for those looking for a free beer, brewery tours have gotten much more sophisticated in recent years. Along with that gratis beer, breweries the world over are offering everything from in-depth tours to lessons in beer-making. Some have even built restaurants or brewpubs where visitors can lunch on a Kobe burger and wash it down with a German-style ale. Add it all up, and you have more than just a free beer; you have a perfect Saturday afternoon.  read more »

Chimay 25th Anniversary Celebrations and Special Package Released Throughout U.S.A.AUSTIN, October 06, 2008 - Chimay Trappist Ales have been brewing in Belgium for 146 years and U.S.A. inhabitants have been able to take pleasure in this incomparable beverage for 25 years in the states. In recognition of this grand occasion, Bires de Chimay has designed a special collector goblet to recognize the exportation of Chimay Trappist Ales to the United States for 25 consecutive years. Various Chimay-selling bars throughout the United States will host Chimay 25th Anniversary Celebrations throughout the remainder of the year.  read more »

Diner: I'll start with the foie gras terrine and spaetzle salad, then I'll have the salmon tartare for my main course and the Guittard chocolate souffle for dessert. Server: Shall we pair the foie gras with a nice Tokaji, the salmon with ros Champagne and a lovely Port to finish the meal?  read more »

Happy Birthday, America! Today is the day to celebrate 232 years of independence from Britain. What does this mean?  read more »

Mark your calendars boys and girls, because a week from today, Asheville gets its very own Belgian beer bar. The Thirsty Monk will open its doors on Wednesday, January 23rd, adding an entirely new dimension to the beer scene in Asheville. While I have seen the occasional Chimay tap around town, nothing compares to walking into a place and seeing 14 Belgian or Belgian style beers on tap, with over 100 bottles to complement the draft selection.

Yes, I am still here. After getting called out by the Bruisin' Ales blog and the Mountain Express, it is high time I made another post or two. Here's a quick summary of the beer happenings around town.  read more »

Watch Chimay Ale - Cinq Cents Belgium Beer unbiased product reviews in video from consumer reporters on ExpoTV

Are you into beer glasses. I am; I have shelves of glasses, mostly glasses and sets of glasses with beer logos. I have my Chimay glasses, my Westmalle glasses. I even have a Budweiser glass (stolen from a pub) and Diet Coke glass (stolen from a pub in Leuven, in Belgium).

I hate Diet Coke, but my wife, my faithful designated driver, loves it. I was in a fancy beer place in Leuven, ordered a Diet Coke, then asked for ice. The waiter, a haughty type, brought a silver bowl of ice cubes and with tongs dropped a single cube of ice into the glass. Europeans (me too) hate ice in drinks. To make it a total sin, I stole the glass for my wife. Dumped the Diet Coke in the cuspidor. Hee hee.  read more »

I made a big beer trade two months ago in order to land the entire BOULEVARD BREWING Smokestack Series of special-run, one-time-only beers. There were 4 in all: a saison, an IPA, a tripel and a quadrupel. Astute readers may remember that me and a couple of pals knocked out 3 of the 4 in one fell swoop the results are posted here . Would the final beer, a quadrupel called THE SIXTH GLASS , be able to best the LONG STRANGE TRIPEL ? Could it actually score a hallowed 9, 9.5 or 10 on the 10 scale?  read more »

Tonight, Friday December 7th, is the opening night of Oakland, California-based Belgian-themed beer bar THE TRAPPIST , and the kids, as they say, are waaay psyched. You probably will be as well get a load of this opening night beer list . THE TRAPPIST is the product of many, many months planning and hard labor, and obviously many years of hardcore Belgian beer enthusiasm ( though a few local and US micros will be served as well ).  read more »