Belgian beer semi-DO March 1-8
 

Eight of us are going to Belgium from about March 1-March 8 to drink beer, eat, and tour around:

toomanybooks
makersmark
KMA26
the_happiness_store
lili
u2fan
violist
SceneStealer7

Also interested, but not confirmed:

Nobbi (+ 1?)
arollins + 1
FriendlySkies

We are traveling to/from BRU on various days, from 3 different cities, on 3 airlines, and staying at various hotels, so it's going to be only a loose semi-weeklong DO. If it works logistically and financially, we may band together to rent a van/driver to avoid DUI, make dinner and brewery tour reservations, etc.

We will hit a couple of beer festivals, sightsee, have some excellent food, whatever. These events are very likely:

1. Alvinne beer festival: http://users.telenet.be/biertoeren/d...df/ACBFeng.pdf ; March 4-5
2. ZBF festival: http://www.zbf.be/UK/index.htm March 5-6 (We have 4 double rooms reserved at the IBIS in the small town of St.-Niklaas Sat/Sun nights)
2a. Pictures from 2010 ZBF:http://picasaweb.google.com/10008658...42330/ZBF2010# The Biggest Beer Festival in Belgium
3. Cantillon brewing public session March 5 : http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_14
4. Visit Westvleteren, a monastery where you can buy their beers, considered some of the best in the world, for $2-3 a bottle (bootleg availability elsewhere in Belgium, but you pay about $15). One of them (Westvleteren 12, Google it) is available in the US (only by mail order) for $40 a bottle. $1000 a case!

Also perhaps the Hops Museum in Poperinge (http://www.hopmuseum.be/home.php?lang=EN), WWI sites, Bruges, and some legendary bars like these:

http://www.belgiumking.com/top10bars.html

PM me or post here if you want to come for all or part, or have suggestions.

I would love to come, but as this falls in the same week as carneval I cannot. You could also plan a day trip to Breda or Maastricht or any Dutch city on the 6th or 7th. The whole place goes mad with carneval! and of course a lot of beer!

Let me officially confirm that I will be there.:D

Seeing as I have taken a road trip in a car with toomanybooks & the_happiness_store, I can only imagine what fun this will be. Sorry to say I have both business & personal travel plans that week, so I won't be able to make this Do. Have Fun !!

We are interested in this trip, just cehcking to see
 

if there will be other women involved. My wife is concerned this might a male only DO.

Well, it will probably be mostly almost all male, but she could try to find a friend or two to go. There are also some female FTers who are legendary for attending lots of DOs, who might be tempted.

If you look at the pictures linked above, women do attend these festivals.

I am also officially confirming my attendance. ^

Look forward to the sightseeing, particularly in Bruges and the Ypres area WWI battlefield sites, and the Zythos Beer Festival with 60 brewers and 200+ beers, the best beer festival in Belgium! Some great times and some outstanding food/drink in store! Hope some other Flyertalkers can meet up with us.

We're free that weekend.

Please join us. Send me a PM with your email address and I will add you to the list.

The monastery referenced in the OP produces Westvleteren 12, ranked the best beer in the world at www.beeradvocate.com:

http://beeradvocate.com/lists/top
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/313/1545

Please put me maybe for March 3-7. Have AA ticket on hold - depends on upgrade situation.

Is any part of the schedule firmed up, since I won't be there for most of it? I'm planning some train trips to Bruges, and other nearby places if Brussels is not exciting.

lili:

The main attraction for us is the ZBF, linked in the OP, on Sat/Sun. Largest beer festival in Belgium. We are undecided whether to stay Fri/Sat in Brussels or closer to the festival.

But there is no reason we all have to stay together the whole time.

Okay, I'm booked. Using AA systemwides which would have expired Feb 28, waitlisted, but flights are wide open.

Will book hotels in Brussels and train from there - looks like I can get a Conrad, a Hilton and a Sheraton all at reasonable prices. Talk about a mattress run!

Hotels booked and pre-paid, so I'm definitely in.

If interested, check Hilton Any Weekend Anywhere sale and book prepaid before end of January.

Conrad: If booking March 3 and 4 rate is 109 Euro. If booking March 4 only, rate is 147 Euro. March 5 is also 147 Euro. Go figure. I will be there on March 3,4. I don't remember March 1,2, but think around 250-300 Euro.

Hilton Brussels City for March 5 is 74.50

Not cheap, but these prices include the pricey 20+ Euro breakfast buffet for two and and are inclusive of all taxes. Should also be lounge access and free internet if one is Gold or above.

Sheraton Brussels March 6, 99 Euro all in. Expensive breakfast and lounge access included because I am amazingly Platinum due to some dubious FT thingy.

The boutique hotels and art hotels are my favorites, but I can't turn down free drinks and food in the club lounge, hotel status and those comfy beds.

Now that lili is in, it won't be all male.