We arrived in Poperinge, the city of the hops, at noontime. There was already a crowd on the Grote Markt and bands were playing various national anthems in another WW memorial service. We all enjoyed some free time before the start of the Hop-parade at 3 PM. Poperinge is a very pretty little town and houses, apart from the National Hop museum,, some great historical buildings and great restaurants and pubs.

Most of us sat down and relaxed on the terrace of Café de la Paix to enjoy a Hommelbier or another good Belgian ale and eat a snack. We met Ken …… and his lady friend ….. . They were on the tour three years ago and we also visited the hop parade that time.  It is held every three years and brings honour to the hop and the beer culture that is so much a part of this region and of the whole of Belgium. Ken had come to Europe especially to visit the hop parade and some of the breweries in Northern France.

 

The atmosphere in the group was tremendous all through the week. The hop-boys from Nappa Valley were dressed in a special outfit, they were wearing a ‘hop-shirt’ for the occasion and Ken, ‘The Sack’, had his hopsack with him all the time. The hopsack became the symbol of this trip

The hop-boys from Nappa Valley

Ken's sack

The seats on the main grandstand right next to the church had been reserved for us and we enjoyed a wonderful and very colourful parade. The parade was divided into several parts, including the friends and the enemies of the hop-plant, and a lot of local schoolchildren took part in it, as well as local and international bands and local breweries.

 

After the parade we walked to the bus, which was waiting for us on the edge of town. Luc, our friendly and very professional driver took us to Watou, a neighbouring village just next to the border with France. Brewery Van Eecke is right in the centre of Watou. It makes famous beers such as Hommelbier and the Kapittel Abbey style range and also the very good wheat beer Watou’s Wit. We saw the brew house dating from shortly after WW2 and the fermentation rooms.

Bottling takes place now in the other plant in Boezinge, at Brouwerij Leroy, owned by the same family. The tasting took place in Het Brouwershof, the official outlet, and situated right next to the brewery entrance.

The highlight of that day would be the exquisite dinner at Hommelhof in Watou. We enjoyed a very special aperitif, called Cuvee Hommelhof, which is half Watou’s Wit and half Kapittel blond: excellent and nowhere else to get but here!! 

Menu Cuvee Hommelhof Cod-fish 'aan de schreve' (bisaue-soup) Poperings Hommel Ale Hammetje" (Hamknuckle), potatoes and vegetables St. Bernardus Triple Ale Flemish Beer Cake Kapittel Abt in big bottles

Day V