After a whirlwind GABF week and the following two weeks
trying to catch up, my wife Carolee and I could finally start thinking about
our vacation in Belgium. We landed
in Brussels, jumped in our GPS-equipped Peugeot, and headed straight to the
southwest edge of Belgium and the town of Pipaix. Our destination was Brasserie
a Vapeur where, on the last Saturday of every month, they hold a public
brew day.
Originally known as Brasserie Cuvelier, the brewery has been
producing its flagship Saison Pipaix on the same site since 1785 and is the
last steam powered brewery in the world. In 1984 when it looked like the brewery would close for good,
a schoolteacher by the name of Jean-Louis Dits stepped in to save it.
The brewday started at 9am as crushed malt fell from the
hundred year old Meura mill on the second floor and was hydrated before it hit
the iron mash tun. The crowd watched as the steam engine chugged along, driving
an axle via pulleys that in turn drove the mash paddles to mix the mash. The
mash was very thick at the initial rest of 113⁰F and additions of hot liquor
raised the mash temperature through various steps before finally reaching 165⁰F.
When the mash reached its final temperature rest and was
readied for vorlauf, the crowd was ushered across the street to dine on
homemade soup and rolls, 40 different local cheeses, smoked salmon, Ardennes
ham, and of course, beer. It’s at this point most people lost their interest in
brewing, but not Carolee and I. We repeatedly made our way across the street to
monitor the progress of the runoff and observe the boil. I even got to lend a
hand with graining out. By the time the boil was over in the evening the wort
finally received its first touch of stainless steel by way of the new counter-flow
wort chiller and cylindroconical fermenters.
At the end of the evening, we sat down with Jean-Louis to talk
shop and sample some beers from the cellar. The conversation turned to
perception of flavor and variables that affect how a beer tastes. Jean-Louis
claimed that the vessel used to drink out actually affects the flavor of the
beer. To prove his point, he produced mugs made from glass, new pewter, old
pewter, and ceramic to sample the same beer. To our astonishment he was right,
there is a difference!
Jean-Louis was a wonderful host. If you are planning on visiting
Belgium and touring breweries you must make a point of visiting,
it is like stepping back in time.
Here is a recipe for Belgian Waffles. I’m trying to
replicate the waffle we had in Poperinge with limited success but this recipe
is pretty close.
Belgian Yeasted Waffles
3/4 stick butter
2 C. milk
2 t. dry yeast
1 T. sugar
½ t. salt
2 C. flour
3 eggs, separated
1 t. vanilla extract
Melt butter in small pot on low. When melted, add milk and
heat to lukewarm. Add yeast, sugar, salt, and flour and combine. Let sit for 1-2
hours for yeast to rise. Separate eggs. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract to
batter and combine. Beat egg whites to soft peaks and fold into batter. Cook in
waffle iron.
