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FyneFest Trip – Day 5

Published on 2 June 2023

FyneFest: Tasting Time!

Today was the first full day of FyneFest!

I started the day with a bacon and egg breakfast roll from Hector & Harriet. After that there was not much else to do than wait for the bar to open. It was supposed to open at eleven, but there was a bit of a delay, and I actually didn’t mind at all!

After a couple of beers, the first live band of the day, and a pork burrito from Meksikan, it was time for a Malt Masterclass, led by Muntons Malt.

After that it was already time for dinner: some brisket on fries from Ròst.

Followed by more beers, more music, and then some more beer…

FyneFest Trip – Day 4

Published on 1 June 2023

Once Again to the Glen!

Thursday started with sleeping in a bit, packing, and checking out of the Z Hotel. I really enjoyed this hotel, I’m very likely to stay there again next time in Glasgow… Maybe I’ll even get a room with a window!

For my last breakfast in town I went to Spitfire Espresso, where I had a banging breakfast burrito: eggs, cheddar, bacon, mushrooms, with a smoked habanero sauce to give it a bit of a kick.

After a quick visit to a photo exhibition, I had a last espresso macchiato at Laboratorio Espresso.

Then it was time to pick up my bag and head to Buchanan Bus Station. 57 bus stances, indoor waiting areas, shops and toilets… And that for a city just half the size of bus-stationless Brussels!

Infrastructure like that made waiting for and getting onto my Citylink 926 to Cairndow an effortless experience. Not to mention the great views on the way to Glen Fyne…

After arriving at the nearest bus stop, it was just a walk of about 1,5 km to the festival terrain. On occasions like these, with only gravel paths and uneven roads, I’m really happy I can convert my trolley bag to a backpack!

So this year again, I bought an Early Access ticket for FyneFest, to make the most of the yurt I booked. And of course, the Thursday is a very relaxed day to start the festival. After getting checked in—can of Easy Trail included—and installed in my yurt, I had a couple of beers in the Fyne Ales taproom.

After that, it was about time for dinner, so I went for an auld favourite, Babu Bombay Street Kitchen, for their mixed pakora.

To finish the night, some Fyne Ales Origins Brewing beers and live music—by Micky Marr—in the Mixtape tent.

Oh, and a service announcement: midge season has definitely started!

Razernij 2022

Published on 20 August 2022

Beerdrinkers & Hellraisers

After a crazy Friday like that, the weekend had only just started, and on Saturday I went to the beer and punk/rock/metal music festival Razernij in Rumst.

It luckily didn’t coincide with BXLBeerFest—which it often had in the past—and it was a lot dryer than last year!

Brussels Breweries Tattoo Tour

Brussels Breweries Tattoo Tour

Published on 19 August 2022

For quite some while, I had been pondering getting a tattoo celebrating my love for some of the Brussels breweries. After mailing back and forth with the tattoo artist—Laïs at Koko Tattoo Shop—and a project discussion in person, I finally had it done mid June. After three hours on the table, I had a beautiful tattoo on my left triceps, featuring seven of my favourite breweries in Brussels: Cantillon, Brasserie de la Senne, La Source, L’Ermitage, La Mule, Surréaliste, and—being a pure brewpub, the odd one out—Mazette.

To celebrate my new tattoo, I decided to try to visit and have a beer in all of those breweries in one epic taproom crawl! I puzzled an itinerary together, created a Facebook event to invite some drinking buddies along, and I even had a T-shirt printed for the occasion… A healthy breakfast pizza to line the stomach, a cold brew tonic to fully wake up, and I was ready to start…

Cantillon (planned 15.30, but arrived at 15.20)

I arrived at the first stop, Cantillon, a little ahead of schedule, and ordered a bottle of Menu Pineau (2020) to get started. I asked for two glasses with it, since only one person confirmed her presence from the start. Imagine my surprise when somebody else already turned up first, and just before I actually planned on moving on, two more people I didn’t expect to join that early. So by the end of the second bottle, there were already five of us!

L’Ermitage (planned 16.15, arrived 16.45)

At the second stop, l’Ermitage, a sixth drinker was already waiting for us. To make up for the slow start, we stuck to only one beer at this taproom.

Mazette (planned 17.15, arrived 18.00)

Brasserie de la Senne (planned 18.45, arrived 19.00)

Almost made up for the delay, and just in time, since the Zenne Bar actually closes at 20.00. After saying goodbye to one participant in the previous bar, we welcomed a new on here, so the number stayed at six drinkers.

La Source Beer Co (planned 19.45, arrived 20.00)

At the fifth stop we could start to relax a little, since none of the remaining taprooms close early. So plenty of time for more than one or two beers… We were also joined by a seventh person.

Brasserie de la Mule (planned 21.15, arrived 21.55)

There was a band playing at La Mule, because they were celebrating their birthday. Live music here usually means beer from plastic cups only, but this evening at least then made an exception for one liter Maß glasses…

Brasserie Surréaliste (planned 22.45, arrived 23.15)

The very last stop, number seven! Five brave souls actually made it from the very first until the very last brewery, and they have the stamp cards to prove it!

It was great fun, and actually quite doable, so… maybe I’ll make this an annual thing?

FyneFest Trip – Day 4 till 6

Published on 6 June 2022

Finally FyneFest!

After a lot of anticipation, on Friday morning, FyneFest finally started for real!

Friday

After a pancake with bacon and maple syrup from Hector & Harriet for breakfast, and securing some T-shirts from the merch tent, it was time to get properly started. The ‘doors’ of the main tent opened at 11.00, and I managed to order the very first beer of the first official festival day there! The line of keg pumps and beer engines was impressive, as were the beers listed behind the bar, but as it would be a long weekend, and the servings relatively large for a beer festival—1/3 pint (19cl) or 1/2 pint (28cl)—I decided to take it slow, alternating and combining beer tastings with concerts and food… Speaking about the music: one of the first acts was a proper ceilidh band!

Saturday

The second festival day had plenty of variation as well. Pellicle’s Matt Curtis was hosting a couple of interesting talks with brewers, and in between I walked up to the Walkers Bar, five kilometre upstream, where they served some gravity poured cask beers.

In the evening the highlight without a doubt was the Massaoke show, which got the whole crowd singing their lungs out.

Sunday

The last day of the festival started with an awesome bacon roll with egg from Prime Street Food. The beer boards were a bit more sparse, since it was basically leftover day. Still enough beers I hadn’t tried yet to keep me occupied for a while though!

I also booked a Fyne Ales brewery tour this day, so I could see where our host’s beers come from.

After having gone through most of the festival beers, I spent some time in the brewery courtyard to enjoy some of their Origins beers.

After six, the Brewers Lounge tent was the only place still open, but there still was beer—just to drink and enjoy, done with rating—live music, loads of happy and nice people, and a gorgeous sunset!