CAPITAL OF THE GOOD LIFE Poperinge2015 I guess I must have been around 10 years old when my family and I first discovered Poperinge. And although we didn’t live very far from the town, it Untroubled felt like we had entered a totally different world - a world of green slopes, stretched-out hop fields and peace and quiet. We bravely cycled up the times in Catsberg, to then rush down without using our brakes. We stopped at each small field chapel and Poperinge every cemetery and enjoyed ‘hennepot’ in the shade. At times, we could ride for hours without seeing a soul. And in the evening, in the safe haven of our holiday farm, we petted the donkeys, built a raft and had fun on the hay-loft, after which we rushed to the kitchen where the farmer’s wife had prepared a delicious dinner. Those were the days. Great, untroubled times that will remain in my memory, linked to Poperinge forever and ever. Today, 30 years later, my love for Poperinge is still alive. I devour poetry in Watou, taste hop shoots in Proven and am touched by the Death 02-07 Hop Museum, to scrutinize the soul of Poperinge Cells every time I visit them. I tend to stay far Interview with beerconnoisseurs too long in one of the many pubs along the William Roelens and ‘Volkssportroute’, make plans for a weekend with Annemie Declerck friends, drink Picon in Abele and watch the hops 08 More hops and beer grow. While– knowing that I’ll certainly be back 09-13 Out around Poperinge with soon – just to make sure that my love will be Tournée Locale passed on to the next generation. To the St. Bernardus brewery and cosy pubs 14 Local dishes Sophie Allegaert is a freelance journalist who 15 On foot lives in Bruges. Poperinge’s Tourist Services 16-21 Cycling tour of WW1 landmarks invited her on a tour along the town’s hop fields 22-25 Calendar 2015 and the many places so typical of Poperinge. 26-29 Accommodation Join her on her trip, in this magazine … 1 If you want to scrutinize the very soul of Poperinge, you should drop by the Hop Museum. And let beer experts guide you around, so that you really understand Poperinge’s love of hops and beer brewed Hop Museum in the finest tradition. Beer aficionados Annemie Declerck and William Roelens IF YOU WANT TO SCRUTINIZE THE VERY SOUL OF POPERINGE take us by the arm, talking in fine detail about their deep passion for hops and YOU SHOULD DROP BY THE HOP MUSEUM great beer. Poperinge’s Hop Museum is located in the lovely ‘Stadsschaal’ or Municipal Scales where hops were once weighed, graded and stored. There’s certainly no denying that fact: as soon as you walk in, the penetrating smell of hops is omnipresent. “It has impregnated the roof beams,” Annemie explains. We are on the third floor, as our visit starts at the top, in the monumental attic under the roof. Dare-alls will take the stairs, but if you don’t fancy the climb, you can zoom up and down in a lift. The attic brings us the story of the hops, from its roots to today. Did you know, for example, that there are female and male hop plants and that it’s legally forbidden to cultivate the male plants in Poperinge? “You’d get fertilized Hop Museum Gasthuisstraat 71, Poperinge hop bells,” explains William, “which is bad for the foam on the beer. In the UK, male and MARCH - NOVEMBER female hop plants are cultivated together, Mondays: only groups, which explains the difference between Belgian upon request (15 or more and English ale. Our hops ensure great taste, people, + a guide) stability and … a nice head of foam.” Tuesdays to Sundays and public holidays: 10 am - 6pm We also meet some saints here, like Hildegard DECEMBER, JANUARY AND von Bingen, who discovered that beer can FEBRUARY dramatically affect men’s sexual performance – Closed for individual visitors, a weird finding to be brought up by a saint! A excluding spring half-term and Christmas holidays. Open for travel guide from 1565 praises Poperinge’s hop groups (15 or more people + fields, showing a kiln where hops were once guide), upon reservation. dried. “Many farmers slept in their kiln, just to Adults will pay e6, youths (aged 6 - 25) e2.50 and children (under 6) can enter for free ANNEMIE DECLERCK www.hopmuseum.be WILLIAM ROELENS 2 beerconnoisseurs 3 make sure that nothing would go wrong,” Annemie Today’s queens don’t have to be farmers’ daughters yet While picking the hop continues. On the second floor of the Hop Museum, they do have to know all about hops. which is dedicated to the harvesting of the hops, we discover different types of hops and learn that hops On the museum’s ground floor we see how the hops start growing from May, June time onwards. Annemie: were delivered to the courtyard loaded on giant cones, everyone was “They had to reach the top of the trellises by the horse-drawn wagons, after which they were weighed, first weekend of July, after which the farmers had to inspected and then pressed into bales. The hop await the right moment to harvest. They checked the inspector, called the Nose, smelt the hops to check singing. At noon, the plants each and every day, with a magnifying glass their moisture- and lupulin content. Today, hops are to spot any plant lice. When it was time to harvest, still inspected rigorously and the love for the job has the entire town would lend a helping hand: not one remained. That’s exactly what makes Poperinge’s beers farmer’s wife brought single inhabitant from Poperinge went to work or such a huge success. “Maybe that is the big secret school. School even started only in mid-September indeed. Every beer from Poperinge has its own story here, to make sure that children too could help pick. yet they are all brewed diligently and with love, with The entire town smelt of hops. While picking the hop local hops and by brewers who are really dedicated soup and bread, which cones, everyone was singing. At noon, the farmer’s to their trade. One can really taste that,” says Wim. wife brought soup and bread, which everyone enjoyed The results don’t lie: the Top 100 of ‘Best Beers in the in the field. The feast took three weeks to a month. World’ includes no fewer than 7 beers from Poperinge. everyone enjoyed in Even rain couldn’t spoil the party. On the contrary: “Of course, that’s just a list but it does illustrate how the rain made the hop cones a bit heavier and as the unique this region is. Every time I cross the bridge in picked weight determined the salary, that extra bit of Vlamertinge to enter Poperinge, my heart takes a leap the field. The feast took weight was welcome. After weeks of hard work, it was and I feel like I’m entering a totally different world. time to celebrate the end of the picking season. The Especially when the hops are maturing, of course. farmer’s wife made ‘hommelpap’ and was crowned the Sometimes I just stop for a while, park my car and take `Queen of Hops’.” This tradition to elect a Queen of a walk in a hop field.” three weeks to a month. Hops continues to this day, be it in a different format. So how did William become the beer expert that he is William Roelens and Annemie Declerck in the Hopmuseum with journalist Sophie Allegaert 4 5 today? His story starts with ‘De Dolle Brouwers’. “In 1982, I visited ‘Bieren en Pintelieren’, a beer William’s festival in the Belgian town of Bokrijk, where ‘De Dolle Brouwers’ served their ‘Oerbier’ under the motto ‘Nat en straf’ (wet and strong). Not knowing what to expect, I tasted the beer and BEER TIPS was immediately won over. It is a fantastic beer!” Wim hasn’t counted how many different types - For beginners: of beers he’s tasted since then, yet the number Start with a blond ‘Hommelbier’ by Brouwerij is impressive. He stresses, though, how there’s Van Eecke or a good brown, top-fermented a big difference between tasting and drinking beer, like a ‘Rookop’ by De Plukker brewery. A beer. “I resolutely stick to tasting, discovering draught St. Bernardus is always delicious, of and indulging beer, which implies that I only course. drink small quantities, together with friends.” www.plukker.be www.hommelbier.be www. His respect for brewers has only increased sint-bernardus.be over the years. “Brewing is not that difficult yet - For the more knowledgeable: If you’d like to taste something really different, I’d suggest trying a ‘Black Albert’ by ‘De Struise Brouwers’ – a very complex beer, which you just have to experience. ‘De ‘Nat en straf’ (wet and strong) Struise Brouwers’ are, by the way, today’s Not knowing what to expect, most revolutionary or maybe most rebellious I tasted the beer and was brewers. www.struise.com immediately won over. It is a fantastic beer!” - For those looking for added value: The ‘Seizoensbrouwerij’ of Chris Vandewalle makes three wonderful beers with a very pronounced taste, based on a recipe that dates from 1800. ‘Reninge Oud Bruin’ has matured in oak barrels, ‘Reninge Krieken you have to find the right balance in taste and Rood’ uses cherries picked in Furnes (Veurne) flavour.