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GTG Downtime-Extra!
WDT Amsterdam-Bruges-Brussels
Triathlon 2011
A Special Daily Supplement from
The Grey Town Gazette
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Seven Days : Seven Beers : Seven Reasons to Live
Mon 22nd Aug 2011
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T minus 7
and counting...
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Uplifting Vista
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Europe is in crisis: bond markets are collapsing; the proles are rioting; and governments everywhere are running out of other people's money to spend
But, fear not! For those who are bold enough to go forth and seek it, there is liquidity aplenty. And it tastes good
To help boost Eurozone confidence the internationally renowned NGO WorldDrinkingTour.com has organized a special moral-boosting Triathlon starting on the 29th August in Amsterdam then taking in Bruges and Brussels. At each stage the participants - unpaid volunteers all - will selflessly be doing their bit to lift spirits And (never ones to shirk from our journalistic duties) the GTG's staff will be there in the thick of it reporting events as they unfold
Countdown Reviews
To help the participants get in the mood and as a general celebration of the event, we're publishing a special series of 7 daily bulletins featuring reviews of our favourite beverages and bars
Our first drink - Westmalle Tripel - has been featured before but quality is quality and in these turbulent times you can't have too much of a good thing. Don't worry: to keep it 'relevant' we've updated our content with exciting new pictures and comment!
The tour culminates at the Brussels Beer Weekend in Grand Place Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th September
We can't possibly cover all of the worthy beverages in seven bulletins, but we hope these little tasters help wet the appetite and get the heart pounding.
Cheers!
Ed
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Beer of the Day
Westmalle Tripel
The Gold Standard
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Safe Haven
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Vital Statistics
Brewer: Westmalle Brewery
(Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle)
Style: Clear, golden yellow Trappist beer
Undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle
AI Value:* 10.5
Killer App: Stabilises bond markets in seconds
Medicinal Qualities: I feel better already!
Tasting notes: Smooth and powerful, but not too flash : a V8 of a beer
Grey Scale Rating:** Platinum
Wt Relativity Index:*** 10
* AI, or Alcoholic Index is a key parameter in the temporal equation defining (perceived) Drink Time. Ref. Alcohol Induced Time Dilation Effect, 'Quantum Qorner' section GTG Dec 2009 ** The official GTG product review rating scale:
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Brew Basics
We make no apologies for again featuring this favourite beer: some things are just too good to miss!
Origin - a true Trappist
The brewery refers to the Westmalle Tripel as 'the mother of all tripels' and it's considered to be the original tripel style beer. The beer was first produced in 1934 and the current formula hasn't changed in over 50 years
What's so special about Trappist Beers?
Essentially, to be called Trappist the beers must be brewed within the boundaries of the monastery or under the direct supervision of the monks. The brewery also has to be run with a monastic ethos and any profits over and above those needed to run the monastery must be used for charitable and social causes
Its good to know that with every sip you are helping a worthy cause!
There are seven Trappist breweries, six in Belgium (Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren and Westmalle) and one in the Netherlands (La Trappe)
Hallowed Ground Although it won't be featuring in this year's tour, a mention has to be made of the 'Cafe Trappisten' located opposite the Abbey at Westmalle. Despite occupying a disconcertingly modern building (not unlike that at Westvleteren) the Cafe is a great place to while away an afternoon getting to know the beers (and to confuse the locals by indulging in noisy conversations with everybody around the table, solely by means of text messaging). And, perhaps due to it's proximity to the Abbey, it's a place that helps remind you to keep an open mind in all things as the staff kindly introduce you to the joys of mixing together the Tripel and Dubbel to create the very pleasing Westmalle 'Half and Half' - something we would never have dared to do off our own bat!
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Better than it looks!
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Watering Hole
A great place to enjoy today's featured beverage
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Some brands don't travel well
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In De Wildeman, Amsterdam
Learned Temple of Beer This is a bar for people who like beer without a commotion. A pleasant buzz yes, but no overpowering music or babbling hoards of teenagers
The bar stocks a large selection of draft and bottled beers from the Netherlands & Belgium and also from Germany and the UK. They also stock interesting whiskeys, I'm told. So lot's of pleasant things to imbibe as you talk nonsense and puzzle at the interesting retail signage on the walls
This is the establishment where I first experienced being served a crystal-clear beer (Westmalle) in it's regular glass along with a small shot glass containing the yeasty bottom of the bottle, leaving one the choice of mixing, drinking separately, or simply skipping the solids. A pleasing novelty choice when first encountered, but a decision with which I become less and less bothered as the evening progressed!
As a State-educated Briton it's also a great place to go to get thrashed at (English) Scrabble by Dutch students
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Small print:
Copyright 2011 The Ministry of Light.
All Rights Reserved etc.
The Grey Town Gazette is published by The Ministry of Light, a division of Borg International Ltd, London.
Disclaimer:
The Grey Town Gazette is published in good faith. The accuracy of the stories is questionable by design and is certainly not guaranteed. If you think any are true we respectfully suggest you consider therapy. Any reference to persons living or dead is unintentional and purely coincidental.
Product and venue reviews are purely subjective and reflect the views of the reviewer(s). Product and supplier details are based on published sources and not guaranteed to be correct.
The Ministry of Light - Croydon's Leading Think Tank
The Grey Town Gazette - spreading the truth through enlightened disinformation
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