Rodenbach...

Hey Everybody- Had a good time in Belgium with Jeff and Joe. Had good tours of Rodenbach, Moortgat, Hoegaarden and Orval. Of course side trips to Dusseldorf, Beersel and Brussels made for a great time. Rodenbach is alive and well though some things are changing. I don't know how much of what we were told was propaganda and what was true but I came away with the following. They are installing a new brewhouse with a Muera Mash filter(very cool). We were the first 'foreigners' to step foot in this 'under construction' area. The old brewhouse is still chugging away. Lot's of work is being done on the physical plant but much of it is being done painstakingly to preserve old buildings which are considered historical and as such are part of Belgium's past. The Rodenbach's were very important people. The last part of our tour was the oak 'casks'. They're still being used and they are quite proud of them. The casks themselves may reach historical status and the brewery may get funds from the government to help with their upkeep. When the tour was over we had a 'degustation' of Rodenbach and the Grand Cru. We were joined by the Brewmaster and two of his assistants. They asked us which of the two beers would be the best to market in the US. This of course brought more questions than answers as a possible product pullback may loom. It seems as though the higher priced Grand Cru is the one they want to sell here as they want the most return on shipping dollars spent. We'll see... We thanked our hosts who proclaimed us ambassadors of Rodenbach and to spread the word that the brewery isn't a museum. next...Moortgat Todd