In the first weekend of March, an estimated 10,000 beer lovers will descend on the small city of Sint- Niklaas in East Flanders for the seventh annual Zythos Beer Festival. Zythos is a national, volunteer organisation that works to promote and protect Belgian beer culture. The confederation of about 30 smaller groups also advocates for beer consumers by, for instance, calling for more accurate labelling of ingredients and for bottling dates.
Dedicated to Belgian beers, this year the festival feature 61 breweries and beer firms and, at last count, 288 different beers lined up for sampling. While Belgium has long been famous for its beer, appreciation and interest in tasting specialty beers is still growing.
The third Bruges Beer Festival in November of last year, organized by one of Zythos’ daughter organisations, featured nearly as many beers (278) and ended up attracting similar numbers to Zythos – a 25% increase from the previous year. Zythos organisers expect a similar trend in attendance for their event this year.
The Sint-Niklaas festival is unique because of all of the smaller, craft breweries involved.
“Some breweries only come to the Zythos beer festival,” says Zythos member Steven Vermeylen. “Like for instance De Dolle Brouwers – you don’t see them at other festivals – they only come to ours.”
And, since Sint-Niklaas (between Ghent and Antwerp) isn’t the tourist destination that is Bruges, people are going there with very specific intentions – to taste beer. The festival attracts a lot of Belgians, but also brings in beer-lovers from the Netherlands, Britain and France and from much further afield, such as Japan, China and the United States. Vermeylen notes a recent rise in attendees from Denmark and Italy as microbreweries are growing in popularity, and people there are “becoming more and more beer-minded”.
Which ale’s for you
With such a multitude to choose from, figuring out which brews to sample can be tricky. (Most can’t handle them all.) The festival offers a guide that describes the taste, aftertaste, colour and alcohol content of each of the beers. In addition, many of the small brewery stands will be staffed by the brewers themselves, adding to the overall educational experience.
Classic, well-known beers like Westmalle and Orval will be on hand, but the more adventurous can also find choices from newer and more obscure breweries. This year, 11 new breweries and beer firms will be inaugurated into the festival. Three breweries on this list – Den Triest, Hof Ten Dormaal and De Bastogne – were only just established last year.
Those with a more distinguishing palate can sample beers that have been aged for different lengths of time or experience the potential variation in one beer recipe. De Verhuisbrouwerij beer firm (beer firms create recipes but don’t brew the beer themselves) teamed up with three breweries to produce three beers based on the same recipe. Tasters will find that, despite this shared formula, variables like equipment and water can really alter the flavour of a beer.
Keep track of what you like because you can vote on your favourite beers. Based on a tally of the people’s choice, a consumer’s trophy will be given to one of the breweries. Last year, De Dolle’s Cosmos Porter took home the prize.
Sint-Niklaas is an underrated little city – even by the citizens. When you ask a few of them what to see there, they tell you to visit Ghent or Antwerp. But if you get your fill of beer during the first weekend of March at Zythos, you can check out Belgium’s largest market square there, do some shopping, visit a museum or just take in some pretty scenery.
Sint-Niklaas’ Grote Markt is the largest marketplace in all of Belgium. Home to the tourist office (at number 45), there are also plenty of cosy cafes and restaurants to duck into along the square, including Den Antus, which has friendly staff and a respectable beer menu.
Stationsstraat, which runs between the marketplace and the train station, is a well-known shopping area with a plethora of winkels to please shopaholics. Also along Stationsstraat is the city museum, Salons voor schone kunsten. The beautiful, old building is the former mansion of a textile manufacturer (and it still houses St Nicholas during his yearly visit). The museum’s permanent collection is comprised of Belgian paintings from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, including works by James Ensor and Henri Evenepoel. The museum is currently hosting Je suis dada, an exhibition of works by Flemish designers inspired by surrealism.
To get some fresh air away from the crowds, head up Parkstraat to the Romain De Vidtspark. Stroll through this pretty park with English and French-style gardens, a pond and a castle. Inside the Castle Walburg, built in 1550, you’ll find a comfy bistro that overlooks the park. www.kasteelwalburg.be
Have a few minutes until your train? Pop into the New Flandres Hotel bar on Stationsplein; it has a cosy fireplace and is very close to the station.
The Zythos Beer Festival includes a drawing for prizes as well as a store to buy merchandise like t-shirts, books and… wait for it…beer. Hungry festival-goers will find cheese and beer-infused snacks like stoofvlees and frieten. Festival volunteers provide on-site child care.
Entry to the festival is free. You can rent a glass for the day with a €3 deposit (or keep it as a souvenir). Each 15 cl sample is €1.20, regardless of the kind of beer. The festival is held in the Sint-Niklaas Stadsfeestzaal, which is 150 meters from the train station on Leopold II laan.
Saturday, 6 March 12.00 to 00.00
Sunday, 7 March 11.00 to 21.00
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