Category: beerblog

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Best wishes for 2025!

Wishing you all a Happy, Hoppy & Healthy New Year! đŸ€©

Let’s start 2025 with a bit of silly, followed by a nap and a good book! đŸ€—
May this year bring more peace and less worrying.🙏

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Reflecting on 2024

The last day of 2024 is here and while I was making the traditional Dutch oliebollen I did some reflection. As always the year went by too fast and when I scroll through my Instagram posts I am surprised by how many amazing things happened this year.

Working in beer has brought me so much joy and I am really grateful for everyone that has supported me and for all the lovely people that have joined my tours and tastings this year.

A few highlights: my beer tasting for International Women’s Day, beer judging at the International Women’s Trophy in Mainz, the Brewers Forum in Lille, Tour de Gueze, the opening of the Belgian Beer Weekend at Grand Place and becoming part of the team of guides at Cantillon.
A big cheers to you all!♄

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEPzovOtvHT/

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Gift vouchers

Do you need a great last-minute gift?

Contact me by e-mail to order a voucher for a beer tasting at Hoppiness Brussels.

I can still send it to you before Christmas.

info@ hoppiness.brussels (remove space)

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Beer judging in Mainz

This week I was part of the all female judging team of Women’s International Trophy in Mainz. We had two tasting flights of more than 20 beers each. Hard work, but a good experience for sure.

I went together with two of my esteemed colleagues from Brussels, we all do brewery tours at Brasserie de la Senne, and we got to meet a lot of other female beer professionals.

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Beer tasting workshop

This weekend we did a beer tasting workshop. With a lovely small group we tasted beers blindly, judged them and were completely surprised by the winners. We played with macerated flavours and discovered how easily a cassis flavour masks a not-so-great-beer. And we paired several cheeses and chocolates with different beers to see what we liked best. A great way of playing with beer and flavours. I will definitely organise this again.

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Opening Brasserie Taymans

Jette has a brewery again! Brasserie Taymans had a grand opening day on Saturday the 11th of March. The original brewery, named the Brasserie-Malterie Taymans, was started over 100 years ago. A warehouse was built for maturing Lambic in 1906 and the Brewhouse was ready in 1911 on the other side of the street (Rue Van Huyneghem), just next to what is known today as the Park Garcet.

The main market was in Brussels, and the brewery survived despite going through very challenging times such as both world wars. Pierre Taymans took over the brewery in 1936 and continued the operations despite the limited development options authorized to him on the site. 

The brewery ceased operations in 1970 at the retirement of our grandfather, Pierre Taymans and the main buildings took a new life. The family house and adjacent brewhouse were transformed into a youth center welcoming local youth for many years before making way later for an extension of the Park and adjoining school. Now six grandchildren, all brothers, have restarted the brewery and I was happy to be part of the opening day and show people around the brewery.

More information on their website.