10th. Edition Christmas Beerfest Essen - 11 and 12 December 2004 A Picture Report by Filip Geerts Parochiecentrum Essen-Statie Kerkstraat 62 B-2910 Essen OBER Saturday from 14.00 - Sunday from 12.00 Complete Beer List

One of the upper best beers of the fest: Special Oerbier Réserva 2002.
Brewed by the Dolle Brouwers. Initially brewed for own consumption and also as an experiment. This beer is matured on one French Châteauneuf-du-Pape cask. The cask still contained some 7 à 8 liters of wine ! Refermented with Brettanomyces yeast ! This beer is 'exatly' 11.75 vol% strong ! No, not 11.7 or 11.8 :-). My taste experience made that beer one of the best from the whole fest. So much flavors, tanins, winy, sweet, alkoholic, aroma, woody, malty, yeasty, etc...etc... An experiment that has withstand every failure, and has become a true masterpiece in Belgian brewing.................and a proof that wine and beer can be combined. Exceptional........

At around 16.00 the venue became way too small. People ordering their beers had to wait quite some time to be served. My respect towards the staff who did that job in such an outstanding way. No doubt that next year another venue will be chosen. I cannot count on how many feet and toes I stepped on during the immense crowd movements. Sitting on my precious gained chair was quite some relief.

Jacob Lovenlund from Denmark in front on the left side with black T-shirt. The guy in the middle, also with black shirt carrying the Babblebelt-emblem, is American beer lover Logan Perkins from Denver. Website Logan

Joris Pattyn intensely having some taste/smell experience. Joris may be considered as one of the major beer tasters from Belgium. An example for many Belgians !!

At 17.30 there was an interesting group picture taking. The complete group (at least 50 persons!) of Babblebelt members were framed by Joyce (Wife of John White) in the middle there. As I had to place myself into the big group, it was impossible to take the picture of the group myself. So, what you see here is just the other way round.

Here's Jeremy's group picture including most of the Babblebelt attendees. Me standing second from the left (with digicam in my hands).

 

Stille Nacht Commercial. De Dolle Brouwers - Esen (West-Flanders)

English and American beer gifts from Podge and Bill Coleman! American Beer Nuts from Cornelia. It's always nice if some foreign people bring some goodies to us Belgian. Thanks for the attention ! Cornelia Corey has been beerdrinker of the year in America. More info

Chuck Cook's back ! Monday was a big day for Chuck as he has had a Westvleteren brewery visit that day. Very exclusive as nobody can visit the Saint-Sixtus abbey and brewery. Only Michaël Jackson and Jef van den Steen have done this before. Chuck is wearing the 'new' "In de Vrede" T-shirt. "In de Vrede" is the beer temple just opposite the abbey. The only place that may sell the real Trappist Westvleteren !

Logan Perkins again ! In the mean time I've been framed too.

Mike Berger still doing the job. As I was savouring the tasty X-mas beers, volunteers like Mike were doing the job all for free. Remarkable !!

Mike pouring out a precious Bush Prestige 13 vol% from bry. Dubuisson

Bush Prestige handed over to the beer lover.

Other famous guest. Beer enthusiast Johan van Ryckeghem aka "Black Beasty". Johan licking some American Beer nuts at that moment. Great guy !

Johan Brandt in the middle with wife and on the right Bill Coleman. Johan is masterbrewer at De Regenboog. 't Smisje Kerst 2003 and 2004 and 't Smisje Calva Réserva were available at the fest. Note that the recipe from those beers are from Bill Coleman himself ! Also the nice "Salty Dog" drawings on Regenboog labels are Bill Colemans work. An admirable Belgo-American co-operation !

Englishman Steve Hannigan. A regular contributor on Belgian Beer Forums and Belgian Beer Lover in heart and soul !!! Great Christmas Mortal T-shirt and CAMRA beer-hat by the way !

An overall view later that afternoon.

Without flash light

With flash light

The entrance towards the smoking room.

The smoking room. Hazy picture due to the vast smoke inside. No place for me as I'm a non-smoker, and I immediately left the smoky room without any hesitation..........

For the hungry people. Soup with Fantôme d'Hiver and "stoofvlees" with Fantôme de Noël. Jummy.........

The housebeer called OBER Kerstgebrouw 7.5 vol%. Already Brewed since March 2003 at Epiceahoeve/Mol-Wezel. Specially brewed for the OBER X-mas beer fest by hobby brewers from the Epicea farmhouse.

Suddenly I realized the previous picture didn't show any bottle. So I asked the friendly staff to put the original bottle on the waiters' shelf. This makes the picture complete.

Without flash light makes it even more perfect !!