Achelse Kluis

Achel Brewery has become my favorite Trappist brewery today. The monastery is not available for visits but the restaurant is very nice, can accommodate allot of people and the food is simple but delicious. Here I tried, for the first time ever, deep fried goulash, yes, goulash that has been deep fried. When I saw it I thought they got my order wrong, I know perfectly well how goulash is suppose to look like and this did not look like that. It looked like a large fish stick in a bun. But I was reassured that this was indeed goulash. My Dutch is not good at all so I could not ask more questions. In order to find out what it was I had to try it. It was a very pleasant surprise. It tasted really good, slightly spicy, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. A very new way of eating goulash. For dessert we tried the beer ice cream, it’s soft serve, very creamy and delicious. The beer is good and they have a very large selection of Trappist and regular beers at their store. There are great bike trails and walking trails nearby and also the border. You can walk to the Netherlands and back or you can keep a foot in each country :). For full size images visit www.facebook.com/adisphopage

I would have never imagined that I would find an art gallery at a brewery. The gift stores at the Trappist monasteries do sell art like small paintings, small sculptures but it’s always on a shelf in the store. This was so beautiful, I fell in love with the large painting depicting the monks in red. I still cannot take my eyes from it in these photos. The artists are both Dutch, the painter is Iente Verheijen and the sculptor is Maria Van Rooij. This just shows that the breweries are not just about the beer. Here you can find great food, great art and many times you get to make new friends.