#SMAAKDOWN16 is a celebration of the second birthday of Belgian Smaak.
Join us as we celebrate this milestone in our adventure in taste with Belgian beer and Belgian chocolate.
We’ve teamed up with three brilliant Belgian breweries to bring you some really special beers, two of which have been brewed especially for the event.
And on the evening, we’re bringing along our most popular homemade Belgian chocolate treats for tasting.
#SMAAKDOWN16
WHEN: Friday 5 February 2016, 7pm – 11pm.
WHERE: Het Huis Van Alijn, Ghent, Belgium.
WHY: To celebrate the second birthday of Belgian Smaak.
WHAT: 9 special beers (including 2 beers brewed especially for the event) and 3 special chocolate treats.
HOW: €22.31 per ticket (inclusive of booking fee and VAT), details below.
We have capacity for only 140 people.
*** SOLD OUT ***
All 140 places are now taken for #SMAAKDOWN16. If you’re interested in being one of the first to hear about future events, sign up for email updates below.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Tickets cost €22.31 (incl. booking fee and VAT), in return for which you can enjoy:
→ Entry to the event in the beautiful courtyard of Het Huis Van Alijn in central Ghent;
→ A self-guided tour upon arrival of Het Huis Van Alijn museum which features a fantastic exhibition about the famous `6daagse’ cycle race (the 6 Days of Ghent) and its importance to the city of Ghent.
→ 9 tastings x 15cl (9 different beers): 2 of the beers have been brewed especially for the event so have never been tasted before (see beer list below);
→ Short talks from the brewers about each of the special beers created for the event;
→ 3 delicious chocolate treats (see chocolate list below);
→ Event programme with more information on the beers, the chocolates, the museum exhibition and the story of Belgian Smaak;
→ The chance to celebrate with Breandán and Elisa on Belgian Smaak’s second birthday.
IMPORTANT NOTICES
Before buying your ticket, please note:
→ Doors to the event open at 7pm. While the event will continue until 11pm, we would ask that ticketholders come at the latest before 8.30pm as we are required to close the museum doors to the public street at that time.
→ There will be an opportunity to buy additional beers and/or soft drinks in the bar of Het Huis Van Alijn if you’d like. A list of drinks and prices can be found on their website.
→ While tap water will also be available at no extra charge, the ticket price includes only the beers and chocolates below so if you are buying a ticket as the designated driver (BOB), please keep this in mind.
→ We won’t be serving food on the evening (apart from the chocolate) so try to grab some dinner before you arrive.
→ It will also be possible to buy bottles directly from the breweries if you’d like to take some of the great beers home with you.
*** SOLD OUT ***
All 140 places are now taken for #SMAAKDOWN16. If you’re interested in being one of the first to hear about future events, sign up for email updates below.
THE LOCATION | HET HUIS VAN ALIJN
Het Huis Van Alijn has a fantastic location in the centre of Ghent. However, this makes it difficult to get to by car and it can also be difficult to find car parking space close-by.
Check out the map for more information and the Het Huis Van Alijn website for details on getting there.
HOW THE TICKETS WORK
→ At the entry to the event, each ticketholder will receive a glass and an event programme with details on the beers and chocolates and some information on the museum exhibition.
→ Each ticketholder will receive a slip for each of the beers and chocolates listed below. These slips can be exchanged at the appropriate table for that beer or chocolate.
*** SOLD OUT ***
All 140 places are now taken for #SMAAKDOWN16. If you’re interested in being one of the first to hear about future events, sign up for our updates by filling in your email address below.
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BEER LIST
BROUWERIJ HOF TEN DORMAAL | Tildonk, Flemish Brabant
The Hof Ten Dormaal brewery is a farm brewery operated by the Janssens family. At the beginning of 2015, a fire completely destroyed the roof of the brewery. The entire bottling line, conditioning rooms and most of the stock were burnt to the ground. Not only did they recover to start brewing again, but they hosted a new festival in Leuven based on the theme of innovation and brewed a series of collaboration beers with breweries in a range of different countries.
At #SMAAKDOWN16, Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal will be pouring:
→ ROCKY FARM | Belgian Dark Dessert Ale / Rocky Road Bier | 6% ABV | A collaboration brew with ‘Belgian Smaak’ especially for this event, Rocky Farm is a dark beer inspired by the delicious combination of biscuit, chocolate and marshmallow which has made the homely ‘Rocky Road’ tray-bake so famous. When we serve this beer at the event, we’ll be pouring it into your glass, dropping a marshmallow into the beer and pairing it with a generous portion of ‘Rocky Road’ tray-bake.
→ ZURE VAN TILDONK | Sour/Wild Ale | 6% ABV | This dry blonde sour beer is fermented with a combination of a house strain and wild yeasts living around the farm, and is aged on barrels for a year before being blended to taste. It’s fruity, soft and complex.
→ SAISON | Belgian Saison | 5.5% ABV | An old school version of the original farm worker’s beer, this dry, fruity and lightly sour Saison is brewed with only grain and hops grown on the brewery farm.
BROUWERIJ MAENHOUT| Pittem, West Flanders
Thijs Maenhout started out by making beer at home before going along to brewing classes with some of the team from Brouwerij Alvinne. He developed beers commercially at a small system in Meulebeke and before long, demand had increased so much that he was forced to upscale. Thijs and his wife Birgit Derammelaere moved operations to Pittem in 2015 where they have increased capacity eight-fold.
At #SMAAKDOWN16, Brouwerij Maenhout will be pouring:
→ SUCH A PITTEM | Oyster Stout | 7% ABV | Brewed in collaboration with Belgian Smaak especially for this event, ‘Such a Pittem’ bemoans the lack of true roasty stouts in Belgium: it’s such a pity. We’ve used fresh oyster shells from Carlingford Lough in Co. Louth, Ireland to brew this beer.
→ HOPPA HONTAS | India Pale Ale | 6.5% ABV | This blonde beer is all about the hops. The 2015 version pouring at this event is brewed with Amarillo and includes a dry hopping, all of which delivers tropical fruit aromas and a pleasant long-lasting back-of-the-throat bitterness to quench anybody’s thirst.
→ FERRE | Abt / Quadrupel | 10% ABV | A big bold malt-forward amber beer named after local Pittem folk hero Ferdinand Verbiest, Ferre has got loads of yeast-driven fruit and spice and more than just a hint of booze.
BROUWERIJ DE RYCK | Herzele, East Flanders
Brouwerij De Ryck is a family brewery in Herzele which has been brewing beer for more than 125 years. Brewer An De Ryck represents the fourth generation of brewers and her children, Miek and Bram take on the responsibility of being the fifth generation of the family to work at the brewery.
At #SMAAKDOWN16, Brouwerij De Ryck will be pouring:
→ STEENUILKE | Belgian Ale with Herbs | 6.5% ABV | Brewed in consultation with the Regional Landscape of the Flemish Ardennes (RLVA) to raise awareness for a local endangered owl species, this ale uses three different herbs from the Steenuilke’s indigenous region to deliver unique bitter and herbal characteristics.
→ SPÉCIAL DE RYCK | Spéciale Belge Ale | 5.5% ABV | One of the only 7 original Spécial Belges left, this classic amber-coloured beer uses its caramel malt profile to balance out a pronounced hop bitterness.
→ GOUDEN AREND | Belgian Tripel | 9% ABV | Brewed as a special beer for the 125th anniversary of the brewery, the Gouden Arend marries the characteristics of a classic Belgian Tripel with a subtle citric hop aroma and flavour.
CHOCOLATE LIST
We love making people happy with chocolate treats and the ones we’re serving at #SMAAKDOWN16 are a combination of our most popular recipes as well as those which will pair perfectly with the special line-up of beers.
→ BELGIAN SMAAK ROCKY ROAD | Crunchy, soft and sweet, this combination of biscuit, marshmallow and chocolate provides a decadent treat to be paired with the ROCKY FARM beer.
→ BELGIAN SMAAK CHOCOLATE BROWNIE | Rich, creamy and intensely chocolatey, this brownie is a perfect match for the roasted and dark malt flavours of the SUCH A PITTEM beer.
→ BELGIAN SMAAK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE | The term ‘truffle’ derives from the Latin word tuber meaning ‘lump’. These tasty lumps of chocolate have a centre of butter and chocolate praliné which is then coated in chocolate flakes, ready to play in your mouth with the herbal characteristics of the STEENUILKE beer.
You can buy your tickets here:
*** SOLD OUT ***
All 140 places are now taken for #SMAAKDOWN16. If you’re interested in being one of the first to hear about future events, sign up for our updates by filling in your email address below.
