Trappistenhuis Den Herberg

Photos and words by Cliff Lucas.
Edited by Breandán Kearney.

Café Society is a photographic series which celebrates the spaces at the heart of Belgian beer culture. See more here.

For the past 13 years, Peter Van Gehuchten and Leen Van Driessche have served a large selection of Trappist beers, Geuze, and classic Belgian ales at Trappistenhuis Den Herberg in Waasmunster, a former home, then bicycle shop, which dates back to 1870. A “herberg” is a common house where people came to eat while their horses fed in the surrounding fields. Sourdough bread is a specialty here. Van Gehuchten creates it from scratch using the yeast sediment from tapped Chimay Tripel kegs to keep the starter alive. Its scent meanders through the café from the connected kitchen. On warmer days, wooden window frames remain cracked to let the air flow through, and an iron stove in the center of the café sits idle until the temperatures drop in the winter. At the entrance, a horse-drawn carriage wheel leans against the Tuscan-coloured stucco wall. Intentionally, there’s no menu card here so that Van Gehuchten and Van Driessche can more easily strike up conversation with their guests. “Have you tried this one yet?” Van Gehuchten asks, wearing his trademark top hat and leather Chimay apron. He pours an Oude Geuze from namesake Brouwerij Den Herberg. It’s a common name for cafés in Belgium, “herberg”. But the smell of Peter’s homemade meatloaf coming from the kitchen sets this one apart.