Farmhouse Ales of Belgium and France
$3,795.00
* The deposit is refundable less a $50 cancellation fee up to 60 days prior to departure. For cancellations made less than 60 days prior to departure, the full deposit will be forfeited. For cancellations made after final payment, refunds will be made (where possible) according to service contracts and supplier guidelines; these refunds will be based on recoverable expenses. See the full Terms and Conditions here.
Description
Farmhouse Ales of Belgium & France
May 20 – May 30
Trip Price (land-only, based on double occupancy): $3,795 per person (2027) · Single room add $885 · International airfare not included.
Saison at Brasserie Dupont, steam rising over a public brew day at Brasserie Vapeur, hop fields and farm kitchens at Beck Farm, estaminet lunches in Cassel, lambic at Cantillon and Bière de Garde in northern France — this is a very beery exploration of a meandering border where farmhouse brewing traditions overlap beautifully. Fourteen breweries in nine days, yet the pace stays relaxed: village producers, country roads, rebuilt medieval streets, Flanders Fields remembrance and generous tables from Brussels to Ieper, the Opal Coast, Valenciennes and Mons.
Beer is our lens, but the trip reaches well beyond beer alone. Expect regional cuisine at working breweries, French-Flemish estaminets, hop-field walks, historic cafés, Mons and Ieper on foot and the kind of rural brewery access most travelers never reach on their own. Small-group travel at a human scale — structured enough to show you benchmark producers and hidden gems, open enough for free days in Mons and Brussels.
Perfect For: Farmhouse ale fans, saison lovers, food travelers and culturally curious beer explorers who enjoy small-group travel across Belgium and northern France.
Hop fields and border country — Dupont, Vapeur, Cassel estaminets and Cantillon across Belgium and northern France.
At a Glance
- Duration: 11 days total / 9 nights in Europe, plus overnight flight from the U.S.
- Group Size: Maximum 12 travelers
- Beer Focus: Saison, Bière de Garde, farmhouse ales, lambic, Trappist beer and French-Flemish brewing traditions
- Pace: Relaxed, with 14 brewery visits across 9 days and free time in Mons and Brussels
- Walking Level: Easy to moderate; cobblestones, hill towns, brewery stairs and farm paths
- Transport: Private Beer Bus on key brewery days, rail, taxi/Uber and walking
- Overnight Locations: Brussels (3 nights), Ieper (3 nights), Valenciennes (1 night), Mons (2 nights)
Your price is confirmed once your deposit has been accepted for this departure. Prices may vary based on hotel, transportation, supplier and currency costs.
Please select your room type above when joining the trip. Space and single-room availability are limited.
Future Trips
- 2027 | May 20 – May 30 | Open
- 2028 | Late May / Early June | Interest List
- 2029 | Late May / Early June | Interest List
Why BeerTrips?
For more than 25 years, BeerTrips has helped curious travelers experience great beer destinations through local culture, food, history and the people behind the breweries. Our small-group journeys are designed for travelers who want more than a checklist of sights and tastings.
This BeerTrip explores Brussels, Ieper, French Flanders, Valenciennes and Mons through beer, food, history and everyday local culture. Farmhouse producers are often rural, small and hard to reach without thoughtful routing — we bring together benchmark breweries, estaminets, hop farms and remembrance sites at a pace that lets each region speak clearly.
- Small groups, typically 8–12 travelers
- Brewery access and local connections built over decades
- A balance of guided experiences and independent time
- Beer, food, culture and history woven together
- Led by people who genuinely love these destinations
Beer
Saison at Dupont, De Ranke and village brewers, Bière de Garde in French Flanders, lambic at Cantillon and steam brew day at Vapeur — fourteen breweries at a human pace.
Food
Vapeur all-local lunches, Cassel estaminet tables, Beck Farm dinners and regional cheese at every stop — beer and food treated as equals.
Culture
Brussels cafés, Ieper and Flanders Fields, Cassel hill towns, Mons on foot and village breweries most travelers never reach on their own.
Why You’ll Love This Trip
This journey combines brewery visits, regional food traditions, historic towns, classic cafés and scenic countryside into a relaxed small-group experience. Travelers explore northern France and southern Belgium through the people, flavors and brewing traditions that make this one of the most rewarding beer regions anywhere.
Along the route you’ll stand in a steam-powered brew house, lunch in a Cassel estaminet, walk hop fields at Beck Farm, taste lambic at Cantillon and finish with a farewell beer dinner in Brussels — with free days built in to wander Mons, explore Ieper or simply settle into Belgian café culture.
What makes this trip special: Northern France and southern Belgium share a meandering, often invisible border where saison, Bière de Garde, Trappist beer, lambic and farmhouse brewing traditions overlap beautifully. This is a route of small towns, country breweries, estaminets, hop fields and family producers — many of them too small, too rural or too special for ordinary beer travel.
Trip Highlights
- 14 breweries in 9 days — well-planned and relaxed
- Saison, Bière de Garde, lambic, Trappist and farmhouse brewing traditions
- Classic beer cafés, estaminets and country brewery meals
- Flanders Fields Museum, Ieper, Cassel, Mons and Brussels
- Hop fields, farm breweries, steam-powered brewing and the Opal Coast
- Small-group travel with experienced BeerTrips leadership
Signature Beer Experiences
- Brasserie Dupont: One of the world’s benchmark saison and farmhouse producers
- Brasserie Vapeur: Public brew day at a working 19th-century steam-powered brewery
- Beck Farm: Hop fields, farm cooking and fresh hop beers
- Cassel estaminet: French-Flemish lunch with beer, cheese and story-rich walls
Food, Wine & Spirits Experiences
- All-local lunch at Brasserie Vapeur
- Lunch at La Forge — saison and Wallonian cooking down the road from Dupont
- Classic French-Flemish estaminet lunch in Cassel
- Farmhouse dinner at Beck Farm
- Optional tastes of regional gin, jenever, country liqueurs or aperitifs where appropriate
- Guided tastings of saison, Bière de Garde, lambic, Trappist beer and regional specialties
Places, Beers & Traditions We’ll Explore
Northern France and southern Belgium have a distinctive brewing culture shaped by farm ingredients, village breweries, monastic traditions, hop fields, estaminets and generations of social gathering around beer. During the tour, travelers experience both the brewing side and the everyday cultural side of beer: where it is made, how it is served, what foods accompany it and why it matters locally.
Brussels bookends the trip — Cantillon, classic cafés and the Grand Place where the farmhouse circuit begins.
Brussels
A European capital with a village heart, Brussels offers classic cafés, grand squares and access to some of the world’s best beers. It is the perfect staging point for our farmhouse circuit and a great place to return to at the end of the trip — including iconic lambic at Cantillon and neighboring L’Ermitage.
Three nights in Ieper — De Ranke, Flanders Fields and country breweries across the border into French Flanders.
Ieper & Flanders Fields
Ieper is home to the Menin Gate, Flanders Fields Museum and a quiet yet powerful atmosphere. From this base we cross into French Flanders for estaminets, hop farms and country breweries while honoring the remembrance landscape that surrounds the region.
French Flanders, Valenciennes & the Opal Coast
Small towns, estaminets, family breweries and the nearby Opal Coast bring Bière de Garde and French-Flemish brewing into focus. Valenciennes adds a comfortable northern French city stop between the coast and Wallonia.
Mons
The provincial capital of Hainaut offers medieval streets, café-lined squares and an easygoing Wallonian pace — plus a full free day to explore at your own rhythm before returning to Brussels.
Beer Styles & Brewing Traditions
This route is rich in saison, Bière de Garde, farmhouse ales, lambic, Trappist beer and French-Flemish brewing traditions. Travelers encounter benchmark producers such as Dupont, De Ranke and De Dolle, family breweries like La Choulette and Au Baron, hop farms, steam-powered brewing and modern Belgian beer culture along the way.
Food & Local Traditions
Farmhouse ales are expressive beers, but the places they come from are often rural, small and difficult to reach without a thoughtful plan. Expect generous brewery lunches, estaminet tables, farm dinners, regional cheese and the kind of tavern culture where beer and food are treated as equals.
Trip Itinerary*
Click or tap each day to expand the details. Daily schedules may vary depending on brewery availability, local events and transportation schedules.
Day 0 – Thursday, May 20, 2027 – Travel to Brussels
Overnight flights from North America toward Brussels — farmhouse ales, saison, Bière de Garde and the border country of Belgium and northern France waiting on the other side.
Overnight: Plane
Day 1 – Friday, May 21, 2027 – Arrival, Walking Tour, Pub Crawl & Welcome Dinner
Brussels and the Grand Place. Settle in near the square, then a walking tour and pub crawl through the historic center — lambic bars, brown cafés and the easy social rhythm of the capital.
Welcome beer dinner tonight. Brussels bookends the trip; this is where the farmhouse circuit begins.
Overnight in Brussels | Meals: D
Day 2 – Saturday, May 22, 2027 – Brasserie Dupont, De Dolle & on to Ieper
South into Hainaut for Brasserie Dupont — benchmark saison, barnyard yeast and a brewery that helped define farmhouse ale for the world. Lunch and tasting at La Forge, the village brasserie just down the road, where Dupont on draft meets honest Wallonian cooking.
West to De Dolle Brouwers for eccentric, expressive strong ales, then on to Ieper for three nights. Optional Menin Gate ceremony at dusk — buglers, silence and a city that remembers.
Overnight in Ieper | Meals: B, L
Day 3 – Sunday, May 23, 2027 – Flanders Fields, Cassel Estaminet & Beck Farm
Flanders Fields Museum first — the landscape makes more sense once you’ve walked through it. Over the border into France for lunch at a Cassel estaminet: beer, cheese, tiled walls and French-Flemish hospitality at its most unhurried.
Beck Farm in the afternoon — hop fields, brewery visit and a farmhouse dinner of fresh-hop beers and country cooking. One of the trip’s best evenings, out where the beer is grown.
Overnight in Ieper | Meals: B, L, D
Day 4 – Monday, May 24, 2027 – De Ranke, Ferme de Balthazar & Brasserie de Cazeau
De Ranke and Brasserie de Cazeau — village scale, serious craft, the kind of Belgian brewing that balances tradition and precision without making a fuss about it. Lunch at a favorite regional restaurant along the way.
Evening back in Ieper — ramparts, cafés, or a quiet walk through the rebuilt cloth hall town at your own pace.
Overnight in Ieper | Meals: B, L
From Dupont and Cassel to Mons and back — steam brew day at Vapeur and fourteen breweries at a human pace.
Day 5 – Tuesday, May 25, 2027 – Thiriez, Deux Caps & the Opal Coast
Northern France — Thiriez and Deux Caps, Bière de Garde and French-Flemish brewing in the villages where it still feels local. Time on the Opal Coast, land and sea and low sky, before Valenciennes for the night.
Overnight in Valenciennes | Meals: B, L
Day 6 – Wednesday, May 26, 2027 – La Choulette, Au Baron & on to Mons
La Choulette and Au Baron — father-and-son farmhouse character, lunch in the countryside, then Mons and the Grand Place of Hainaut. Medieval streets and café terraces as Wallonia opens up.
Overnight in Mons | Meals: B, L
Day 7 – Thursday, May 27, 2027 – Free Day in Mons
Mons at your own pace — Belfry views, BAM museum, beer bars, shopping or simply wandering one of Belgium’s handsomest provincial cities.
Overnight in Mons | Meals: B
Day 8 – Friday, May 28, 2027 – To Brussels, Cantillon & L’Ermitage
Back to Brussels by train, then Cantillon — lambic, gueuze, spontaneous fermentation in a working city brewery — and L’Ermitage next door. The French farmhouse arc closes; Belgian beer culture takes over again.
Free evening in Brussels — museums, markets, one more glass somewhere you’ve been meaning to try.
Overnight in Brussels | Meals: B
Day 9 – Saturday, May 29, 2027 – Vapeur Brew Day & Farewell Beery Dinner
Brasserie Vapeur — steam rising over a public brew day in a 19th-century brewery that still runs on coal and conviction. All-local lunch on site, then back to Brussels for a last wander through the Grand Place and favorite beer bars.
Farewell beer dinner tonight — farmhouse ales, new friends, a proper toast to the trip.
Overnight in Brussels | Meals: B, L, D
Day 10 – Sunday, May 30, 2027 – Departure Day
Breakfast and onward from Brussels — airport train or your own European travels. Dupont saison to steam-powered Vapeur, Cassel estaminets, hop fields to Cantillon: the full arc of farmhouse beer culture behind you.
Meals: B
Ready To Experience Belgium and France Farmhouse Ale Culture?
Join fellow beer travelers for breweries, historic towns, regional food, scenic countryside and unforgettable farmhouse ale experiences.
What’s Included
- All accommodations in centrally located hotels
- All brewery visits and tastings listed in the itinerary
- All guided tours and cultural activities
- Ground transportation during the tour, including private Beer Bus on key brewery days
- Daily breakfasts plus select lunches and dinners
- BeerTrips tour leadership throughout the journey
Included Meals
All Breakfasts | 6 Lunches | 3 Dinners
What’s Not Included
- International airfare
- Travel insurance, strongly recommended
- Optional activities
- Personal expenses
- Meals and drinks not listed as included
Where We Stay
- Brussels: Centrally located hotel near the Grand Place — 1 night at the start, 2 nights at the end
- Ieper: Historic town hotel within walking distance of the center and Menin Gate — 3 nights
- Valenciennes: Comfortable city hotel in northern France — 1 night
- Mons: Hotel near the Grand Place and historic core — 2 nights
Final hotels may vary by departure year but will always be of equal or greater quality.
Is This Trip Right for You?
Great Fit If…
- You enjoy beer, food, history and local culture
- You like beer ranging from casual enthusiasm to serious farmhouse ale appreciation
- You enjoy small-group travel with a relaxed but organized pace
- You are comfortable walking through historic towns, brewery districts, hill towns and train stations
- You enjoy a balance of guided experiences and free time
May Not Be Ideal If…
- You are looking for a fast-paced party tour
- You prefer luxury resort-style travel
- You are uncomfortable with walking, stairs, cobblestones or public transportation
- You prefer every hour of every day to be fully scheduled
Frequently Asked Questions
Click or tap a question to expand the answer.
How physically demanding is this BeerTrip?
This tour involves easy to moderate walking, including historic towns, brewery visits, train stations, cobblestones, hill towns and occasional uneven surfaces. Breweries may include working farms, village buildings with narrow stairs and uneven floors. Travelers should be comfortable walking several miles at a relaxed pace.
What beers will we try?
The final brewery lineup varies by departure, but travelers can expect saison, Bière de Garde, farmhouse ales, lambic, Trappist beer, Belgian classics, French-Flemish beers and modern craft producers throughout the journey.
How much free time is built into the itinerary?
Most BeerTrips include a balance of guided activities and free time. This itinerary includes full free days in Mons and Brussels, plus evening independence in Ieper and other stops.
Can non-drinkers join?
Yes. BeerTrips journeys are equally focused on food, culture, architecture, history and regional experiences. Non-drinkers and light drinkers are welcome.
What airport should I fly into?
This tour starts and ends in Brussels. Arrival and departure airport recommendations will be provided before the tour.
How do I choose a departure year?
Please select your preferred departure year when registering. Each departure has its own pricing, availability and single-room inventory.
Is this a party tour?
No. This is a beer-focused cultural travel experience built around appreciation, culture and discovery — not a party atmosphere.
Breweries, Festival & Travel Resources
Official websites for breweries and regional tourism boards — useful for planning extra time before or after the tour.
Featured Breweries & Producers
- Brasserie Vapeur
- Brasserie Dupont
- De Dolle Brouwers
- De Ranke
- Brasserie de Cazeau
- Brasserie Thiriez
- Brasserie Deux Caps
- Brasserie La Choulette
- Brasserie Cantillon
Official Tourism & Beer Resources
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Small producers, long tables and farmhouse character — saison, Bière de Garde and the beers worth traveling for.
Ready To Join This BeerTrips Adventure?
Explore farmhouse ales, small breweries, local foods, historic towns and unforgettable beer culture with fellow travelers from around the world.
*Final brewery lineup subject to confirmation. Substitutions will always be of equal or greater quality.
BeerTrips has been crafting small-group beer, food and cultural journeys for over 25 years.
Additional information
| Room Type | Sharing, Single |
|---|
TRAVEL DETAILS:
Air Travel is not included. Travelers are encouraged to use mileage awards, travel outside group dates, or visit other European cities while abroad to make the most out of the trip. Please confirm the trip’s operation before purchasing air tickets.
Most Trips officially begin in the lobby of the first hotel. Meeting times, information about getting from the airport or train station to the hotel, the detailed itinerary, hotel addresses, and a trip roster will be included with your Final Trip Documents, which you’ll receive 2 – 3 weeks before the trip.
How we travel on tour: All included excursions and visits include transportation. Within the cities, we rely on walking and private or public transportation (uber, taxis, busses, trams, etc.). Travel between cities is by private motor coach, luxury van, ferry, and/or rail.
REGARDING INCLUDED MEALS AND BEER:
We don’t mess around when it comes to food and beer. Restaurants — tried and true — have been carefully selected, based on quality, local knowledge, and insider tips. On a Beer Trip, included meals mean you may order as you please – including beer, appetizers, dessert, etc. We are not stingy — a lot of food and beer is included on every Beer Trip.
PLEASE NOTE:
A BeerTrips beer tour is best suited for somewhat adventurous, beer-loving travelers who want the camaraderie and structure of a tour, as well as the opportunity to explore independently. Planned events, brewery visits, locally guided tours, and some excursions are, of course, formally “guided”. Travel days, on trains, public means, or the beer bus, as well some group walks, are blissfully unstructured, though travelers can always rely on the support and assistance of the trip leader.
THIS ITINERARY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
In rare cases, it may be necessary to alter the itinerary based on brewery or hotel availability, force majeur, acts of dieties, common sense, or bad weather, etc. Smaller breweries, as well as the Trappists, are often unable to commit to hosting groups until a couple of weeks before we arrive. Substitutions, when necessary, will be as good as what we replaced. And, don’t worry, the beer is always good!
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