Oktoberfest + Belgian Breweries Tour

Belgian beer is rightly renowned around the world. There are around 180 breweries in the country

(on average Belgians drink 22 gallons of beers each year – a hundred years ago it was over 50

gallons) and there are a great variety of styles: pils, amber ales, Flemish red, lambic wheat beers

and, of course, Trappist beers. Many of these beers have their own distinctly-shaped glass –

goblets, chalices, flutes etc. In this tour you will be based in the lovely medieval city of Bruges, an

idea base to discover Belgium (with one excursion into the Netherlands) and its wonderfully

diverse beers.

Dan earned a BS in Engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1978. He also

earned an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas in 2003. In 2009, Dan

decided to leave the corporate world and follow his passion for brewing beer. Dan went to work for

Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he learned the basics in brewing on

a15bbl system producing award winning craft beers. In 2010, Dan enrolled in the Siebel Institute of

Technology in Chicago, and The Doemens Akadeie in Munich, Germany, where he received an

International Diploma in Brewing Technology. He went on to earn a Master Brewer Certification in

Advanced Brewing from the Doemens Akademie. Dan is a professionally trained brewer with

experience in all aspects of brewery operations, including raw materials and wort production,

fermentation, filtering, and packaging in kegs, bottles, and cans.

In April 2012, Dan Enrolled in the inaugural class of the Doemens Beer Sommelier Course taught

at the Siebel Institute of Technology for the first time in the United States. He graduated with

honors as the top US student in the program.

Dan has served as the Head Brewer of Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Plano Texas, Co-

Founder and Master Brewer for Service Brewing where he designed and built a two vessel 30

barrel brew house with automatic canning line, and most recently as the master Brewer and project

manager for the design and build of a four vessel 30 barrel automated brew house with centrifuge

and automatic canning and packaging line.

DATE

DAY DESCRIPTION

ACCOMMODATION

MEALS*

24 Sep

Arrive Brussels – Bruges

Hotel Dukes’ Palace

Superior rooms

D

25 Sep

Bruges – Westvleteren – Watou – Ypres – Bruges

Hotel Dukes’ Palace

Superior rooms

B

26 Sep

Bruges – Berkel-Enschot – Westmalle – Bruges

Hotel Dukes’ Palace

Superior rooms

B, L

27 Sep

Bruges

Hotel Dukes’ Palace

Superior rooms

B

28 Sep

Bruges – Brussels – Breendonk Dorp – Brussels

Warwick Hotel Brussels

Classic rooms

B, D

29 Sep

Depart Bruges – Brussels

B

*B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Cost Per Person Sharing: EUR 1618 (excludes flights)

Single supplement: EUR 499 (excludes flights)

Accommodation Summary:

Hotel Dukes’ Palace – Superior Rooms x 4 nights

Warwick Hotel Brussels – Classic Rooms x 1 night

Inclusions:

• Buffet breakfasts
• 24 September – 3-course dinner (appetizer + entrée + dessert) with ½ btl of wine (beer if preferred), soft drinks, mineral water, tea/coffee)
• 26 September – 2-course lunch (appetizer + entrée) with 1 litre of beer, soft drinks, mineral water, tea/coffee)
• 28 September – 3-course dinner (appetizer + entrée + dessert) with ½ btl of wine (beer if preferred), soft drinks, mineral water, tea/coffee)
• English-speaking assistant to meet clients on arrival at Brussels airport on 24 September and to accompany them back on 29 September
• English-speaking guide to accompany clients throughout the programme 24 – 29 September (*not on 27 September)
• Brewery visits and other visits as per itinerary
• 34-seater deluxe coach throughout the programme
• Vehicles, drivers, guides & driver-guides available for the stated amount of sightseeing as applicable, i.e. 3-4 hours for half day tours and 9/10hrs for full day tours, starting from the time indicated in the final itinerary
• Complimentary bottled water is provided in all vehicles throughout your tour
• All taxes
• 24 hour emergency contact service based at A&K Europe

Exclusions:

• All air travel and associated costs
• All meals except breakfast unless stated otherwise in the itinerary
• Airport Porterage
• Hotel porterage
• Gratuities*
• All items of a personal nature (e.g. beverages, telephone calls, laundry, personal insurance)
• Anything not specifically mentioned in the “Inclusions” list above.

Munich's famous Oktoberfest has its origins in the public wedding celebrations of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen in 1810. It was repeated the following year and from 1819 became an annual event (initially it was horse-racing festival) and has taken every year since with only 24 exceptions due to war and plague, on the same site, Theresienwiese (‘Therese’s Meadow’). The beer that can be purchased here has to comply with the Reinheitsgebot (Bavarian Purity Law). This states that the beer must have a “Stammwürze” of 13.5%. This isn’t the alcohol content but it’s a measurement used in brewing that gives an alcohol content of about 6%. The other criteria is that the beer must be brewed within Munich’s city limits. Be sure to supplement your drinking with some of the great Oktoberfest foods such as pretzels, würstl, weisswurst, and sauerkraut.

DATE

DAY DESCRIPTION

ACCOMMODATION

MEALS*

21 Sep

Arrive Munich

Platzl Hotel München

Deluxe rooms

L, D

22 Sep

Munich (at the Oktoberfest)

Platzl Hotel München

Deluxe rooms

B

23 Sep

Munich (at the Oktoberfest)

Platzl Hotel München

Deluxe rooms

B

24 Sep

Depart Munich – Brussels

B

*B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Cost Per Person Sharing: EUR 1840 (excludes flights)

Single supplement: EUR 762 (excludes flights)

Accommodation Summary:

Platzl Hotel München – Deluxe Rooms x 3 nights

Inclusions:

• Buffet breakfasts
• 21 September – 2-course lunch (entrée + dessert) with 1 glass wine(beer or soft drink if preferred), mineral water, tea/coffee)
• 21 September – 3-course dinner (appetizer + entrée + dessert) with ½ btl of wine (beer if preferred), soft drinks, mineral water, tea/coffee)
• English-speaking assistant to accompany clients on the transfer to the airport on 24 September
• English-speaking guide for 21 September (arrival – after dinner)
• Entrance to the BMW Museum
• 2 x visits to the Goldener Hahn beer tent with 40 euros per person credit to spend on food and beverages (12.00 noon – 2.30pm on 22 & 23 September)
• 25-seater deluxe coach or similar for arrival and departure transfers
• Complimentary bottled water is provided in all vehicles throughout your tour
• All taxes
• 24 hour emergency contact service based at A&K Europe

Exclusions:

• All air travel and associated costs
• All meals except breakfast unless stated otherwise in the itinerary
• Airport Porterage
• Hotel porterage
• Gratuities*
• All items of a personal nature (e.g. beverages, telephone calls, laundry, personal insurance)
• Anything not specifically mentioned in the “Inclusions” list above.