This is one post that I've been meaning to get to for quite some time, but have been sidetracked by other more important things, like work. During the first week of Steve's visit we made our way down near the French border to visit the Vapeur brewery in the unremarkable little Wallonian town of Pipaix (pron. Peepay). Of all the breweries in Belgium, what makes this one so special is it's mode of energy; a steam engine. Though many breweries still use steam has a heat source for the mash tun and the kettle, this brewery powers the entire operation from the grist mill and the pumps to the impressive stirring arm of the mash tun, which is where the conversion of starchy barley into sweet dextrinous wort occurs. This is allegedly the only remaing brewery in the world that is 100% steam powered, and much of it's equipment dates to the 1850's!! We saw only the mash process while we were there, however, this is the business end of brewing and provides the biggest bang for the buck with regard to viewing the engine in action

After standing around listening to one of the family-brewer members rattle on in French about brewing, and admiring the little brewer smurf who was looking after things, the brewer fired up the boiler and the crowd watched in suspense as the should-be museum piece came to life. The groaning boiler began to move a steam-spewing piston, which in turn cranked a shaft attached to a wheel the size of a bicycle tire. This was the master wheel that spun a belt looped around a slightly smaller wheel, which in turn, drove an axle supported from the ceiling. From this axle over our heads hung a number of of other belts and a hand-clutches to activate the various components of the system. When the mash stirrer got going full speed the whole room was transormed into to some sort of early industrial sweatshop with little consideration for human safety. It was spectacular to watch the master brewer-smurf harness the power of this engine and even more spectacular to retire to the garage-come-tasting room where we could sample this fully artisinal product for Euro 1.50 a glass and watch the other family members prepare the country meal for lunch. Steve and I, however, had other items on our agenda.

Having found ourselves way off the beaten tourist track, we were in no hurry to revisit it. So, we walked the 4 km back to the train station at Leuze (no bus service on Saturday) and jumped the next train to Tournai (Doornik in Flemish). I had been fascinated by this town ever since arriving here due to its unique cathedral and interesting history. Tournai was one of the earliest Roman settlements in Belgium, along with Tongeren in the NE, and became the seat of power for the Merovignian Franks around the end of the first millenium. In the 12th century work began on a ginormous cathedral that has some fascinating points of interest. What first strikes the viewer are the 5 towers, four of which anchor the corners of the transcept, with the remainder looming in the middle. The simple and elegant Romanesque architecture with its round arches, pillars, and beefy square proportions is very pleasing and reassuring to look at, yet it contrasts noticeably with a massive nave that features flourishing high gothic elements. Obviously built over the course of hundreds of years and spanning the shift to the gothic style, the hodgepodge serves as an interesting reminder of how extended such projects were, and of how our our modern self-knowledge and narrower priorities have rendered construction on a relative scale obsolete in our world.

Another fascinating element of Tournai is it's fairly well-preserved old town with medieval stone houses, most of which are currently occupied and could use a bit of TLC, and the narrow, inspiring alleys linking its ancient past with today. The presence of Louis the 14th is felt strongly in this town as a majority of the older building were built during his reign at the end of the 17th century and demonstrate his preferred architectural features. These contrasted sharply with the gothic and baroque gables that straddle this time period and reminds the visitor of the constant flux of central and regional power that have left this area with such a profound identity crisis. Though not a must see for first time tourists, Tournai is the type of town that will impress residents who are shy of the tourist hordes that have taken over Bruges and even Brussels for that matter.

Unfortunately, Tournai is a beer wasteland in an oasis of wonderful breweries. It is quite exasperating really that a town with such history, population, and proximity to so many great breweries would not support them. Steve and I wandered for over an hour looking for a comfortable pub with even a decent beer list and finally settled on a spot in the Grand Place to imbibe a few ridiculously cheap, strong, mediocre Belgian mega-brews such as Leffe and Chimay (yes, I did just say that, please don't shoot the messenger). Once the only ray of hope had opened up, which was a promising looking bar in a building fronted by a wonderful 13th century facade of rough-hewn stone, we headed its direction to cap off the day. Unfortunately, the 15th century arched cellar was so hideously decorated and floodlit that we felt as though we were in a cheap diner rather than a classic old-world establishment. And it was here that another annoying Wallonian habit became obvious; when bringing beers to your table, Wallonian wait staff will hastily pour a few ounces of the beer into your glass, generating a glassfull of foam, and then set the bottle down and walk away, leaving you with no opportunity to enjoy a perfectly poured beer, or to enjoy a sediment-free beverage on the occasion that the beer was bottle-conditioned. In contrast, the staff in renowned Brussels cafes will happily give you a perfect pour every time and leave the bottle for you to study. In any case, I fully enjoyed a Blonde of the Abbaye de L'Esperance label, brewed by Brasserie Lefebvre. It was full of yummy malt and vanilla with a lively body. If I ever go back to Tournai it won't be for the beer. For some photos of the Vapeur brewery and Tournai, see the slide show I published [ here ] and scroll down toward the end.