Before my big emigration to the east, I always had been a little disappointed that my former hometown Gent was lacking a real craft beer scene with breweries and taprooms with a continuous supply of new inspirational brewskis. Only a few days after the first real taproom in the heart of the city opened (Brouwbar), I decided not to just leave the city, but to leave the country. No regrets in that department whatsoever, but even more painful was the discovery that a second big craft beer establishment with 30 taps would open, literally a few days after I said my final goodbyes in Belgium. Last week, I finally, finally made it to this Ghentian craft beer temple, Dok Brewing Company.
Along the water of the old docks of the Gent harbour lies a huge, early 20th-century factory, which was transformed into the big multifunctional site Dok Noord. The place has a shopping mall, apartments, office space, sport facilities and since May 2018 the brewing hall of Dok Brewing Company with taproom and some fine catering. The brewery was founded by a trio of Ghentian brewers who already have a few successful beer projects up their sleeves. Think of beers like L’Arogante, Pils 13 or Ouwen Duiker and Excuse me while I kiss my stout, and you know these guys are no new kids in the Gent beer scene. Just like me, they had also noticed the need for a craft beer hub in the city and started this new adventure with a clear mission: Create and offer a plethora of new beers of different styles in limited amounts, always bearing in mind the rich Belgian beer heritage. Their beers often have long and pretty funny names, but often only to those who master the local dialect. I’ve been following the brewery for a while and had a chance in the past to try some of their very first beers, but I was absolutely thrilled to finally end up at their place for a couple of rounds of tasting.
When entering the Dok Noord area, take a right and a left until you get to Hal 16, a big square, stand-alone building facing a nice open terrace area, which is without a doubt a killer location during the summer. When entering the hall, I was taken a little aback by the high ceiling and the pretty impressive set-up inside with a long bar, long and cosy wooden tables and big brewing kettles behind the bar. Three TVs were showing a list of 30 draft beers and my eye fell straight away on a few well-known international names, such as Brew by Numbers from London, Lervig from Stavanger in Norway, or Tempel Brygghus from Uppsala in Sweden. But obviously there were also about 10 beers of the house on tap, brewed only a few steps away from the bar.
My friend and I picked a nice piece of cheese and a nice tasting tray of 6 tiny beers, with a great variety of colours and styles. The first beer of the house I tried was the Kölsch-style ale Kölsch Is Not A Pils It’s A DJ. The beautiful golden ale reminded me how much I love Kölsch-style beers and their subtle features. A light fruity and bready aroma was the prelude of a refreshing sip of beer with a light bitterness, a medium body with quite a bit of carbonation and a bone-dry finish any German brewer would approve of. Crisp, clean and slightly mouth-puckering, a beautiful beer in all its simplicity, evoking idyllic images of a summery, German biergarten in the shadow of Cologne's cathedral.
A second beer of the house was the blueberry tonka bean Berliner Weisse Honky Tonka Blues. This rather unorthodox combination of ingredients generated an interesting beer with a fruity and slightly sour aroma with whiff of something similar to vanilla, thanks to the tonka bean. The flavour is very refreshing, a sour mix of lactic acid and fruity blueberry sourness and a hint of spiciness. The fruity, sour aftertaste doesn’t leave the palate quickly. Interesting and quite well-made, but not my personal favourite.
The top house beer in my modest opinion was the fantastic nitro-served New England IPA with the movie-referencing name I Love the Smell of NEIPA In the Morning. The nitro serving style refers to the gas used for the carbonation process. Whereas CO2 adds a prickly sensation to your drink, nitrogen gas adds a wonderful creaminess to the beer. The most famous nitro beer is Guinness, the serving of which starts as a whirling creamy white cloud which, once settled, turns into a pitch black stout. The creamy cloud of this Dok Brewing NEIPA settled as a nice golden, hazy beverage with a fluffy head. The strong aroma of citrus, melon and passion fruit came wafting over me as I approached the glass to my mouth and the first sip left a creamy mustache on my upper lip. The beer has a medium body, is juicy and silky soft and has a wonderfully balanced, yet intense flavour. Hoppy fruitiness, medium bitterness and hints of citrus and pine. The hoppiness is present, but blends in well with the rest of the flavour and is not overpowering. Really great stuff!
The other beers I tried were from all over the place, but I was especially charmed by the milk stout 08|Stout - Coffee & Milk of Brew by Numbers, which would make a great addition to any chocolate dessert. Also the Cuvée Sofie Plum of the local sour warriors of Brouwerij Alvinne quenched my craving for vintage Belgian sour delights.
Often, when expectations build up, disappointment can be huge and that’s what I was a little afraid of here. But Dok Brewing did not disappoint at all. I spent a lovely and tasty afternoon catching up with my friend with some of the best and definitely the biggest variety of beers I’ve had in a while.
A delicious start of the holidays! Merry Christmas!
Dok Brewing Company
Dok-Noord 4B
9000 Gent, Belgium
