A few beer travel photos from Benelux.

You’ll recall that in February I made a brief visit to Belgium and Netherlands for my friend Boris’s 50th birthday party.

Upon returning stateside, the looming madness of Gravity Head occupied most available time, followed by shoulder surgery, and the upshot is that I’ve not gotten around to documenting the trip.

In fact, still haven’t ... but here are three random photos.

Belgium’s already known for brewing saints (its Trappist monks) and sinners (Duvel, Lucifer, Satan and a host of devilish concoctions), and now there’s a redemptive option: Tsjeeses, from the Struis brewery.

That's right -- a Christmas beer with the face of ... you know.

Haarlem's Cafe Briljant is Boris's local, and it was the site of the birthday bash. Here's a view of the bar and Rob, the publican, with Bill and Kevin chatting (and imbibing) in the background.

They're apparently not all flaming liberals in Netherlands. The Hotel Amadeus makes it clear: