For Your Planning and/or Dreaming Purposes.

Maybe I should trademark that phrase. It often pops into my head when I tell you about stuff. Maybe because I've been doing more dreaming than planning lately.

Did you ever buy a guidebook to a really excellent place that you might never get to visit? You keep the book next to your armchair or porcelain throne, and over many months' time you absorb facts and fantasize about how it all might go down. Then, one day, you wake up and realize that you have a few vacation days and some saved duckets. And that you might actually be able to make it happen.

So, for your planning and/or dreaming purposes, I present to you a few beer lists. The common threads here are Belgium and the first weekend in March. Yes, that's in two weeks. Lots of last-minute airfare deals these days.

The Alvinne Craft Beer Fest, a.k.a. the artistry formerly known as pre-ZBF, is on March 4 and 5. Bring a strong liver for strong beers. Those who get all giggly for rare ones might pee themselves, just a little. Lots of wood and hops and half-wild yeasts and sheer creativity in them there liquids.

Wake up early Saturday, March 5, for coffee, croissants and lambic at Cantillon's twice-annual Open Brewing Day. Like a moment of geeky calm between the madnesses.

Then it's off to the trusty old Zythos Beer Festival in Sint-Niklaas, happening March 5 and 6. There is no detailed beer list yet, but the list of brewers will give you an idea. Many of them bring a surprise or two.

However: My favorite has to be the planned draft list at Moeder Lambic Fontainas. Much better for those who would rather drink full glasses of drinkable beer for an extended period of time, rather than just jot notes on a series of mini-snifters. And better for lambic fans too. And an excellent reason to base oneself in Brussels for the weekend.

Hmmm. Maybe the dangerous extremophiles would stick to ACBF, while the radical sessionistas would stick to Moeder Lambic. And the other 99% of us would try to go to everything.