Festivals and Cheese.

I've updated the link to the Briggsian Belgian Beer Festival Calendar on the left. What's on the horizon?

How about the Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation in Buggenhout on May 28 and 29? Surely the country's most reverent lambic festival.

Then if your search for sour is not sated, head the following weekend to the Day of the Kriek, on June 4 in Eizeringen--home of the world-class Verzekering Tegen de Grote Dorst (Insurance Against Great Thirst) lambic café.

Meanwhile: Jay Brooks has posted his roundup of the Great Beer and Cheese Experience. It amounts to a shopping list of pairing suggestions, with more to come later in the month. Practical.

Finally: Just to tie together today's themes of festivals and cheese, why not plan a holiday around the National Festival of Belgian Cheese, a.k.a. Fête du Fromage, on August 20 and 21? That would be at the Harzé Castle, a leisurely drive from Achouffe or Fantôme. A great excuse to stay at the Vielle Forge guesthouse, home of Inter-Pol.