Hoksem, Hoegaarden and Meldert

A bike ride around Hoegaarden, which of course ends on a terrace with a mug of beer! This delicious wheat beer is brewed in the city of the same name. The white beer is of course the best known; wheat is also used during brewing in addition to barley malt, because it is the wheat that gives the beer its pale color and cloudy quality. You will learn all about it behind the doors of't Wit Gebrouw, where you will be fully immersed in the world of Hoegaards Witbier. After your visit you can of course enjoy a delicious glass of Hoegaarden Witbier in the Kouterhof. But before you get there, you should definitely take a look at the Goudberg geosite, which you will pass along the way. Here you can see petrified trees, remnants of a subtropical swamp forest that is 54.9 million years old. In the petrified trees, the wood has been replaced molecule by molecule by gravel. The entire tree is, as it were, transformed into a stone version of itself, preserving the internal characteristics of the wood. An incredible sight! In addition to the petrified cypresses from the former swamp forest, the Goudberg geosite offers a wonderful overview of 55 million years of evolution of the subsurface. More than 50 million years ago the sea came to Hoegaarden and in the geosite you can walk through time along the different soil layers. And then it's time for all the good things that can be tasted in Hoegaarden - and that's more than just beer, this region is full of local products. In the Gardens of Hoegaarden, an ecological and sustainable park in the center with more than 20 themed gardens, you can get acquainted with various wild herbs. Jan and Mieke Dewachter of distillery and home brewery Nieuwhuys have distilled a prairie liqueur especially for the Gardens of Hoegaarden, a liqueur based on herbs selected from the prairie garden. Prairie liqueur can be found on the menu as a digestif in various Hoegaarden restaurants. Those with a sweet tooth will immediately take a nice souvenir with them: a chocolate praline with spicy prairie liqueur. Ready for the rest of the trip? It is worth it, because further on you will cycle past the beautiful castle of Meldert, with a history that dates back to the 16th century. The current building was built at the end of the 19th century in neo-Gothic style. Nowadays the Sint-Janscollege is located in the beautiful building and the castle, the service wing and the garden pavilion are protected as monuments. The park area, which grew into a beautiful natural forest, is a protected villagescape and nature reserve. A nice spot to end the cycle route before you cycle back to the starting point.