Leffe at the Maadi House

After about a year and a little more of haven pleasures, I was told today at the Maadi House that I’m having the last bottle of Leffe Blond. It is a sad thing, and let me tell you why.
I didn’t even like beer when I came to Belgium in the mid-90’s, but 11 years of residence in the world of beers, with more than 300 different kinds, will convert even the most adamant non-beer drinker, and when we left, there were several kinds of beer that I loved.
Beer in Belgium is part of the culture, and everybody drinks beer. Biking through the town of Leuven on Friday mornings, I would see elderly women in their 70’s meet up for an early morning Kriek before the market started. After work, at lunch, for special occasions; there was always a special kind of beer served, and everybody was part of it.
When I think of beer in Belgium, I think of good times after work, wonderful weekends, graduations, celebrations, quiet evenings, and everything I loved about living there. Beer is very much a part of all aspects of Belgian culture.
At the hospital in Mechelen, after I had given birth to my boys, the nurses would ask if I preferred this or that beer with my meal. They all agreed that the dark Leffe, or a Hoegaarden, would be the best “to help the milk come in.” Yes, they served beer in the hospital maternity ward, because it’s part of the culture, and because people are convince that it is good for you to drink beer. As those of you who have given birth may know, the moments following a birth are going to stay in your memory for a long time, and the sentimental value of the sips of beer I had following both August’s and William’s births were very much present when I was due with my third son in Egypt. But where was I supposed to get a Belgian beer here?
Enter my good friend and, at the time, manager of the Maadi House: he is very interested in beer, mainly microbrew, and did we, oh beer lovers from Belgium, have any suggestions? We mentioned a few of the big brands, and lo and behold, a few months later, crates arrive at the Maadi House. Just in time for the birth of Abraham, my friend, having heard the stories about our birth experience in Belgium, gave me a bottle of Leffe Blond to have in the hospital. I was moved to tears.
Since then, for a little longer than this past year, I’ve been able to enjoy the occasional bottle of Leffe – dark and blond, depending on my mood and state. Today, however was the end.
Good Bye Leffe, and thank you for some lovely moments. I hope we see each other again, soon. Tot dan!