Better yet, Ommegang’s domestic production allowed drinkers a taste of Belgium at a lower cost than the imports – and without the risk of stale, corked, or skunked beer posed by dusty old bottles after their rough transatlantic passage. Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown, New York has long been one of my favorite breweries. MORE

Not that Belgium is any stranger to pilsner, the cold-fermented golden lager born in Bohemia that took the world by storm in the mid-nineteenth century, as any drinker of Stella Artois – Belgium’s homegrown interpretation – can tell you. It’s hard to believe that a few weeks ago I was checking the weather forecast every day, eagerly anticipating any warm, southerly winds that might carry with them new arrivals during the height of spring migration in May. MORE

In Belgium, dark, sour ales are traditionally paired with rich braises and stews, particularly the famous carbonnades flamandes , a slow-cooked, sweet-and-sour beef and beer stew from Flanders that’s worth cooking at home on a very cold winter day. There’s not always any rhyme or reason to the appearances birds make on beer labels, which makes finding the unexpected ones almost as exciting – for me, at least – as any birding tick. MORE

Bark Busters has grown into the largest and most trusted dog training company in the world with trained therapists helping dogs in Australia, the United States, New Zealand, France, Belgium, the UK, Japan, Israel, Taiwan and Canada. Readers in Canada, this is for you! Do you have the naughtiest dog? Bark Busters , the world’s largest dog training company, announced today its search for Canada’s Naughtiest Dog. MORE

Thanks to the miracle of fermentation, these flavors can be preserved in beer all year round, as is the custom in Belgium. WELCOME, welcome, little stranger, Fear no harm, and fear no danger; We are glad to see you here, For you sing “Sweet Spring is near.” ” Now the white snow melts away; Now the flowers blossom gay: Come dear bird and build your nest, For we love our robin best. “To To the First Robin” by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). MORE

I have caught a bus across Europe, but I can’t really claim to have “been” to Germany or Belgium. I’ve never been one to be overly concerned about whether a bird “counts” People, and organisations, have complex and elaborate rules about whether a bird you saw or heard actually is a bird you saw or heard, which seems a very unnecessary way to add complexity to an already complex hobby. MORE

For lack of shields, they were carried on their “Helm field guides to the Birds of East Africa” 429 species were seen by The Management in Uganda and may I commend Corey for his very concientious Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) that he noted during a quick transit stop at Brussels Airport; Belgium being a place previously unbirded by the 10,000 Birds beats. They came home exhausted. MORE

Belgium is – quite justifiably – the most famous bastion of such relict preindustrial beers, home to some beers with truly ancient lineages, as well as more modern formulations that proudly incorporate old techniques and ingredients that would seem hopelessly obsolete anywhere else. Birding Food Reviews Belgium birds and beer Birds and Booze Bobolink Bobolinks grasslands Vermont MORE

After three visits to southern Italy, followed by a lone excursion to Belgium, we’ll head back south to end our month-long “Grand Tour” of falconry-themed wine and ales in Portugal. Incidentally, Italy, Belgium, and Portugal are among the eighteen countries where falconry is inscribed as a living human heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESC0), attesting to the great heritage of this sport in many parts of the world. MORE

In Belgium, sour ales in both the brown style of East Flanders and the red style from West Flanders are often blended with fruit during their long aging period, traditionally using cherries or raspberries. I find the American celebration of Thanksgiving an awkward holiday for birders. MORE

Our American horses are not being shipped to the hungry in Africa; they are being served in the most pricey restaurants in France, Belgium and Japan. To the Editor: Re “ We Eat Horses, Don’t We? ,” by Christa Weil (Op-Ed, March 5): Ms. Weil’s paean to horsemeat should be taken with a grain of salt. The fact that horsemeat has at times been part of humanity’s diet is not in dispute. But yesterday’s hardship food is today’s gourmet treat. MORE

Despite its ancient lineage, witbier appeared doomed to remain an obscure and curious footnote in the history of brewing when the last remaining producer in Belgium shut off its brew-kettle for good in 1957. We had a dusting of snow here at the end of April in Albany, New York – and two days later we set a record high for May Day with the mercury maxing out at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. MORE

Last week, the City of Ghent in Belgium started eating vegetarian one day a week. Public officials and politicians will start, with school children following in September. It's their way of acknowledging the impact of livestock on the environment. Not only is there reason to believe that livestock contribute to greenhouse gases, but meat is resource-intensive to produce. A lot of land and money goes into producing meat in a world with diminishing space. MORE

At a conference in Brussels, Belgium on 6 November, European Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, and Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik restated the EU's commitment to the reduction of animal testing. I just don't understand it. Is there a different culture regarding animals in Europe? They have drug companies that are just as powerful as those here. Is public outcry greater? Are animal rights organizations more effective? Are politicians more willing to act? MORE

Tags: europe pigs castration farm animal welfare belgium agribusiness MORE

And Kerckhoven’s native Antwerp (in what is today modern Belgium) was under Spanish rule until 1714. MORE

According to this BBC story, city officials in Ghent, Belgium, are encouraging all residents to go vegetarian one day a week. Thursday has been officially designated "Veggie Day." As a result, the main menu in restaurants on Thursdays will be vegetarian. Starting in September, schools will serve vegetarian meals to schoolchildren on Thursdays as well. The city is promoting vegetarianism as a way to reduce its environmental footprint and to help tackle obesity. MORE

Towards the end of the winter though a business trip was to take me first to Belgium and then to northern Germany, and going through the Netherlands past that particular village was just a minor detour. The year 2016 was not a particularly birdy year for me, mostly because I didn’t get to go on business trips to Indonesia or Kazakhstan, as was frequently the case during the last few years. MORE

We can only surmise that Trinity gave their saison a French name in keeping with the style’s origins in French-speaking Walloon region of Belgium, and that their choice of a blackbird was meant to represent the unusual dark color of Merle (traditional Belgian saisons are mostly very pale). There’s really nothing about it that recalls the traditional saisons of Belgium, but saison has always been an open-ended, freewheeling style, so even those most extreme versions work, somehow. MORE

Monk Parakeets are established not only in New York City, but in at least seven states (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Texas), Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Quebec, Canada in North America; Belgium, Italy, England, and Spain in Europe; cities in South America (where they are considered introduced since these are not rural areas), and possibly even Japan. MORE