Chance meeting with beer royalty, Rudi Ghequire, from legendary Rodenbach Brewery

Beer Snob Rob and I sometimes travel for work and almost always…well make that always…carve out some time to check out the local craft beer scene. Following a recent meeting in Orlando, we decided to head to Tampa to visit Cigar City and check out a couple other places we had read about. After a flight or so of Cigar City beer (including one of my favorites their Vanilla Maduro), someone recommended that we check out this place called Independent for some great craft beer and some pretty awesome food.

We walked into this really cool converted gas station and sat at the bar (where else would a beer snob sit?). We noticed that one section of the bar was closed in preparation for some sort of event, but we really didn’t pay much attention to it as we were otherwise occupied with draft menu on the chalkboard, the bottle menu and the food menu. [The Independent has 14 constantly rotating taps including some great American craft brews and some outstanding and unique brews from around the world. The bottle list is also not too shabby.]

Part of the beer experience is engaging in conversation with the locals who are as passionate about great beer as we are. As luck would have it, we struck up a conversation with Independent owner, Veronica Danko (an East TN native!) who mentioned that a group of beer bloggers had just arrived to meet Rodenbach brewer extraordinaire, Rudi Ghequire. Always resourceful Beer Snob Rob flashed his Knox Beer Snobs card and mentioned his writing about the craft beer scene in Tennessee. Minutes later, we were drinking a Rodenbach Grand Cru and spending time with Central Florida Regional Brand Development Manager, Bob Stacey, and the man himself, Rudi Ghequire!

Rudi has been the site manager and head brewer for Rodenhach since 1982 and is clearly passionate about the beer he creates and the legacy he preserves that dates back to the 1800s. My beer knowledge is pretty extensive, but I have to admit that I had to do a quick search to learn more about this exceptional oaky flavored sour. Check out their website to learn more about the beer and the cask halls with their 294 oak casks, some of which are 150 years old!

There is always a passion and enthusiasm that brewers share and an excitement that I experience when I taste something new, different, creative and unique. I must admit that my experience with Rudi has convinced me that I must also spend more time checking out some “older style” beers from Belgium and elsewhere (Beer Snob Rob will be pleased)! These awesome beers may have been around for over 100 years, but they are new, different, creative and unique to me! Cheers to beer and cheers to the legacy of leadership from lifelong brewers like Rudi!