For the third 'cycling and walking tour of the month', a project of Landelijke Gilden (www.landelijkegilden.be) that started in January 2018, we are heading to the west of Flemish Brabant.
Barely five kilometres from the Brussels ring road, in the shadow of the big city, we find a surprising and rural village that goes by the name Sint-Martens-Bodegem.
The name of this walk is a reference to hop cultivation in this region. A 'stake house' is the round together of hop poles in the shape of a wigwam.

It is not easy to survive as a village community in the shadow of the big city, but in Sint-Martens-Bodegem they succeed. Since the merger of Sint-Martens-Bodegem with Dilbeek, the associations in the community council, including the national guild, have taken the lead in organizing activities that give new impulses to village life. The linchpin in all this is the cottage Mostinckx, an old farm in the center of the village, named after its last inhabitant. The hop barn is set up as a hop museum and from April to October it is kept open every Sunday as an atmospheric inn.

Hop cultivation and the order of the Green Bell
The inhabitants of Sint-Martens-Bodegem are proud of their rich hop past. The whole culture that was connected to it is still alive today. That is why Joris Vanderveken, regional chairman of the National Guilds, took the initiative to come to the aid of Jean De Wael, the last professional hop farmer, who found fewer and fewer workers to assist him. Since the establishment of the Order of the Green Bell, volunteers help twice a year on the hop field, the knowledge is passed on and sometimes there is also a party.

Record beer
The Order's latest initiative is brewing its own beer. Five hops are used for the tasty beer. At the end of the brewing process, the Recordhop, an aromatic hop variety from the region, is added. She gives the unique taste and at the same time her name to the beer. Unfortunately, production is limited to 150 bins.