Brewtopia Events
Belgian Beer Spots Visited...
Beersel
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Oud Beersel, 232 Laarheidestraat
(closed on the day
we visited, but on a previous vist, the Lambic selection was
extraordinary.)
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Drie Fonteinen, 3 Herman
Teirlinckplein (This place
brews Lambic, blends Lambic, and cooks with Lambic -- ask for a tour of
the cellars).
Brussels
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Beer Street (out of business).
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Beer Circus, 89 Rue de
l'Enseignement.
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Cantillon Brewery, Gheudestraat 56
(Lambic brewery,
museum, and tasting room).
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Falstaff,17 Rue Henri Maus (beautiful
art deco bar
with wonderful beer and great food).
-
Imaige de Nostre Dame,
3
Impasse de Cadeaux (very cozy, tiny bar very near the Grand Place).
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La Becasse, off no.
11 Rue de Tabora
(very attractive cafe with Timmerman's Lambic in stone pitchers).
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Laboureur, 3 Place
de la Constitution
(very personable pub just outside of downtown -- great prices).
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Mort Subite, 7 Rue
Montagnes aux
Herbes Potageres (famous art deco pub with great interior and Lambics
that
are way too sweet).
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Poechenellekelder,
5 Rue du Chene
(bar with lots of puppets across from Mannekin Pis statue).
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Spinnekopke, 1
Place du Jardin
aux Fleurs (best food made with beer in the city).
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White Rose, Grand
Place (fantastic
food and good beer selection with a perfect view of the Grand Place).
Bruges
-
Brouwerij Taverne,
26 Walplein
(spotless tavern of the Straffe Hendrik brewery -- mild beers).
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Brugs Beertje, 5
Kemelstraat (incredible
beer pub in the heart of the old town).
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Curiosa, 22
Vlamingstraat (candle-lit
pub in a 16th century cellar).
-
Dyver, 5 Dyver
(upscale restaurant
with upscale prices).
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Erasmus, 35
Wollestraat (tiny lobby
bar of a small hotel).
Lembeek
-
De Kring, main
square, Lembeek
(pleasant cafe with all the Boon Lambics available).
-
Frank Boon Lambic
Brewery, one
half mile down the hill, along the river from the old town square.
Poperinge
-
Oud Vlaenderen, 14
Grote Market
(a clean, polished pub with decent food and fresh Hommelbier).
Watou
-
Hommelhof, 17
Watouplein (tavern/restaurant
devoted to cooking with beer -- it's always closed when Owen visits).
Westvletern
-
Cafe Vrede, St.
Sixtusabdij (delightful
cafe and gift shop across from the St. Sixtus Abbey where Westvletern
ales
are born).
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Le Bier Circus
89 Rue de l'Enseignement, Brussels
Although it is a fair walk from the
Grand Place, Le
Bier Circus is a "must-see" spot in Brussels. The beer menu goes on and
on with some very rare selections. Opening hours are: Monday noon to 3
pm, Tuesday--Friday noon to 3 pm and 5 pm to midnight, and Saturday 6
pm
to midnight. You could be here for hours just trying to sample all the
small, regional Lambics they have to offer. Go with a group and share
lots
of different beers. This is THE BEER BAR of Brussels. |
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Cantillon Brewery and
Gueuze Museum
Brussels
No beer lover should visit Brussels
without a pilgrimage
to Cantillon Lambic brewery. The brewery is also a museum with
self-guided
tours. This picture is of Owen next to the old mash tun. There is also
a tasting room at the end of the tour where you can sample and purchase
the absolute best Lambic and Gueuze beers made in Belgium. The
Cantillon
beers are intensely sour and complex with marvelous aromas and flavors.
Lambics are all fermented with the wild yeasts of the region around
Brussels,
but many breweries are starting to sweeten these beers. We hope
Cantillion
continues to make their beers in the time-honored fashion. In the next
picture you can see the wild yeasts pouring out of the oak keg where
this
incredible beer is fermenting. Amazing! |
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Mannekin Pis and the
Poechenellekelder pub.
Brussels
This photo is of Lynn and Kerri in front
of the Belgian
national symbol. It's a little boy urinating into a fountain, and it's
called Mannekin Pis. This statue is a natural treasure and popular
tourist
destination (although all the tourists can be heard saying, "I thought
it would be bigger than this"). Directly opposite is a fun pub with a
decent
beer selection (Poechenellekelder). This pub also boasts some
interesting
puppet displays and exhibits. Mannekin Pis is a very short walk from
the
Grand Place. |
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The White Rose Restaurant
(La Rose Blanche)
Grand Place, Brussels
Here's Owen, Kerri, Pasha, and Lynn
ringing in the New
Year at the White Rose. We were so lucky to make reservations that got
us a table in the front of the restaurant with a remarkable view of the
Grand Place. With beers like Chimay Grand Reserve to pop at the stroke
of midnight, who needs Champagne! The food here is outstanding as well. |
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Spinnekopke
Brussels
Eventhough "The Little Spider"
restaurant is about a
fifteen minute walk from the Grand Place through a dark and seemingly
deserted
neighborhood, it is defintely worth it! This place has the best
"cuisine
a la beer" (food cooked with Belgian beer) that one could ever hope
for,
and the beer selection is impressive as well. The wait staff is very
good
at recommending beers to go well with your food. |
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Brugs Beertje
Bruges
Definitely one of the top ten beer bars
in all of Belgium,
the Brugs Beertje is a cozy place with tons of beers to try and the
correct
glass for each. It is down a tiny alley right off the main tourist path
in Bruges. Opening hours are a little tricky, so try to call ahead if
you
can. NOTE: be sure not to visit Bruges on a Wednesday, as most
of
the bars are closed on this day. |
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De Kring Cafe
Lembeek
This quaint cafe is located right off
the old town square
in Lembeek. The owner of De Kring (shown to the right) is very friendly
and loves to talk about beer. This bar is a favorite with the locals of
this small suburb of Brussels. Spontaneously fermented Lambic beers
probably
got their name from a corruption of the town name "Lembeek." The river
Zenne runs through Lembeek right down to the Frank Boon brewery. All of
Boon's beers are available at De Kring. |
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Frank Boon Brewery
Lembeek
Just down the hill from the De Kring pub
is the Frank
Boon Brewery where some of Belgium's best known Lambics are produced.
Gueuze
(blended Lambic), Kriek (made with cherries), Framboise (made with
raspberries),
and Faro (sweetened with candy sugar) are all regular brews. Boon
Lambics have a medium sourness. Frank rarely gives tours, but
doesn't
mind if you have a quick walk around the outside of the brewery. |
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Oud Beersel
Beersel
The two Beersel pubs named in the list
to the left make
the short drive from Brussels well worth it. The Oud Beersel has some
rare,
wonderful Lambics and a monument across the street dedicated to several
of the Lambic breweries that are no longer in business. Brewing ghosts
from the past such as Winderickx, Linkelbeek, De Kroon, Demayter, and
Dedobbeleei
are listed on this monument to great beer styles that are sadly giving
way to bland pilsners. |
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Watou
West Flanders
This is the famous brewer staue right
off the tiny town
square of Watou. The statue is adorned with hop vines that are full and
green in the warmer months. The main pub/restaurant to try in Watou is
the Hommelhof, which claims to have a great beer selection and superb
food
made with beer. I can't tell you for sure, because on all three
occasions
I've tried to visit the Hommelhof, it has been closed. Hommelhof means
"hop house," and there are some very scenic hop fields in the area. |
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St. Sixtus Abbey
Westvleteren
A short drive from Poperinge and Watou
is this tiny
abbey that produces some of the finest ales in Belgium. There is a
small
drive-through area where people can purchase the Westvleteren beers
made
by the monks. All the beer is sold in this way. The Cafe Vrede across
the
street has all three of the phenomenal Westvleteren beers for sale at
the
bar and in the gift shop. The monk's smelly (but tasty) cheese is also
available. For much more information on Westvleteren, see Owen's
article elsewhere on this site. |
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Belgian cities are a joy to explore at night.