Brussels/Bruges beer trip

Creamy Goodness

Heading over this weekend.

Just wondering what should I look out for. Want to try stuff that I haven't tried or can get imported over here.

List of what I've had (it's a small list):

Chimay blue
Rochefort 8
Westmalle trippel and dubbel
westvleteren xii

Thanks in advance.

Martyn1989

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

Heading over this weekend.

Just wondering what should I look out for. Want to try stuff that I haven't tried or can get imported over here.

List of what I've had (it's a small list):

Chimay blue
Rochefort 8
Westmalle trippel and dubbel
westvleteren xii

Thanks in advance.

Get yourself to the delirium cafe in the centre of brussels over 1000 beers there, upstairs they have the hop loft which is full of some hard to get international beers and is a lot quieter then delirium, enjoy!

Tefral

Id second the Delerium bar in Brussels. They have a cool boot as well that you give them a deposit for and they fill you up. When you give them back the boot they give you back the deposit.

When I was in Bruges there's a place alongside the belfry called b2b it's got over 1000 beers on sale. If your looking out from the Belfry to the square it's down to your right.

I loved the Kwak beer. It's served in a crazy looking glass in a timber holder. It's also worth trying a beer called Goulden Drak. It's 11%. It comes in a small white bottle. Also check out the beer hole in Bruges called T'portersgrat

Here's the Kwak on the right


Here's me drinking it. Your not meant to use the holder but I did because it was stuck in it here

ollaetta

I highly recommend this place in Bruges: 't Brugs Beertje. Bang in the middle of the town, these reviews on Beer Advocate sum it up: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/964/?view=beerfly

Also enjoyed the local Brugse Zot and the De Halve Maan brewery tour is worth a visit.

tomhalloween

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

Heading over this weekend.

Just wondering what should I look out for. Want to try stuff that I haven't tried or can get imported over here.

List of what I've had (it's a small list):

Chimay blue
Rochefort 8
Westmalle trippel and dubbel
westvleteren xii

Thanks in advance.

I am also heading over this weekend with a mate. To Brussels only.

Ravelleman

Kwak is cool in terms of novelty factor, especially if you get the larger one, but there are far better beers in Belgium. The glass itself is no more unusual than a yard of ale though.

While you're over there you could try some Scotch ales, many of which are brewed specifically for the Belgian market - the direct influence of British soldiers stationed there during the two World Wars.

You should also take the time to try as many lambics as you can. Avoid the cheap, mass produced ones as they add sugar and flavourings to the beer and taste nothing like the real thing.

Knifey Spoony

You could try out the Beer Circus pub in Brussels city center. They have a good size beer list of mostly Belgian beers, but not as many as the Delirium Cafe would have. But, it is less touristy, has a much quieter atmosphere and also doubles as a restaurant.

If you do go there try the spaghetti bolognese made with Chimay Red. Lovely stuff!

BeerNut

I'd avoid Delirium, TBH. There are much better pubs nearby with plenty of decent beer and much nicer surroundings to drink them in. The likes of Toone, A L'Imaige de Notre Dame and Au Bon Vieux Temps are all along Rue du Marché aux Herbes and make for a great pub crawl. Down at the bottom is A La Bécasse, a lovely pub which has a sweetened lambic as its house specialty and it's gorgeous.

+1 for Bier Circus: they have a great range of unusual stuff, though it's a little far out from Grand Place. Poechenellekelder is just by the Mannekin Pis statue and has a very good beer range and is very atmospheric. If you want the real premier league Belgian microbrews head to Chez Moeder Lambic on Place Fontinas. And if you can get out to visit the Cantillon Brewery (aka the Gueuze Museum) near Brussels Midi, do.

Seaneh

Anyone have any suggestions for Antwerp?

BeerNut

Kulminator and Bier Central.

Fart

How was OP's trip?

Can anyone suggest a cheapish hotel for me and my OH to stay in that is near the Delirium Cafe, or perhaps close by where there is good beer to be tasted? Even some places near transport for a visit to a monastery.

Hoping to go over in 3 - 4 weeks time.

Martyn1989

Seaneh wrote: »

Anyone have any suggestions for Antwerp?

I was in Antwerp for less then a day but we found wandering into the smallest bars we could find off little squares was the safest bet, every single one was decent and had a different couple of draught options and all the regular belgian ware in bottles, that and ordering little side plates of cheeses, fresh meats and pickled things really made it.

BeerNut wrote: »

Kulminator and Bier Central.

The Bier Central is good for beer, but don't order food, its part of a 3 bar group in the one location, Bier Central (Belgian Beer Bar), Popcorn (70's style cocktail bar were a mate was working at the time) and Molly's Irish Bar who stocked a suspect 'brewed in Ireland' stout which neither my mate or the manager would answer where they got it from but instead laughed nervously and changed the subject. If your so inclined ask can you go down and see their cellars, mountains of beer of every variety and loads of cornelius kegs which they fill with their house spirits and cocktail mixes to serve out of splash guns in the main bars. The whole thing puts any Irish operation I've seen to shame.

Creamy Goodness

Fart wrote: »

How was OP's trip?

Can anyone suggest a cheapish hotel for me and my OH to stay in that is near the Delirium Cafe, or perhaps close by where there is good beer to be tasted? Even some places near transport for a visit to a monastery.

Hoping to go over in 3 - 4 weeks time.

it was superb, i'll write up a more detailed post later on tonight...