Beer gardens are not a very Belgian thing, and to my knowledge, in Brussels there are no real ones, the kind with large communal tables under the trees. So where to go then, if you want the luxury of proper seating and freshly poured glasses of beer — instead of bringing a growler and a blanket to a park — but you’d still like to sit in the shadow of trees, instead of that of parasols and buildings, and with a better view — and smell — than just cars? Our recommendation is Buvette Sint-Sebastiaan, in the Parc Josaphat.
You even get to see archers shoot at ‘birds’!
Schaerbeek
Barboteur Beersdays #1
We started this blog with an article about Le Barboteur – Bièrothèque a couple of weeks ago, and already this weekend — Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May — they will be celebrating their first birthday. They’re doing this in style, organising a beer festival with an impressive list of attending breweries. It looks like the first edition of these Barboteur Beersdays is set to become an event not to be missed!
Le Barboteur – Bièrothèque
We weren’t quite sure which venue to start our blog with, until we noticed a tweet from a friend, picturing a beer menu with a long list of American beers. As it turned out, she was at Le Barboteur where they were having an American themed week, called “Craft Bless America”. So of course, the next day we went there ourselves.
Le Barboteur essentially is a beer store, where you have the opportunity to taste a couple of beers as well. Against one wall you’ll find the unrefrigerated beers on sale to take home. The rest of the little corner shop is filled with tables for the customers who prefer to have a drink right there, a couple of fridges with bottled beers, and a small bar with five beer pumps. Next to the bar, there is a doorway leading to a cosy backroom, where you’ll also find a tiny but interesting beer book selection for sale.