It only opened a couple of weeks ago, but GIST seems to be well on its way to be a prime spot in the Brussels beer landscape. Not only are there sixteen normal draught taps to pour just as many different beer styles at any given time, but two beautiful beer engines for cask ales as well. We’ve seen similar beer engines in Brussels to dispense lambic beers, but as far as we know, this would be the only place where they will actually be used to pour British (style) ales! And that in a city that actually has a couple of British pubs…
Cask ale isn’t easy. The ‘real thing’ should be allowed to breathe and ferment a little more after it has been put in the cellar, and the cellarman then decides when the beer has reached the desired clarity and carbonation level. When the cask is put on tap, unlike keg beers propelled by CO₂, air will come into contact with the beer, meaning it will deteriorate in a matter of days. So get your nonic pints out, and finish it quickly! It will be interesting — and rather exciting — to see how GIST will deal with the peculiarities of cask ale. It will be even more interesting to see how some Brussels brewers will undoubtedly experiment with this very un-Belgian way of treating and serving beer!
Cask aside, the normal draught beer offer is enough to keep you occupied for a while already. Garage Ale is the permanently available ‘house beer’ of GIST, an easy drinking blond ale brewed at No Science exclusively for GIST. Another regular would be 13, the unpasteurised, unfiltered pilsner by The Ministry of Belgian Beer. Each of the other fourteen pumps, however, is not reserved for specific beers, but for specific beer styles (or style families). That means you’ll always be able to get stout or porter, for instance, but it could be a different one each time you drop by.
The bottle list is equally interesting, listing loved locals — Cantillon, De la Senne, L’Ermitage, No Science — along with some other of Belgium’s best — Hanssens, Dupont, De Ranke, Struise — and familiar foreigners — Anspach & Hobday, Mont Salève, and Dunham.
Pair your beer with some cheese from La Fruitière — have the cheese of the week, if a full plate is too much — or cured meats, or both, of course. The spiced popcorn is on the house!
tl;dr
Beers
- 18 beers on draught
- 16 keg
- 2 cask!
- A great selection of bottled beers
Bites
- Cured meats & cheese from La Fruitière
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What have people been drinking here recently?
- Guann-Tyng Ho is drinking a Chimay Dorée (Gold) (2024) at GIST Brussels
- SW Lee is drinking an Aegidius at GIST Brussels
- SW Lee is drinking a Chimay Dorée (Gold) (2024) at GIST Brussels
- SW Lee is drinking a Jawa IPA at GIST Brussels
- Monsieur Furlough is drinking a Jawa IPA at GIST Brussels
- Frank Buksti is drinking a Thor at GIST Brussels
- Geir Löe is drinking a Thor at GIST Brussels
- Leslie Wolfstark is drinking a Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio (2024) at GIST Brussels
- Leslie Wolfstark is drinking a Nouveau Riche (Rosehip edition) at GIST Brussels
- jonny c is drinking a Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio at GIST Brussels