Buying Beer when Bars are Barred

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Fridges and shelves at Malt Attacks

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic measures, going to a bar or restaurant to enjoy a fresh draught beer isn’t an option anymore for the next couple of weeks… After drinking all the beers you had in your fridge, where can you get some more?
When the first version of this article appeared about a week ago, there were still plenty of options to go out and stock up, but even though beer shops are legally allowed to stay open*, many have decided to close their doors anyway, and—if they haven’t closed completely—rely on delivery and pickup only…

This article was updated regularly until 31/05/2020. By that time, most brewery shops were open again, bars who could and wanted, started selling beers for takeout.
We’re now counting down to the reopening—in whatever form—of the bars…

Supermarkets and food shops

We’re in Belgium, so beers are easily found in every supermarket, even some decent beers. For beers from local breweries, your neighbourhood grocery store would be your first port of call. Most of the main beers from Brussels Beer Project are available in many Delhaize shops, and Delta and Grosse Bertha even in the Carrefour or Colruyt. En Stoemelings‘ beers can be found in Delhaize and Carrefour shops as well. We’ve also found some l’Annexe and De la Senne beers in the Carrefour.

For some more choice: the organic Färm shops stock a wide range of De la Senne beers, even some limited releases you’d normally expect to find only in specialised beer shops, and beers from other local breweries such as l’Ermitage as well!

Bottle Shops

Actual bottle shops, like Malt Attacks and Malting Pot, would be the most obvious choice, but they both closed their doors.

Malting Pot will take orders through e-mail (check for available beer online first), but you can only pay by bank transfer. After confirmation of payment, you can then either pick it up at the store from Tuesday to Saturday between 16.00 and 18.00, or have it delivered at your home if you live within four kilometer from the shop (€ 5, of free for orders over € 50).

Malt Attacks is also taking orders by e-mail, you can make your choice from a regularly updated stock list available on their website. Pay by card or app when you pick up the beers, at a time pre-arranged by e-mail. Starting in April, Malt Attacks started doing deliveries as well! Order as you would for pickup, and one day each week, Antoine will make his rounds in Brussels. For those who like surprises: advent calendar type boxes with beers from nine different Brussels breweries are available upon request as well!

Beer Shops with Bars, Bars with Beer Shops

Shelves full of bottles at Barboteur

Some beer shops have slowly transitioned into being a bar, but since they’re officially still shops, they too can officially be open during the week, but here again, most have decided against it.

Le Barboteur – Bièrothèque does takeaway (minimum € 20), but only pre-ordered by e-mail. Mail them first to get the latest update of the stock list, reply with your order, and pay by bank transfer after order validation, and arrange for a pickup slot.
Your order for Thursdays and Fridays can also include (new) growlers, so don’t forget to ask about the beers available on draught! Just keep in mind that they’re not CO2 purged, so best enjoyed within 24 hours.

Dekkera completely switched to home delivery (12 bottle/can minimum): mail for the beer list, order, and you get your beers within two days. Les Fleurs du Malt isn’t open for walk-ins either, but you can call them (+32479414810) to prepare an order for you, to pick up at the shop. Family Brews has a subscription service to provide you with beer, and opened the brick-and-mortar shop again as well. Beer Mania is still keeping the shop open as usual.

Even though Fermenthings‘ focus has shifted, and they moved in with La Source, they do still sell beer, and during this special time they’re offering Confinement Survival Packs, containing either a selection of beer (and cider), or a combination of beer and other fermented products. Fill out the form, and they’ll deliver the box by cargobike.

Buy from the Breweries

While the breweries initially stayed open, most now aren’t anymore, but found other ways to get their beers to you.

Cantillon closed completely for a couple of days, but after many requests, they decided to adapt their webshop, and pack some boxes (6 big or 12 small bottles) for delivery. 10% of the proceeds will go to the Erasmus hospital. The brewery shop is back open again as well, and even sells beer in 3l bag-in-box!

The webshop of Brussels Beer Project was such a succes they had to close it again to catch up, but now they’re back, and even added the beers from other Brussels breweries to their shop! The shop at the brewery is open again, and they’re selling crowlers of a couple of draught beers.

En Stoemelings quickly set up a real web shop as well! Each order used to include a donation to Saint-Pierre, the hospital in their old neighbourhood the Marolles, but now the extra money will go to Doucheflux. The boxes are delivered by bike courier service Dioxyde de gambette. No customised orders though: each 24 bottle box wil contain a mix of their different beers. You can drop by to pick up some beers at the brewery as well.

The latest brewery webshop was opened by De la Senne. Whole 24 bottle cases of their beers—so no mixed cases—can be ordered to be picked up at their new brewery, or delivered at home. Every order includes a donation for Doucheflux. If you prefer mixed boxes, you can also order De la Senne beers at BicyKLET using their webform. The brewery also opened their on-site shop—in their new brewery—during the week, for beer and merchandise sales.

Cans for sale at La Source

La Source is still open, from Tuesday to Sunday, to sell cans and growlers. They purge the growlers with CO2 before filling, so you should be fine if you want to fill a growler—or several—a couple of days before you plan to drink it. They also offer a delivery service on set days: compose a pack of 12 or 24 cans, and pay for it by card upon reception at home.

The opening hours of No Science haven’t changed: you can stock up here on Friday before four o’clock, and sometimes on other days as well: just check their Facebook page. You can also contact them on Facebook or by e-mail for home delivery.

At l’Annexe as well you can order boxes of 24 bottles of their beers (Saison de Bruxelles, Weizen Saison, Black Saison, Rosse Saison and l’Union) and other fermentations (Ginger Beer and Framboise Menthe) for home delivery. Send them a message on Facebook or by e-mail to arrange delivery. Currently you get a free set of glasses if you order two boxes!

Another real Brussels brewery to open a webshop is H20. You can order a 24 bottle box of each of their beers (Mielissa, Ale Capone, Blocus Triple, and White Spirit), or a mixed box.

And finally L’Ermitage opened a webshop for home delivery as well! Free delivery if you order two 24 bottle boxes, otherwise you pay €5. You still have to fill a box, but you can pick and mix as you choose. Glasses and T-shirts to complete your collection are available in the webshop as well.

Not actually brewing in Brussels yet, but certainly worth a mention, is Brasserie Surréaliste. You can order their beers (Surréaliste and Double Trouble) by the box (24 bottles of either one, or a mixed box) through their website.

Another soon-to-open brewery offering home deliveries in Brussels (and even a bit around it) is Witloof: order by e-mail, pay by bank transfer. You can fill up a 12 or 24 bottle box with your own selection of their beers (Boentje, Chipote-Les, Nopal, and Saison Sichuan).

Houblons de Bruxelles, brewing at En Stoemelings, also set up a webshop: 24 bottles of their Super Deluxe, 24 bottles of Curieuse Neus (by En Stoemelings, but made with Houblon de Bruxelles‘ hops), of a mixed case.

Buy from Bars

Over the last couple of days, some bars in Schaerbeek have started to sell some of their beer stock, and make it available for home delivery or pick-up.

1030 Café was the first to put up sixpacks of their 1030 Bier-e (brewed by Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille) up for sale as an add-on to the organic produce baskets of L’Entrepote, to be picked up at the community centre.

From Copain you can now order ‘apero boxes’, either tailor-made, or suggested combinations, containing not just beers and wines, but some snacks as wel. On the menu there is a really nice selection of beers from L’Ermitage, La Source, Surréaliste, Witloof, and De la Senne. Delivery (free for orders over €30) only in Schaerbeek and ‘surroundings’, so best check if you qualify before ordering by mail or Facebook.

Live Central Park is selling everything on their usual menu at a discounted price, to get through these difficult times. For any order over € 25, they not only offering free delivery, but also two glasses while supplies last. To order, send them a Facebook message.

Python offers 12 or 24 bottle/can Discovery Packs for now, for takeaway or free home delivery, but starting in May you’ll even be able to pick your own selection to fill a pack with. More info and ordering by e-mail.

In the centre, Chez Bobonne set up a shop for takeaway, every weekend. There’s no need to order in advance, just have your pick from the available beers, wines, and chocolates.

In the south, Dynamo installed some extra fridges—more than most actual beer shops in Brussels—and now sells cold bottles and cans for takeout, from Wednesday to Saturday, 15.00-19.00. Sending in your orders in advance, using an online available order sheet, is highly appreciated, but not necessary.

As you can see, even when bars are closed, there’s no reason to deny yourself your craft beers. By buying these beers from your local breweries, bars, and stores, you’ll be helping them to make it through this challenging time.

* The interpretation by law enforcement about what constitutes a food shop seems to vary…

tl;dr

Supermarkets & local shops

  • Delhaize for the main beers from Brussels Beer Project and En Stoemelings
  • Carrefour for BBP‘s Delta and Grosse Bertha, En Stoemelings, l’Annexe, and De la Senne
  • Colruyt for BBP‘s Delta and Grosse Bertha
  • Färm for beers from De la Senne, l‘Annexe, l’Ermitage…

Bottle Shops

  • Malt Attacks: order by e-mail for pickup or delivery
  • Malting Pot: order by e-mail for pickup or delivery
  • Le Barboteur: order by e-mail for pickup
  • Beer Mania: Mon–Fri, 11.00–18.00
  • Dekkera: order by e-mail for home delivery
  • Family Brews: beer subscriptions, or just visit the shop
  • Les Fleurs du Malt: call for pickup orders (Tue–Sat, 12.00–19.00)
  • Fermenthings: order online for home delivery

Breweries

Bars