Places where you can go for a beer, without the need — or option — of ordering a meal.
The latest taproom that opened in the Brussels region, is a bit special. CoHop is not just a brewery, but actually a cooperative of a couple of former gypsy brewers that had been around for a while already, and… CoHop! They all share a 20hl brewing installation and 13 fermenters together—taking turns brewing—and a nice mezzanine taproom with 24 taps, on the historic Arsenal site in Etterbeek.
There was still one brewery with a proper taproom we didn’t write about yet, and that was Brasserie de la Mule, in Schaerbeek. And what a great taproom it is! A long bar to sit at—rarely found in brewery taprooms—and a great walled Biergarten. The use of the German word here is very much intentional, since they really like their German style beers here! And the best way to serve a German wheat beer is of course in a large (0,5 l), curvy Weizenbierglas. Bring on the next heatwave, here is the perfect place to cool down and, uh, ‘hydrate’!
The clock once again switched to summer time, the days are longer, the terraces are open and usually quite full. June already started, this means the beer festivals are upon us, and finally again the full lineup! In this blog post, we’ll go over the beer festivals and events that are already known to us—even if just a little—and we think will be worth going to, so you can put them in your calendars already, and ask for the necessary days off from work…
After many months of anticipation, the pieces of the administrative puzzle fell into place, and Mazette could finally open its doors and beer taps. Mind you, having a brew kettle, a kitchen, a huge wood-fired oven, and a comfortable space for the customers, all in one open space, was never going to be simple. But since the fire department gave its final go-ahead a little over a month ago, we’re able to enjoy all the products this utterly loveable cooperative brewpub in the Marolles has to offer: freshly brewed beers, straight from the tank, homemade sourdough bread baked in the aforementioned oven, and seasonal food.
The opening of Brasserie Surréaliste taproom is one we’ve been waiting for for a long time. The most obvious reason is that it’s right in our neighbourhood, only a couple of minutes’ walk away. It certainly helps they brew cracking beers, though, right there on the premises, below your feet when you’re standing at the bar. The fact that they managed to convert a space that has been neglected for way too long into something so beautiful, is just the icing on the cake. And starting today, it’s open for everyone to enjoy!
Everybody knew Brussels Beer Project was building a big new brewery with a taproom near the Biestebroek dock, but the opening of BBP Bailli actually came quite unexpected for most of us. On Saint Patrick’s Day, the Michael Collins pub on the corner of the Rue Bailli and Avenue Louise was still very much an Irish pub—albeit closed, like every other bar in the country—but just three months later it opened with the bright BBP colours painted just about everywhere, and a whole lot more beers on draught!
It was the worst of times, but probably also the best of times, to open Zennebar. The worst of times, since we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, which is a hard time for anyone in the hospitality industry. But it was also the best of times to open such a place, because a spacious terrace in an area with hardly any car traffic, is ideal in these times of social distancing. Add to that a fresh selection of Brasserie de la Senne‘s beers on draught, food by Fermenthings, and you’ve created the perfect—and safe—place to spend a couple of hours away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
UPDATE: Closed permanently…
Nothing about Bélier Bar exactly screams craft beer bar: the modest number of six, unbranded taps could be pouring anything, and the amount of spirits on the shelves behind the bar, would rather give you the impression this is a cocktail bar. They do cocktails indeed, but once you discover the beer list, you’ll immediately see that those are not their only strength!
Family Brews opened just a little over a year ago in the Rue des Harengs, just off the Grand Place. In such a central location, you might expect just another tourist trap, but nothing could be further from the truth! For prices comparable to the ones you’ll pay for an uninteresting industrial beer in nearby bars, here you can enjoy some local brews instead. Don’t get hung up on specific breweries or beers, just let the staff surprise you with something they think you’ll like!
The biggest drawback of Brussels’ currently open taprooms, is their limited opening hours. We can imagine it’s hard to combine a bar-like environment with a working brewery, but luckily l’Ermitage found a solution: open a separate bar a kilometer and a half down the road. L’Ermitage Saint-Gilles is open seven days a week, every day from 4.30 PM, so there’s no reason any more to go without your preferred l’Ermitage beer on draught when the craving hits you!