We’ve sat outside a couple of beer shops enjoying a freshly bought fresh beer before, but there are only few beer shops that actually encourage this. Luckily, Les Fleurs du Malt does—at least in summer—and it has set up a nice little terrace on the square in front of the store. This was an excellent opportunity for us to spend a bit more time on the metro to get to Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, as it turns out, for the first time for this blog.
En Stoemelings
CHAFF
UPDATE: After being closed for a while, it reopened under new management. We have revisited it since, and it seems mostly unchanged.
Once again, we found ourselves in the Marolles, right next to the location of the famous flea market, this time at CHAFF. While the band was getting ready to play later on that evening, we picked a table on the first floor to have a couple of local beers—almost every brewery in Brussels was represented with at least one beer—and something to eat. Despite the large choice of rather healthy looking dishes, we decided to go for the burgers.
Dekkera
Dekkera, “la bièrerie du quartier Wiels“, is the first venue in Forest appearing on our blog. The reason for this is simple: in Forest, Dekkera probably is the first and only beer bar — and shop — not serving and selling ‘big beer’, but exclusively local and other Belgian craft beer. Of course, that that is exactly what we like to see!
BrewDog Brussels
Most beer lovers familiar with foreign beers, already know BrewDog, or at least have heard of it. The sometimes controversial Scottish brewery doesn’t only brew beer, it also runs a few dozen bars. Already quite a while ago, BrewDog Brussels opened right next to Central Station, but a recent change is finally turning it into the beer geek mecca it should have been from the start. The hoppy beers BrewDog is known for, are now fresher than ever, the Buffalo wings hotter than ever, and the staff is more passionate than ever. If you haven’t done so recently, now is the time to (re)visit BrewDog Brussels!
Caberdouche
It can be quite frightening when upon entering Caberdouche, you see big tanks of Stella below your feet in the pits of hell where they belong… Or maybe it is just a floor window offering a glimpse of the the beer cellar of the bar? Luckily, there’s quite a bit more on offer, among which a dedicated Brussels Beer Project tap, and a couple of beers from Tiny Rebel, that not quite so tiny anymore Welsh brewery, that seems to become more available in Brussels every passing day.
Fermenthings
UPDATE: The shop in Jette has closed, but Fermenthings moved in with La Source, now mainly focussing on workshops and fermented food.
Beer is the — sometimes very beautiful — result of fermentation, but so are coffee, cheese, cider, kombucha, miso, and many other delicacies. At Fermenthings, you’ll not only find many of these products, but also the necessary tools and ingredients to make your own at home. Beer — from Belgium and far abroad — features heavily in the store, and we’re not sorry about that at all! Quite a few of those beers are even chilling in a fridge, so you can have a taste, before stocking up on beer and other fermented products.
De Gele Poraa
Don’t judge a bar by it’s appearance, is a lesson we’ve learnt early on when writing this blog. In the case of De Gele Poraa, this is more true than ever! After you make your way past the — largely unused — smoking room, try to make your way between the bar and the first couple of tables, the room opens up, and you have the opportunity to take a minute to look at the beers on the chalkboards. Well, you might need more than just a minute, since for what appears to be just a little neighbourhood bar, the offer is surprisingly large!
Le Phare du Kanaal
Although you’ll find people working on their laptops in most bars nowadays, at Le Phare du Kanaal this is an even more common occurrence than elsewhere. This isn’t surprising, considering Le Phare is a co-working space first and foremost. However, none of the offices I ever worked at had such a selection of beers from Brussels breweries to enjoy once the laptop closes…
Swafff! Brussels Craft Beer Fffestival 2017
It looks like it will be a great beer festival summer in Brussels this year, and it already kicks off this weekend with Swafff! Brussels Craft Beer Fffestival. On both Saturday the 24th and Sunday the 25th of June, more than 30 Belgian and foreign breweries will serve us their best beers in Les Ecuries van de Tram.
Vini, Birre, Ribelli
Even though Vini, Birre, Ribelli is primarily a wine festival — over 75% of the participants are winemakers — this still is one festival beer lovers in Brussels can’t afford to miss! The third edition moved once again to a bigger location, this year occupying the Citroën site near Yser. Oh, and no ‘sessions’, no tokens, just a fixed entrance fee and unlimited refills of your tasting glass!