You might have noticed, and if you haven’t, you soon will: Goose Island is taking over Belgium. Last week, the Chicago based brewer organised a series of events in Brussels to introduce bars and restaurants, the press, and the general public to their beers.
A couple of Goose Island beers (Goose IPA and the 312 beers) were already available at Albert Heijn (a Dutch supermarket chain sadly not in Brussels yet), but apart from that, beers from this American brewer were hard to find. It probably didn’t help that Goose Island was bought by InBev in 2011, thereby losing the interest of (a part of) the craft beer community. However, they claim this acquisition has had no influence on the brewing process or ingredients. Let’s taste then!
When you pass by Fin de Siècle in the evening, there are usually a couple of people standing at the bar. They’re not there just to have a drink, but they’re waiting to be seated. It’s a logical result of their no reservations policy, but it’s always a good sign if you see people are willing to put up with the wait, isn’t it?
Beerstorming is most definitely a brewery: al the necessary equipment and ingredients are there. However, their main goal is not to sell beer — although they do serve and sell beer, rest assured — but they’re all “about creativity in brewing, about being a part of an experience, about tastes, memories and stories you can share over a beer.”
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.