taproom

Chez Lutgarde

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front view of the Chez Lutgarde bar in Brussels. There are two parasols and four outside tables. The name "Chez Lutgarde" is in red.
© Hannah Casier

With the name Chez Lutgarde, it is not surprising they mostly serve beers from the young Lasne brewery Abbaye d’Aywiers, better known by the name most of their beers carry: Lutgarde. You could even consider this bar the downtown taproom of the brewery. What drew us in, however, were the advertisements for some Brussels breweries you don’t see in that many other bars yet, like Brasserie Vandekelder! Once inside, we discovered that actually all the beers they serve, are from small, independent breweries, and quite a lot of them even from Brussels!

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CoHop

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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.

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Brasserie de la Mule

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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’!

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Brasserie Surréaliste

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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!

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Zennebar

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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.

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La Source

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With La Source as Brussels’ ninth brewery, we can end a decade of the revival of brewing in this city—which started in 2010 when De la Senne joined sole survivor Cantillon—on a high note. While most breweries mainly focus on the production part when opening, for La Source the social aspect of their brewery with taproom was at least just as important. That doesn’t mean the beers are not important—quite the contrary—and so far their beers have rightfully so been very well received!

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Nanobrasserie de l’Ermitage

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The latest brewery in the Brussels region to open their doors, is Nanobrasserie de l’Ermitage. You can even take that quite literally, since every Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening, everybody is welcome in the brewery’s pallet and keg decorated, but cosy taproom to try their beers, and have a (guided) wander around the brewery. Beer lovers already found their way to Anderlecht to visit nearby Cantillon — less than 200 meters away — but now they have a reason to stay after the last lambic of the day is served!

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Cantillon

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For the first anniversary of our blog — today —  we wanted something special. And what would be more special than the mekka for the beer tourist, the Cantillon brewery? Only open five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and just until five o’clock in the afternoon, and very busy at times, you’ll have to plan your visit to the brewery-cum-museum carefully. However, an impressive list of Cantillon beers, some of which you thought would be long lost, will be your reward!

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Brussels Beer Project

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It’s quite nice to have a brewery with a little shop only a few minutes’ walk from home, to provide us with a steady supply of freshly bottled beers. Add a real taproom open in the evening — actually quite a rarity in Brussels — and growler filling station, and visits become more frequent and lengthy. The one thing saving us from spending too much time and money at Brussels Beer Project, is that they’re not open every day: only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 2 to 10pm. When you happen to be in the neighbourhood within those hours, don’t hesitate to have a seat on one of the beer crate stools with the hissing malt bag cushions, and taste their newest experimental brew, or one of the guest beers.

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Brasserie de la Senne

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UPDATE: Moved to Tour & Taxis, and added their Zennebar taproom!

dsc_0083xOn this blog, we’ve mentioned Brasserie de la Senne several times. For us, it’s always a reassurance to see their beers on draught in a bar, and a good indication somebody made at least some effort to put together an interesting beer list, including a selection of local products. It was high time we headed to Molenbeek and paid the brewery itself a visit!

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