Brussels for Beer Lovers
After Dusseldorf, we were off to Brussels! Brussels, and Belgium in general, have long been on my travel list because I’m such a fan of Belgium beer. That’s why I consider this “Brussels for Beer Lovers” — we pretty much drank our way through Belgium’s best.
In this city guide, I’ll share all the good stuff. Where we got our morning espresso, the best street vendor waffles, cheap eats, city streets for strolling, an amazing record shop, and off course, the goods on the gueuze.
Good Morning
Our first morning in Brussels began with a trip to the neighborhood cafe, Hinterland, which is a hip little spot in the Sint-Gilles area. They’ve got a great looking brunch, too, but we had Belgian Liege waffles on the brain!
This corner waffle stop looks very tourist-y — it’s right in the shopping center — but the high reviews and long lines don’t lie. It’s also a double whammy. You can get pommes frites at Friterie Tabora and then visit the famous Los Churros & Waffles next door! I never claimed this guide would have healthy eating herein.
Touring Brussels City-Center
We well make up for our french fry and waffle-eating with all the walking we do when in Europe, though. After we fueled up for the morning, we set off for the sights in the Brussels city-center. These are the Royal Palace, and the Parliament.
Lunch & Coffee Break
We ate a cheap and delicious lunch at Tonton Garby, which is a fantastic cheese shop where you can get a cheese sandwich and some fresh squeezed orange juice. It’s a bit odd, but it’s a sight to be seen.
Then we had a coffee break at Cafe Gruun, which filled my plant-loving heart with so much joy. Then we wandered down to Doctor Vinyl, which is an amazingly cool resource of house music, dance music, electronic, etc. The store owner has literally traveled the world collecting, producing, and listening to the best dance music and he was so cool to talk to. Can’t miss!
And finally, we paid a visit to the European Union. I don’t have any good pictures of it, so here’s a symbolic picture of a piece of the Berlin Wall which stands on the EU campus.
Brussels for Beer Lovers
Okay, this is what you came for, it’s Brussels for beer lovers! A little on common Belgian beer styles:
Trappist beer: Beers brewed in Trappist monasteries are termed Trappist beers. Like the term “champagne” a true trappist beer is more about where the beer comes from than the style. There are six trappist beer brewers in Belgium, the most in the world. My favorites are: Chimay, Westmalle, and
Westvleteren.
Saison: One of my favorite styles of beer! But saisons are pretty common in the United States, so I can’t say I drank too many while in Brussels.
Lambic is a wheat beer fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewer’s yeasts.Most lambics are dry and cidery.
Gueuze: is a type of lambic, a Belgian beer. It is made by blending young (1-year-old) and old (2- to 3-year-old) lambics, which is bottled for a second fermentation. This makes it really bubbly, almost like a champagne. It’s so unique and I’ve not found good gueuze in the states — a must-drink in Belgium!
So, where did we go? We visited the following craft beer places:
Moeder Lambic Original: This is a craft beer bar (not cheap) but a very good one. There are a couple locations of Moeder Lambic, this one just happened to be close to where we were staying. And after your beers at Moeder, you should definitely try fries at Friterie de la Barriere — honestly these were the best fries I had in Europe.
Brussels Beer Project: You can make a trip to the brewery or pick up Brussels Beer Project beer in the stores.
Delirium Cafe: Delirium is a tourist-y experience, but one I’m glad we did. They’ve got 2000+ beers available, which is a world record. As you can imagine this is quite the party scene for backpackers. We went during the day, just to see it and do some sampling, and there were people from all over the world.
Au Daringman: This was my favorite place we drank in Brussels. It’s a little hole-in-the-wall beer cafe. It’s so cozy, and so worth a visit.
And we also bought bottled beer at street vendors and at the grocery store. Having a night in with tasty snacks and a sampling of beers is a great way to spend a slow travel evening!
Happy Travels!
Until next time — I’ll be publishing my Antwerp City Guide soon — let’s continue to chat on Instagram or Twitter, where I’m @brumeanddaisy. And don’t forget to come find me over on Goodreads. Let me know what I should read and review next.
And don’t forget, Pre-Loved Podcast returns on January 21st! Chat to you then.
Talk soon my loves, Emily
