Needless to say, beer is a national drink in Belgium. In this country, people have a tradition of enjoying beer at any time of the day. Here, beer is served with any meal, no matter whether it is dinner, lunch or apéro. The beer is so popular in Belgium, that there is even the Museum of Belgium Brewers in Brussels where you can find out a lot of information about the history of this widespread drink and even enjoy cold beer. Certainly, if you are crazy about beer, your trip to Brussels should include a stop in one of its best bars. Yet, before we recommend you the greatest places to enjoy beer, let’s look at some of the kinds of beer popular in Belgium.
The variety of Belgian beer
In all likelihood, you have already heard about the high quality of Belgian beer, however, you might not be aware of the fact there are actually 400 types of Belgian beer! Of course, it is difficult for one bar or restaurant to serve all of them to their guests. Still, there is such a unique place in Brussels and we will definitely tell you about that.
Certainly, the majority of the bars in Brussels are offering only the most popular kinds of beer. Let’s look at the top five Belgian beers that you can easily find in Brussels.
Tripel Karmeliet
This beer is a tripel featured by 8.4% aolcohol. For the brewing process of Tripel Karmeliet not only traditional barley is used, but also oats and wheat. Due to its balanced taste, this beer is perfect with creamy brie and other cheeses.
Affligem Blond
If you enjoy a bit of a sweet taste in beer, but still a tint of a balanced bitterness, you should try Belgian Blonde and especially, Affligem Blond. Its unique feature is also a delicate fruity taste.
Duvel
Another Belgian beer with a delicate sweet taste is Duvel. Duvel is a combination of quite strong 8.5% alcohol and a fresh orangey taste. Furthermore, you will find the finish of this beer peppery. This is a great drink for enjoying a plate of fish and chips.
Chimay Blue
To those beer-lovers who prefer dark beer, Chimay Blue which is also known as Grande Réserve is one of the best choices. Note that this beer is suitable for ageing, so you might have a chance to taste more developed beer which is even sweeter and softer.
Chimay Blue is featured by a very rich and subtle taste resembling toffee and caramel.
Pauwel Kwak
Pauwel Kwak is what you can call a beautiful drink since it has an amazing amber colour that makes it even more alluring. The taste of this beer is very diverse: here you will feel delicate sweetness, fruitiness of oranges, spiciness, toffy and bitterness as well.
Interestingly, this beer is traditionally served in its very special glass with a wooden holder. Furthermore, you can easily understand that a bar is offering Pauwel Kwak since such places have a shoe basket on the ceiling as a special sign.
Other popular Belgian beer easily accessible in Brussels is Rochefort 10, Westmalle Tripel, Troubadour Magma, Orval and La Chouffe Blonde D’ardenne.
The best places to enjoy beer in Brussels
These are some of the greatest bars, cafes and restaurants in Brussels offering the original Belgian beer.
Delirium Café
If you planning to taste all of the Belgian types of beer, no matter whether it is humanly possible or not, Delirium Café is the place where you will find an entire range of this drink. Delirium Café can be found by the following address: Impasse de la Fidélité 4 and it is located near the Grand Place. Pay your attention to the fact you can get many other types of spirits here, including absinthe.
À la Mort Subite
A fantastic place to enjoy a special type of Belgian beers called lambic beers which are produced by spontaneous fermentation is the À la Mort Subite beer cafe. Some of the most traditional beer of this type served in À la Mort Subite are faro, kriek and gueze. The name of this place is translated into English as “Sudden Death” since this cafe used to be a favourite place of punters for playing during their lunch time.
Poechenellekelder (Puppet cellar)
Poechenellekelder is a perfect beer cafe for those visitors of Brussels who would like to enjoy a bottle of original Belgian beer and some of the most famous tourist attractions of this city at the same time. Poechenellekelder is located right near Mannekin Pis (Peeing Boy).
The interior design of Poechenellekelder is outstanding itself. Here, you will see an enormous collection of puppets which are hanging right from the walls and the ceilings of this small tavern. Of course, if you are not afraid of puppets and dolls, you should stay here and enjoy not only the beer but also the knowledge about this drink which each of the cafe’s waiters has.
A special Brussels beer tasting tour
The real fans of beer can’t neglect an opportunity of participating in Brussels beer tasting tour. During this four-hour tour you will have a chance to visit authentic Belgian taverns and enjoy local cuisine with the best of the Belgian beer accompanied by a beer expert who have spent 20 years in this branch.