I will be visiting Belgium and the UK next month and I was wondering if anyone here has any beer bar recommendations. We visited Brussels in 2001 and we visited the excellent "Bier Circus" which was by far the best beer bar in the city. Is it still there and are there any other good ones in Brussels? Also we've never been to Bruges so I don't have any idea where to stop there.
Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Bruce CAMRA member from New Jersey
Bier Circus has moved just a few metres nearer cathedral. I once agreed with your comment, but I'm less sure about 'new' Bier Circus which seems more focused on food and I haven't felt very much at home there.
David
There is a new one called the "Delirium". Twice as many beers as the Vaudree that's a lot. Try to check out Ghent and Antwerp.
Went to Brugge last year
't Brugs Beertje, Kemelstraat 5, is without doubt the best bar there. 250 beers and friendly service.
Look at this site:
Phil.
Bruce, may I recommend Tim Webb's, 'Good Beer Guide to Belgium' published last year. I've attached a link to Amazon (fingers crossed!):
Cheers, Graham.
Ahh - Berties! 'Hope its still going strong - definately worth a visit - get there early and grab a table. And make sure you know how to get back to your hotel afterwards...
-- Grumps
Seconded! Always make an effort to go there whenever in Bruges, or indeed Belgium!
Also, give the restaurant over the road a try.
A carnivores delight. All they seem to do is meat, meat, and more meat. No chips, just meat!!!
Weave down through the streets round the back of the church and on down to the station, hop on appropriate train, weave (less so) from station2 to hotel.
It is. I was in there yesterday afternoon. Note that it gets _very_ busy, and dosen't open until 4 p.m. They do have an additional room at the back, but it isn't open all the time (and they wouldn't open it yesterday when I was there, with the result that the rest of my group walked out and went elsewhere). I managed to secure a place at the bar, and there was no way I was leaving then :-)
Bier Circus has moved down the street from no. 85 to no. 57. The emphasis is very much on food now. It's all light wood and much more restaurant-like than bar-like, although the beer list is still good, and there is a (small) separate bar.
Delirium Cafe is probably the best place to drink in Brussels at the moment. Over 2000 beers, 400+ of them Belgian. Avoid Thursday evenings, when it's crowded and noisy with live rock bands (and pushy young gays). Staff are knowledgeable and friendly. It's a huge basement cavern of a place, owned by Joel Pecheur (of Moeder Lambic fame), who was kind enough to present me with a bottle of 1999 Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueze when I was there last week - with the instruction: "lay it down"! He has also licensed out the concept, with other Delirium Cafes in Gothenburg and Bergamo (and apparently one to open in Stockholm some time soon).
In Brugge (Bruges), t'Brugs Beertje is the best place in town (see my other post to this thread), but Ghent is a much, much more interesting drinking city than Brugge, with bars ranging from eccentric intimate (Velootje) to laid back and sophisticated (Trappistenhuis). All the bars are accessible by tram (Ghent is a big city, and the spread is wide).
Make sure you have Tim Webb's latest guide with you (you can buy it via the CAMRA website). The man must be getting rich, I've seen so many people with copies of it over the last couple of weeks :-))
They do tend to be a bit lackadaisical - although that has more to do with the French psyche IMO, but as I said, they are friendly and knowledgeable. I take people as they come.
The bottom line if you don't want to drink at the Delirium Cafe is probably that you shouldn't bother with Brussels (unless you want to do a Lambic trail, of course).
Ghent, Brugge, Oostende, Antwerpen and Mechelen are all much better places to drink, and I'm sure you'll know about the famous Vaudree chain in Liege too.
There was only one person serving in Delirium when I was there. I address the staff in French when in Brussels (my Flemish is non-existent). I have seen this understaffing in other Brussels bars. In Au Bon Vieux Temps a crowd of tourists just got up and walked out, annoyed with having to wait to spend their money!
Bruce
bruce snipped-for-privacy@my-deja.com/3/06 12:13 PM
Many moons ago, I used to know of a pro photographer called Bruce Phipps. Would that be yourself boyanychance?
CR
Tourists who expect the natives to behave as they do themselves at home deserve everything they get, IMO.
If the local mentality is to take it slow, then I wait. Doing that in the Delirium Cafe (where I've seen single staff only on Sundays - and the last time I was there he had a waitress assisting him) made me a number of friends, got me the chance to chat with the owner (quite a celebrity in Belgium), and also got me a couple of very good free beers. Hint - it's worth waiting for a free seat at the bar.
Good for you for addressing the staff in French - I do the same in Brussels: it's a French-speaking city despite its official bi-lingual status.
DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.