Brussels June 2026

We started off in the first bar I ever drank in on my first visit to Belgium many years ago, the 120 years old La Terrasse, Avenue des Celtes 1, Etterbeek, 1040 Brussels (website). Here we both drank Duvel, from the Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, or Duvel Moorgat Brewery, a Flemish family brewery founded in 1871 by Jan-Leonard Moortgat, and now run by the 4th generation of Moortgats (website). A combination of yeasts from a Scottish ale (McEwan's Scotch Ale, very popular in Belgium at the end of WW1) was extracted and used by Moortgat's sons to help create a lighter ale, which, legend has it, was called a 'real devil' or Duvel, meaning Devil. Duvel (8.5%) is a multi award winning pale golden ale (my description), or Strong Blond ale (their description), with lots of body and flavour, and a subtle bitterness, it is very good indeed. 👍

On our way into the city centre, a couple of days later, we had a brief look around and drank a coffee at the Comic Art Museum, Rue des Sables 20, 1000 Brussels. a glorious Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta in 1905, originally a department store, becoming the museum in 1989 (website). We then passed La Monnaie (above - website), the national opera house, where my niece sings. Also, this is where the Belgian Revolution first erupted in 1830. In 1815 Belgium had become the Southern Netherlands following the Congress of Vienna (Britannica). The Belgian bourgeoisie began to tire of King William I of the Netherlands, and now he had forbidden the presentation of Daniel Auber's opera La Muette de Portici at La Monnaie. 

The opera portrayed what the King considered to be a potentially inflammatory story of nationhood, courage and freedom, and he must have foreseen what would happen. The opera had been banned since the 3rd of August, but was performed anyway on the 25th of August 1830, and the words did incite the audience to riot, many rushed to leave the theatre and take to the streets, where they were soon joined by members of the working class; there were other contributory factors, of course, including unemployment and a harvest failure. By the 4th of October 1830 independence from the Netherlands was declared, and a week later the Dutch forces retreated from Belgium. ✊

We carried on to our luncheon destination, Le Cirio, Beursstraat 18, 1000 Brussels (website), next to the old Belgian Stock Exhange, La Bourse (Brussels), a long-time favourite for Dan and I. Le Cirio was originally an Italian Delicatessen founded by Francesco Cirio in 1886, and the present interior was redesigned by Henri Coosemans in 1909 in the style of an Art Nouveau Italian cafe. As you can see from the image below, great lighting and decoration within. Oh yes, and we ate here too, Croque Monsieur this time, always very good grub indeed! 😋

Here Dan drank Hoegaarden Grand Cru (8.5%), described further down at Le Perroquet, and I drank Duvel, also 8.5%, described above when imbibed at La Terrasse. My apologies that we drank some old dependable beers more than once, but that's life. I do like trying new beers, as more regular readers will realise, and I also like to enjoy good beers again and again, it's a hard life, but someone has to put in the research and make sure others stay up to scratch. 😉

Next is one of the most interesting bars you may ever enter, La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue des Alexiens 55, 1000 Brussels (website), 'the flower made from gold foil.' This really is an 'arts' bar, created by the poet and gallery owner Gerard van Bruaene, and visited over the years by artists and musicians, such as the Surrealists, like Rene Magritte, and singer and actor Jacques Brel, who did like his bars! Bits and pieces here and there, much unmatched furniture, and pictures and all sorts adorning the walls, and pleasantly laid back, I love this bar, and why I return. 😍

Not an enormous choice of beers here, but their local tripel, which I drank of course, from the Brussels brewery Brasserie de la Senne (website), is their 8.0% Tripel Verschueren (Tripel Verschu). As you can see from the photograph, the beer is pretty natural, very suitable for vegans, golden, slightly citrussy and fruity, with a dry bitter finish. Sorry, but the hops used are pretty difficult to find out, but I'd be surprised if the blend used doesn't include Styrian Golding and Saaz hops, I've asked before, but if you know, please let me know, cheers! 👍

Walking back, if you've followed using a map, this blog follows a pretty circular wandering, we visited a new bar for me, Le Perroquet, Rue Watteeu 31, 1000 Brussels (facebook). Another Art Nouveau style interior with stained glass panels, where sitting inside was quite relaxing as the majority of customers were sitting outside, breathing in the fumes. 😉

Here Dan drank, from Hoegaarden (website), their 8.5% Grand Cru, a spicy wheat beer, which has developed since the monks of Hoegaarden started brewing there in the 15th century. Hoegaarden suggest that their early wheat beers were extremely sour, and the monks began experimenting with orange peel and coriander, which certainly comes through in the taste, together with forest fruits, peach and pear, and slightly malty. An interesting mix of wheat beer and Tripel, with spicy undertones, and pretty good too.

I drank Westmalle Tripel (9.5%), probably my favourite Belgian beer. 😁Brewed with Tettnanger (hopslist), Saaz (hopslist) and Styrian Golding (hopslist) hops, a golden ale with a subtle fruity flavour, and a dry bitter refreshing finish, quality! Westmalle Tripel is a 'trappist' ale, the brewery established at the trappist Westmalle Abbey since 1836 (website), and gradually updated over the years. Although the monks no longer brew the beers themselves, they remain in overall charge of the brewery, ensuring tradition is upkept and pure ingredients used, including from their own water supply, 100% barley malt, hops, and yeast from their own culture.

Another bar we've visited many times, near to where Dan used to live, and not far from where their current, temporary now sadly, abode is, Brasserie Le Petit Paris, Rue Charles Degroux 2, 1040 Etterbeek (website). Nestled over a small roundabout, with great memories of food and drinking here, including one late evening many years ago when it was raining, we were sitting outside under the extended cover, listening to the pitter patter of the rain, no-one else outside, watching the late evening world go by, sigh... This time Dan drank Westmalle Tripel (9.5%), description above, and he also provided bottles of Westmalle Tripel at the flat, cheers Dan! 😁 

I drank, from the Trappistes Rochefort series (website), Rochefort 8 (9.2%) aka "The Speciale." Brewing had started at the 13th century Abbey of Notre-Dame  St-Remy by 1595, the monks worked on farming and mining beforehand. During the revolutionary period from 1789, the monks fled from French troops, and they returned 100 years later. Because of looting and the destruction of their church, they built a new church and brewery and, as farming failed to meet the monastery's full financial needs, they supplemented their income by selling their beers. Moving on to the 20th century and Rochefort 8, first brewed in 1955, originally for the Christmas season. The aroma is dark fruits with a hint of cloves like a fruit cake, the colour is a dark tawny, and the flavours appropriately include a BIG fruity taste, with dark and dried fruits, and a very subtle toasted bread and malt, ending with a dry finish, it's pretty darn good! 😋

And the view from the balcony of my sister-in-law's flat in Brussels on my morning of departure, I came here on Eurostar and came back to London/England on Eurostar, then by 2 other trains home. I did drink a beer I wouldn't usually drink in the posh people's lounge before catching the Eurostar back, but that's another story. "Au revoir Bruxelles!" ✋

Christmas Westmalle 2025!

Trappist beers are traditionally brewed by Trappist monks within the walls of a Trappist monastery, Westmalle was founded in 1794, and became an abbey in 1836, their ales, brewed at the Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle (brewing since 1836 - website), are up there among the best beers of Belgium. Although the monks no longer brew the beers themselves, they remain in overall charge of the brewery, ensuring traditions are upkept, and pure ingredients used, water from their own source, 100% barley malt, hops, and yeast from their own culture.

This year's Christmas present from my brother was 4 bottles (top image) of my favourite regularly available Belgian ale (glass from last year, cheers Dan!), always bottle conditioned of course, the Westmalle Tripel, which I have written about many times before (eg blog). The Tripel is a 9.5% golden beer, with a subtle fruitiness and quite dry and bitter finish, quite frankly an excellent beer! There are a number of bars in Brussels where I would always drink this, the waiting staff in the magnificent Le Cirio in Brussels (website), by La Bourse, always taking care not to disturb the sediment, but leaving the bottle for people to add the sediment if they so wish. Indeed, the owner of the bar closest to where my brother used to live always called me "Monsieur Westmalle", but that bar, sadly, is no longer open, the owner having retired.

You will appreciate just how much I appreciated this Christmas present brought back from Belgium by my brother, he knows what I like, cheers Dan, Merry Christmas! 👍 

Another Brussels Visit, September 2025.

Well, for my birthday visit to Belgium, the international part of the trip kicked off at St Pancras International (website), pictured is the St Pancras London Hotel, which used to be called the Midland Grand Hotel (website). As I had some time to spare, I had a pint of Estrella 0 0 at the Betjeman Arms (website), I kid you not, it was actually very tasty and refreshing!

Anyway, on my way by Eurostar (website), sadly, no longer bottles of Duvel for sale in the buffet, but Leffe Blonde in tins (website), plus a red wine for me, and a sarnie, etc...

I stayed in Brussels with my sister-in-law and brother, and on the other side of the Parc du Cinquantenaire (above visitbrussels) from the apartment was my first bar this visit, for food as well as drink. Indeed, this was the first bar I ever drank in on my first visit to Belgium many years ago, that is the 120 years old La Terrasse, Avenue des Celtes 1, Etterbeek, 1040 Brussels (website). Excellent food, and the wonderful Westmalle Tripel (9.5%) pictured below, my favourite Belgian beer. Brewed with Tettnanger (hopslist), Saaz (hopslist) and Styrian Golding (hopslist) hops, producing a golden ale, subtly fruity, and a dry bitter refreshing finish, quality!  

Westmalle Tripel is a 'trappist' ale, the brewery established at the trappist Westmalle Abbey since 1836 (website), gradually updated over the years, in 1968 their own water purification plant was set up, their bottling plant was modernised in 1956 and again in 2000, and a few years ago a new brew hall was installed. Although the monks no longer brew the beers themselves, they remain in overall charge of the brewery, ensuring tradition is upkept, and pure ingredients used, their own water, 100% barley malt, hops, and yeast from their own culture.  

The second bar visited this time was the great Le Cirio, Beursstraat 18, 1000 Brussels (website), next to the old Belgian Stock Exhange, La Bourse (Brussels), a favourite for Dan and me. Here I drank the 8.4% Karmeliet Tripel (website), also brewed with Styrian Golding hops (hopslist), at the Brouwerij Bosteels (website), founded in 1791. Another golden ale, a wee bit sweeter than the Westmalle, plenty of fruit and body, hints of vanilla and citrus, pretty good!

Le Cirio was originally an Italian Delicatessen founded by Francesco Cirio in 1886, and the present interior was redesigned by Henri Coosemans in 1909 in the style of an Arts Nouveau Italian cafe. The narrow doors to the toilets pictured above hint at small rooms, but it is like the 'Tardis' when you enter, so presumably the same in the women's toilet too! 😁 Anyway, the photograph framed above the mirror to the left of the doors includes the famous Jacques Brel sitting in Le Cirio, the Belgian songwriter and singer, whose works include Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me), Le Moribond (adapted for Seasons in the Sun), and Amsterdam.

The third bar was one of the most interesting bars you may ever enter, La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue des Alexiens 55, 1000 Brussels (website), 'the flower made from gold foil' and still with very friendly bar staff! This really is an 'arts' bar, created by the poet and gallery owner Gerard van Bruaene, and filled by artists and musicians, such as the Surrealists like Rene Magritte, and Jacques Brel again, he did like his bars! Bits and pieces here and there, much unmatched furniture, and pictures and all sorts adorning the walls, and pleasantly laid back. 😎

Here I drank a beer from the Brussels brewery Brasserie de la Senne (website), their 8.0% Tripel Verschueren (Tripel Verschu). As you can see from the photograph, the beer is pretty natural, very suitable for vegans, golden, slightly citrussy and fruity, with a dry bitter finish. Sorry, but the hops used are pretty difficult to find out, but I'd be surprised if the blend used doesn't include Styrian Golding and Saaz hops, if you know, please leave a comment, cheers! 👍

As we walked back to the apartment, Dan pointed out the medieval city walls that remain here and there, so I took the photograph above to share, but if you want to know more about the fortifications built to defend the city in the 13th and 14th centuries, go to My City Hunt. 

That's it for now folks, Ghent next, cheers! 🍻

Another Day in Brussels!

We walked westwards into the City centre via Ambiorix Square (screen.brussels), the angle looks a bit weird in this photograph, but it's just the angle I took the image at. 😉 Oh yes, and just after passing this fountain we saw a wee drug deal, it happens everywhere, even during a quiet morning in a scenic Brussels square!

Our first port of call on this, mostly, nostalgic wander around Brussels, was to the Comic Art Museum (website), which is situated in an Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta in 1905. Originally a department store, it opened its doors as the museum in October 1989.

Getting closer to our first beer (and lunch) destination, we stopped briefly by La Monnaie (website), the national opera house, where a dear relative of mine sings... In addition, this is where the Belgian Revolution of 1830 first erupted. Essentially from 1815 Belgium became the Southern Netherlands following the Congress of Vienna (Britannica), and the Belgian bourgeoisie began to tire of King William I of the Netherlands, and now he had forbidden the presentation of Daniel Auber's opera La Muette de Portici at La Monnaie. 

The opera included what the King considered a potentially inflammatory story of nationhood, courage and freedom, and he was correct! The opera had been banned since the 3rd of August, but it was performed on the 25th of August 1830, and its language incited the audience to riot, leave the theatre and take to the streets, soon joined by the working classes, because there were other factors, of course, including unemployment and the harvest failure. By the 4th of October 1830 independence was declared, a week after the Dutch forces retreated from Belgium.

Closer to the City centre we reached Le Cirio, Beursstraat 18, 1000 Brussels (website), next to the old Belgian Stock Exhange, La Bourse (Brussels). This is an old favourite bar of ours, originally an Italian Delicatessen founded by Francesco Cirio in 1886, the present interior was redesigned by Henri Coosemans in 1909 in the style of an Arts Nouveau Italian cafe.

Together with our tasty food in Le Cirio, we each had a beer from Hoegaarden (website), their 8.5% Grand Cru, a spicy wheat beer, which has developed since the monks of Hoegaarden started brewing in the 15th century. Hoegaarden suggest that their early wheat beers were extremely sour, and the monks began experimenting with orange peel and coriander, which comes through in the taste still, together with forest fruits, peach and pear, and slightly malty. An interesting mix of wheat beer and Tripel, with spicy undertones, still pretty good.

Just around the corner in the Grand-Place is the City of Brussels Town Hall (website), a majestic Gothic building originally built in the 15th century, but much of it rebuilt after 1695 when it was damaged by fire when French troops bombarded the City; the original tower and walls survived. I decided to buy myself a map in the Tourist Office in here for a Euro, my previous map having been lent to a friend who didn't return it, life... Interestingly, the tower and building dwarf the Duke/King's House opposite (website), guilds people being wealthier?

Then we wandered southwards and just before the Sablon we reached one of the most interesting bars you'll ever find, La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue des Alexiens 55, 1000 Brussels (website), 'the flower made from gold foil'; it's many years since I last visited, but it hasn't changed a bit, with very friendly bar staff! It really is an 'arts' bar, created by Gerard van Bruaene and filled by artists and musicians, such as the Surrealists including Rene Magritte, and Jacques Brel. Bits and pieces here and there, much unmatched furniture, and pictures and all sorts adorning the walls, and reyt laid back! Surprisingly, I went for a pilsner as I hadn't drunk Maes for years, and it was in 40cl glasses, which amused me: Maes Pils (website), 5.2% and, well it's a pilsner, brewed with Saaz hops, and what more can I say, other than refreshing and still very enjoyable!

We carried on walking southwards where, very soon after passing Saint-Gilles' Town Hall (where my older Belgian niece's birth was registered), we reached Chez Moeder Lambic, Rue de Savoie 68, 1060 Saint-Gilles (website). This was the first of their 2 bars selling Moeder Lambic beers, and specialising in Lambic and Geuze beers (as you can see in the photograph below), and they sell many others as well as their own, indeed they stock over 300 different beers!

I drank a bottle of their very own 8.0% Moderation (I've seen it called La Moederation elsewhere), and I think Dan did too. It's not a lambic, but a very pale golden ale, refreshing and bitter, with a nice dry finish. I wrote 'between a lager and a bitter' to my taste, and not bad at all!

With our dinner that evening we had a bottle each from the St Feuillien brewery (website), their 7.5% Blonde, with a deep golden colour. Hints of malt and spices, and a light bitterness and dryness to the finish. This isn't a bad beer of its style at all, and you can buy it in M&S if you fancy a bottle... Tasty, and you can buy it locally in Britain, there you go!

Oh yes, and I came back the next day, another dire travelling experience, although I did get back £32 from Eurostar, for it was their fault, cheers for now!

Sour Beers, well I do seem to like some of them!

There's been quite a bit written about 'sour' beers in the CAMRA press recently, an article in the August edition of What's Brewing discusses Belgian beers, reminding me of my visits to my brother over the 15 years he lived in Brussels, and our visits to Cantillon Brewery (website) in Anderlecht. Luc De Raedermaeker's article looks at the different styles in Belgium, and specific for this blog are the Lambics and Gueuzes, which are spontaneously fermented ales (with local wild yeasts) from around the Brussels area that he describes as complex, sour and acidic.

I was never a great lover of these sour beers beforehand, but our wandering around the brewery, and tasting beers in the brewery, changed my mind quite a bit. Indeed the Cantillon Vigneronne (6%) I found to be like a rather fine dry white wine, perfect with fish dishes or just supping as a refreshing ale. The Vigneronne is one of Cantillon's rarer ales (less than 5% of the brewery's total production), and is a blend of lambics aged 16-18 months old, with Italian Muscat grapes added. If you ever see it, and it comes in 750ml bottles, I'd recommend buying some!

Chorlton Mango Sour

In Britain now though, with the recent trendy move among many smaller brewers to brew crafty keg beers, they not only appear to have been influenced by the big hopped craft beers produced in the USA, but also by the Saisons, Lambics and Gueuzes brewed in Belgium. There's a very interesting article in CAMRA's Autumn 2018 Beer magazine, written by Adrian Tierney-Jones called 'Supping on a sour beer style' which explains the different ways of brewing 'sour' beers. These are either by adding lactobacillus (the bacteria found in yoghurt) to the wort in the kettle, or by using wild yeast and ageing in barrels after fermentation, just like the Belgian brewers. I've even seen brewers adding salt, though that shouldn't be great for drinkers with hypertension!

Anyway, now I have a craft beer shop around the corner, the Eel & Bear (blog) I have been sampling some of these sour beers brewed in Britain. The first that I appreciated was from Manchester brewer, Chorlton Brewing Company (website), and their Mango Sour (4.5%), brewed with pale malt, mango extract, and Bramling Cross hops, I believe. This was draught, and packed a big fruity mango aroma and flavour with a hint of biscuit from the malt. Slightly hazy with plenty of body and a dry tart finish, a bit like an alcoholic smoothie, and not bad at all!

Next I had a "Gooseberry Gose" (apparently Gose is a German sour beer style) from Huddersfield brewer, Magic Rock Brewing (website), their 4.1% Salty Kiss, which is brewed with lager malt as well as extra pale malt, Cascade hops, gooseberries, sea buckthorn, and, you've guessed, sea salt! I couldn't quite work out the aroma, I wrote "a bit strange & sea-like", the flavour was gooseberry fruity and salty, with a dry sour bitter finish, and it's oddly refreshing!

I've also enjoyed a bit more colourful sour beer from Aberdeen brewer, Fierce Beer (website) and their 4.5% Very Berry, a "Sour Berry Ale." These tend to include wheat malt in the mash, so wheat malt as well, plus Chinook hops. Cloudy, of course, with a deep red colour and a big fruity aroma and flavour, raspberry, blackberry and blackcurrant, and a dry tart finish, very nice!

I've left what I consider the best to last, a collaboration between Buxton Brewery (website) and Norwegian brewer Lervig Aktebryggeri (website), that is, Trolltunga! This 6.3% 'Gooseberry Sour IPA' is named after a jutting rock in Norway (guess the translation!), 700 metres over lake Ringedalsvatnet. Trolltunga is a pale golden colour and has a subtle aroma, tasty gooseberry in the flavour, and a nice sour bitter finish. Like the Cantillon Vigneronne mentioned above, I wrote "would go well with fish!" I certainly like it, and have gone back for more, more than once. The photograph below is the draught version, which looks cloudier than from the bottle, however, I did pour it carefully for the photograph above, and there was still lees in the bottom of the bottle.

Trolltunga

Whichever, draught or from the bottle, with little lees or very hazy, I enjoyed the Trolltunga very much, and I will carry on drinking it every now and then, no doubt, cheers!