Beer in Brussels

You're staying across the street from where we did. I don't recall any specialty beer shops between Nüetnigenough and the hotel but you will pass 2 or 3 corner stores on your walk that will have cold singles of Duvel, Rochefort, Orval, etc. if you're just looking for a nightcap. There's a restaurant called Houtsiplou directly across the street from your hotel that we ate at twice and enjoyed (the carbonara especially). Our breakfast was usually some fresh bread and fruit from a market about a block south, some exploration, and then quiche at Moeder Lambic when they opened at 11. We didn't find many spots that were open for breakfast so we usually used the morning hours to wander and take photos.

On your Cantillon day I recommend printing off and doing their walking tour that starts from Grand Place. It's an interesting read and your hotel is even mentioned in it.

 

Sounds great! I heard that a decent breakfast is somewhat hard to come by in restaurants...I know my hotel has one so I will use that as a backup plan if I can't find any directions. I heard Moeder's quiche was pretty good? What is the name of the market you went to so that I can map it?

Any particular bottles shops that you would recommend anywhere in Brussels?

Will definitely be doing the walking tour, seems like a pretty good way of getting to know the history of the area!

 

Not sure on the name of the market but here it is on Google Maps. The fruit stands out front make it hard to miss. It's a cramped space but it has most everything you'll need.

The quiche at ML is great and comes with a side of mixed greens as well; we had it for brunch several times.

It's Belgium so you're going to have to have a waffle. Surprisingly, the best we found was right next to Manneken Pis at a place my girlfriend affectionately referred to as "closet waffles". They were 1 euro.

We never made it to Beer Mania and Delices et Caprices was closed both times we stopped by. Biertemple had a nice selection and wrapped things up without me asking. Beer Planet had some different options but the guy working there was kind of a jerk. I had already stuffed my luggage full of Cantillon so I wasn't shopping for many bottles after that.

 

Having done your trip numerous times, Beersel is kind of a pain in the ass to get to and even more difficult on weekends and is not easy to get around. Belgians are very polite drivers, think about a car. Drie Fountain is right on the town square, he never has much for sale in fact didn't buy one bottle when I was there last fall. In Antwerp you don't really need a bottleshop, Kulimantor sells stuff to go as most bars do and even in a mediocre bottleshop you will have fun. There is a pretty good bottleshop in Brugge right off the town square and stay at the hotel attached to the Red Rose Cafe(if you have a car you have to use public parking under the town square). With a wife and kid in tow beer is heavy.

 

So you would advise against going to 3F? I was considering that anyway, is there anyway that has a lot of 3F for sale? The restaurant was one of the main reasons I wanted to go. I hear the Oude Gueuze is pretty cheap there?

 

And do Kulminator only have off sales on specific bottles or can you take anything out?

 

If you show interest at Kulminator it will happen but you are paying the price in the menu, but if you what to buy cases that is not going to happen.

See you are in Alberta if you are in Calgary talk to me before you go. With a wife and kid in tow, my wife and I know the country well enough you can have a great time without over doing. I haven't been to Kulminator in decade but it is not a kid friendly place. You might want to buy Tim Webb's newest Good Beer Belgium Guide.

 

That's a shame about Kulminator, I had heard differently. Do they not accept children or just not a good atmosphere for kids to be in? Is there anywhere else that you would say is also not kid friendly?

I received his book for Christmas! It's been a great read so far.

 

Tim is a great beer writer and a friend sure you will enjoy your research. To learn a little bit more about Belgium and not in a beer sense. More of history and culture sense read "A Tall Man in a Low Land"

 

Not all beers at kulminator are for take away

 

Do they specify which are and which aren't?

 

No , you have to ask Leen , and then she will ask Dirk ( Dirk is most of the time behind his bar )
Alote of beers are not for take away , that is because they don't have many left of them or they are used for horizontal tastings
If you want a bottle for take away then just Ask Leen if it's possible

 

If you have a couple other days in Brussels and otherwise are doing a mostly urban trip, getting out to Beersel could be a good idea -- consider it a chance to see some countryside and a smaller village, and see the old castle ruins, plus an excellent meal with great 3F beers. I agree with hoser's useful comments, but I take it the point wasn't necessarily to talk you out of going altogether, but be aware of some pitfalls. There's a commuter train but only on weekdays and still not that easy. It's an easy enough drive and could be paired with other sights outside Brussels. But as warned, you might not find a carload of rarities on sale -- even if the shop is open, it doesn't always have a deeply varied stock. Also, check in advance about opening times, as I think the restaurant is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. You can call or email in English.

If you decide you aren't up for all that, I'm sure you can find other ways to entertain yourself in Brussels. You can usually find at least the 3F oude geuze in the downtown bottle shops and Beer Mania. If the priority is buying bottles, De Bierschuur on the outskirts of town usually has most of their stuff (and even some Hommage that they list at a somewhat not credible 100 euros).

My boilerplate comment: Of course you'll find lots of other just-as-worthy-as-3F gueuzes on your travels, so be sure to seek them out.

You mentioned that you're getting in on Sunday too late for ITGD but if it's not too late in the day, you could still get down to the Marolles, walkable from where you're staying and probably the nicest way to spend a Sunday in central Brussels.

Since you asked about the difference between the Moeders, I'd say that that the one near you has a bit more space, some food (still not a full restaurant) and more drafts (which is something of a novel concept in Brussels). The original is a smaller, cozier space. I wouldn't say that on its own, you must see the original one, except that it's in a nice part of town well worth seeing anyway. Either location will have more selection than you could possibly plumb with several trips -- in fact, most decent bars in Brussels will have enough unfamiliar stuff to fill a session, FWIW.

 

Great advice as always from you! It might be a good opportunity to see more of rural Belgium as you say. We won't have a car so will have to rely on public transport. I've kind of got to the stage where i'm trying not to worry about trying to cram everything into the one trip.

What is at Marolles? It looks pretty interesting from what I can gee on Google!

@hoser I sent Kulminator a message, they do accept (well-behaved) children, did you just mean that it wasn't a great atmosphere for them?

 

See your travel plans are for June half the fun is the planning. Do some reading on Kulimantor.

 

I have, and I know Dirk and Leen have a little bit of a reputation for being frosty but that's about it...

 

Reading about all your planning is leaving me daydreaming about a return trip.

 

I get that Brussels can be hit or miss for people but I really like the city and its beer scene. And I think Delirium is well worth a visit for any American beer fan. Yes, it's a bit of a college bar at night but still worthwhile. But with all that said, Brugge is possibly my favorite city anywhere.

 

Nuetnigenough / La Tana are for sure the nicest places to have diner!