Bruges - Brussels - Heidelberg - Stuttgart

Discussion in 'Belgium' started by HopsDubosc, Aug 21, 2018.

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  1. HopsDubosc

    HopsDubosc Pundit (803) Apr 24, 2015 Vermont

    Just booked a trip to Belgium & Germany during late Sept/early Oct.

    We will be staying 2 nights apiece in Bruges/Brussels/Heidelberg/Stuttgart.

    We'll be visiting De Halve Man/Cantillon/3 Fonteinen in Belgium before going to Germany for Zwanze Day (if I can get tickets at Mon Petit Cafe) and then Oktoberfest.

    What else should we add to our agenda (great bars/breweries/restaurants)? We will have a car, so out of the way spots are a possibility.

    Thanks in advance everyone!
     
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  2. Euroglot

    Euroglot Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2015 Belgium
    Trader

    If you have enough room in your car, you should go to Geers and buy some bottles. It is located in Oostakker near Gent, on your way to Brussels from Brugge.

    In Brugge we also have a beermuseum. I don't think you will learn anything new, but you can find some good stuff on tap (tasting glasses). You could also visit Bourgogne de Flandres, the second brewery in the city center. De Halve Maan is more or less a museum with not a lot of brewing info. Still worth it to see how it was done in the 18 and 1900's. But the brewing itself is a really short part of the tour. At Bourgogne you can talk to the brewer and can see the actual brewing.

    Bars to visit in Brugge: Rose Red, Brugs Beertje, Vlissinghe, Le Trappiste, De Garre, ...
     
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  3. RSB

    RSB Initiate (0) Jun 27, 2014 New Jersey

    In Brussels, La Porte Noir (bar).
     
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  4. Erzengel

    Erzengel Zealot (664) Sep 8, 2008 Germany
    BA4LYFE Society Trader

    On your way from Brussels to Germany, it is always worth to stop by in Düsseldorf for a few fantastic Alt beers - and probably Cologne for a fresh Kölsch. It is not a big detour and beerwise worth a visit!
    If you're up for a quick beer there, just BM me :slight_smile:
     
  5. NeroFiddled

    NeroFiddled Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,276) Jul 8, 2002 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'll second @Erzengel's suggestion of stopping in Düsseldorf and Köln - if you're right there they're not to be missed!

    There's not a lot between Heidelberg and Stuttgart and it won't take you long to drive there at all so I'd suggest a side trip to the Disney-esque town of Rothenberg ober der Tabuer (tourist trap but worth it) for a couple of hours before circling back to Stuttgart.

    After that, given the routes that look the most convenient, I wouldn't hesitate at all to go immediately to München. There's plenty to do there, and I feel that I barely scratched the surface over a period of 4 or 5 days myself. Haha, of course I'll be back soon!

    Where are you flying out of?

    Also, one thing to note is that quite a few breweries outside of München will be closed during this period so make sure you check before you make a drive.
     
    #5 NeroFiddled, Aug 22, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2018
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  6. HopsDubosc

    HopsDubosc Pundit (803) Apr 24, 2015 Vermont

    Very excellent advice everyone. Thank you! Flying out of Boston into Brussels and then from Stuttgart back to Boston.

    My best friend is stationed in Kaiserslautern and will be driving on this tour. I'm sure he has plenty of spots in mind, but this is great advice.
     
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  7. bartlebierle

    bartlebierle Initiate (0) Apr 16, 2014 Germany

    Belgian who used to live in Stuttgart for 5 years here...it's slowly coming along in terms of new beer culture there. But there is enough happening all over Germany and the Bxl-Heidelberg-Stuttgart drive should give you plenty of traditional regional beer drinking options that make so much more sense at the source that by import bottle.

    I might make it to Zwanze at Mon Petit Café when I'm not in Bxl and might bring a few Freiburg friends to join in the fun. Bringing any TreeHouse/Lawson's/Alchemist or other canned Vermont hazies?
     
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  8. Thehopman

    Thehopman Initiate (0) Aug 25, 2017 England

    Düsseldorf/Cologne is definitely worth a stop on the way! Wandering around the old city of Düsseldorf you'll find plenty of Altbier brewpubs, it's super easy and a cool area.
     
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  9. cu29

    cu29 Zealot (570) Sep 26, 2005 Wisconsin

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  10. Redrover

    Redrover Grand Pooh-Bah (3,676) Jan 18, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

  11. HopsDubosc

    HopsDubosc Pundit (803) Apr 24, 2015 Vermont

  12. bierfonteintje

    bierfonteintje Initiate (0) Aug 15, 2011 Belgium

    Beer Shop Geers in Oostakker is certainly worth a visit, they have almost all beer you can imagine. When you stop in Ghent you should also visit the Dulle Griet, a popular beer bar at Vrijdagsmarkt.

    Brugs Beertje is a must when being in Bruges.
     
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  13. HopsDubosc

    HopsDubosc Pundit (803) Apr 24, 2015 Vermont

    Fantastic Trip!

    Moeder Lambic in Brussels was a great first stop. We spent about 5 hours at Cantillon the next day, trying just about every bottle on offer. The '50 Degrees North - 4 Degrees East' was a particular standout. Really a magical place. Finished that evening at Monk. When we got back to our AirB&B our gracious host brought over a few bottles of Geuze for a nightcap.

    In Bruges, De Garre was an absolute standout. Their house tripel was one of the best beers of the trip. My buddy's girlfriend works at the Bruges Beer Exp, so we had an excellent tour guide of the town. We did not make it to De Halve Man, but enjoyed Bourgogne de Flandres. On the ride to Germany we stopped at Bierhalle Deconinck for to go Drie Fontenein and others. I was very impressed with the USA beer selections as well: Jester King, Westbrook, Prairie, Jackie O's, etc.

    No beer stops per se in Heidelelberg. We went to the Volksfest in Stuttgart though and had an absolute blast at the Sonja Merz Zelt tent. The liters of beer went down quickly and it didn't take long for us to get up dancing on the benches and making up lyrics to the house band's songs. Brought back a number of bottles and thankfully no casualties. Can't wait for the next trip over![​IMG]
     
  14. Axic10

    Axic10 Maven (1,386) Mar 15, 2008 New Jersey
    Trader

    Sounds like an awesome trip. My wife and I did Amsterdam and Belgium last year and I fell in love with Bruges. I really enjoyed the night we found De Garre, that might have been one of the best drinking "events" I've ever had.
     
  15. jesus_man

    jesus_man Devotee (373) May 8, 2015 North Dakota

    Sounds like a great trip! I think you made a smart move taking advantage of your friend who is stationed in Europe! We lived there for 4 years and while we had quite a few guests, there were so many that said they would, but never did. Truthfully their loss. On Ramstein Air Base, there is a Belgian Support unit that opens their bar every Thursday (?) to enjoy what they have on tap for a good price. Also in the area is a great restaurant called De Belgian Bistro and he has an amazing selection of Belgian Beers. If your buddy hasn't already, have him check those out.

    It's too bad you didn't make it to De Halve Maan. I LOVE their quad. and the tour can be great with the right guide. We never had a bad tour there, but one lady made it really fun.

    I made a list of the best sources for Belgian Beer (mostly in Belgium), but I could pass that along to your buddy if he's interested. I do believe that Decononick was the best one-stop-shop I found.

    My two regrets are not going to Cantillon or Struise. But I did make quite a few Belgian Beer fests.
     
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