Beer in Brussels - Sunday 3 July 2022

 

Simon and Tim travelled from Antwerp to Brussels Midi by train and then walked through a busy Sunday market and then along Avenue de Stalingrad to reach Cafe Bebo at its northern end, where it joins Place Rouppe.

While Tim checked into economical and nearby Hotel Barry, Simon enjoyed a glass of Duchesse De Bourgogne at a pavement table. (Simon's luggage had already been deposited at the station in readiness for his evening departure by Eurostar to London).

It is only a short walk from Place Rouppe to Place Fontainas.

Tim's first beer in Brussels would be served inside at Moeder Lambic (Fontainas) where it was not busy and the background music was mainly Europop.

While Simon (above) enjoyed a glass of Quetsche Tilquin, Tim enjoyed a glass of Troubadour Magma NEIPA. These were poured from two of the forty or so taps.

There are now two banks of taps at the back of the bar and two more banks on the bar itself. 

With so many taps for a wide choice there are few bottles listed on the daily beer menu.

It is now 'bar service' and it appears there are no longer any handpumps at Moeder Lambic for cask beer. Some seats near the entrance have been removed to make way for a raised and tiled space, perhaps intended as an open storage area? 

Moeder Lambic (Fontainas) must surely be an essential destination for any beer enthusiast's Brussels visit.

With an evening train to catch, Simon was keen to visit nearby Poechenellekelder and enjoy a lasagne meal in advance of our friends, who were catching a later train from Antwerp to meet up with us at Brasserie de la Mule.

Situated near the Mannekin Pis tourist hotspot, all the tables in the courtyard were taken so we sat inside, near the stairway leading up from the entrance, with music from a talented singer-guitarist just outside providing a good background.

From the extensive beer menu, Simon chose Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers Oerbier and Tim chose Orval (after finding that V Cense from Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille was not available).

Our drinks were professionally poured and served with a small bowl of complimentary snacks. Simon could not finish his lasagne, served with a generous basket of bread so Tim also had something to eat before his evening meal! As usual, Poechenellekelder did not disappoint and is another essential Beer in Brussels destination.

On the way to the tram stop to take us to Schaerbeek, we walked up Rue du Chene and passed Gist and the statue of Jacques Brel at Place de la Vieille Halle au Bles. Tim would revisit Poechenellekelder and Gist in the evening. 

Tram 92 runs from Palais to Pogge and we arrived at Brasserie de la Mule, 95 Rue Reubens, soon after 5pm.

The building was once a tram depot and stable for the horses that once pulled them. The courtyard furniture is made from wooden pallets and cable drums. Tim's first beer (above) was Straight Saison (6% ABV) served in a tall wheat beer style glass with good value at 5 euros for 50cl.

It was good to meet up again with the 'usual suspects' from Antwerp although Dave had travelled on to Amsterdam instead. Out of service trams are still stored behind the old tram depot - as visible in the photo.

Inside, the Bar de la Mule is a large space with a vaulted ceiling and seating areas at both ends. Table football can be played at the end which leads to the courtyard at the side.

Brewery vessels and the canning line can be seen before entering the bar area and when leaving. 

With a train to catch, Simon was the first to leave. Before the rest of us left at 7.30pm there was time for another tall beer (an amber coloured Hefe Weisse Naturtrüb for Tim).

There was also time to speak to Guillaume who had single-handedly managed the bar all day. Tim left a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA Ullage magazine with him for customers to read.

Note that live music and other events are often held at Brasserie de la Mule and event details are updated on Facebook.

A photo opportunity for Tim (Thomas) as the group of four reached Thomas tram stop, at the junction of Rue du Progres and Avenue Philippe Thomas.

Tram 3, south towards Churchill, would take us to Beurs. Esplanade is the northern terminus on this route. Presenting an enabled contactless bank card to the reader onboard charges 2.10 euros for an hour's travel on the STIB-MIVB network. 

We passed some Tintin street art in Rue de l'Etuve, just south of Rue du Lombard, as we approached Poechenellekelder.

Tim was happy to revisit Poechenellekelder and to sit outside this time.

He chose Moinette for his first evening beer. This time there was no complimentary bowl of snacks to nibble. This Brasserie Dupont 8.5% ABV flagship beer was created in 1955.

Here's a photo of Tim's lasagne at Poechenellekelder from a 2019 visit. Once again it was a popular meal choice. Unlike the afternoon visit, there was no basket of bread accompaniment on this occasion. It was generous of Richard to pay for all our meals. He was feeling rich after patting a different pocket while at Brasserie de la Mule and discovering that the wallet which he had thought had been pickpocketed, while on the tram to Schaerbeek earlier, had not been stolen after all!

With its collection of wooden puppets, there is always something unusual to photograph on the route to the toilets at Poechenellekelder. These are reached after negotiating stairs up from the entrance and then down to the basement from bar level. 

It was deja vu again for Tim as the group walked up Rue du Chene but this time we would find a table inside Gist which was dimly lit. It was good to see a handpump in action here even though not placed in the most ergonomic position on the bar!

There have been several changes since a previous visit to Gist in 2019 when it was run by Jenlain and Jody - see previous post. The loud music from vinyl records has been toned down and the decor has changed.

The new decor includes cymbals as shades for lighting fixtures.

Gist is now an Untappd verified venue and details of available beers can be checked online. 

Tim received a 'Gist Brussels Family' badge after checking in his first beer (Blanche Cassis by Drogenbos) on the Untappd app (as timofnewbury).

Despite its name, Urine a 7% ABV DIPA collaboration between Brasserie du Borinage and Bastard Brewers tasted good and was served in a can shaped branded glass.

Although Gist was not busy later on, the helpful staff kept the bar open until the advertised closing time of midnight on Sunday.

Note that a range of Brasserie de la Mule canned beers, with colourful labels by AMMO illustration, are available at Gist.

Gist has become another essential Beer in Brussels bar to visit, especially for craft beer enthusiasts!

The regularly updated Brussels Beer City blog by Eoghan Walsh has more news about beer in Brussels and is highly recommended.

Eoghan's latest book 'A History of Brussels Beer in 50 Objects' includes #49 Brasserie de la Mule Hefe Weisse.

A review of Brussels Beer City

Originally from Ireland, Eoghan Walsh has lived in Brussels for around ten years. Eoghan founded the Brussels Beer City blog in 2017. He was awarded Best Young Beer Writer of 2018 by the British Guild of Beer Writers. Eoghan contributes articles to Ferment, Pellicle and other publications.

Based on his articles featured in the now-defunct Belgian Beer & Food magazine, Eoghan published Brussels Beer City: Stories from Brussels’ Brewing Past as a printed book and e-book with a launch event at Brussels Beer Project on 7 October 2020.

On 22 October, an online book launch event and drink-a-long with Eoghan Walsh was hosted by Breandán Kearney, Belgian Smaak on Zoom. The beers suggested to complement the Q&A session were: Zinnebir, Zenne Pils (both Brasserie de la Senne) and Cantillon Gueuze, all brewed in Brussels.

An introductory chapter ‘A Tumultuous Past’ charts the history of brewing in Brussels through its vanished breweries leaving Cantillon as Brussels’ sole commercial brewery for nearly two decades until Brasserie de la Senne opened their brewery in Molenbeek in 2010.

Subsequent chapters cover vanished breweries: De Boeck; Atlas; Vandenheuvel; Wielemans-Ceuppens; Leopold; Belle-Vue and Caulier.

Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier - near Brussels Midi station

An Epilogue ‘In search of lost beers’ describes a Sunday spent with Joe Stange on a mission to drink a beer from each of the last four centuries of Brussels brewing history – Boon Lambic, Cantillon Geueze, CTS Scotch and Zinnebir ‘a Brussels pale ale’.

‘Catch a Falling Star’, the Vandenheuvel chapter looks at 1958, when the Atomium was the centrepiece of Expo 58 in Heizel and the brewery’s Ekla Pils was the ‘star of the Expo’. Within a decade many of the 32 breweries supplying Expo 58 had been merged or closed. Vandenheuvel was shut down, by its new owner Watneys, in 1974.

‘Monsieur Constant’, the Belle-Vue chapter describes the career of Constant Vanden Stock as patriarch of the Belle-Vue brewery which transformed the Lambic industry and president of Anderlecht football club. Eoghan’s interest in the football aspect reveals that he ‘always wanted to be a sports writer’.

The slim book, illustrated with a photograph for each chapter, lacks a map. After tracing online the brewery locations mentioned, my interest in visiting the remaining brewery buildings or traces, resulted in the production of a rough map (below) to illustrate this article and to complement the book. The map’s key identifies the icons which indicate whether any traces or buildings of the historic breweries remain.

The paperback book and Kindle edition can be purchased at: Amazon

Brussels Friday 22 March 2019

The prospect of a first visit to L'Ermitage Nano Brasserie in Brussels and day trips to Mechelen and Leuven made a trip to Belgium by Eurostar, while the United Kingdom still remained a member of the European Union, something to look forward to in March 2019.

L'Ermitage Nano Brasserie, Brussels - decorated window to street.

Friday 22 March arrived and the first stage was to get from Newbury to Brussels via London Paddington and St Pancras International.

£6.25 Newbury to London (with railcard)

On previous trips the return fare from Newbury to London often cost more than the single fare from London to Brussels but on this occasion I had snagged an advance single fare of £6.25 in a Great Western Railway ticket sale.

London Paddington station - view from overbridge

Thankfully my train arrived at London Paddington on time. The view from the overbridge leading to the Hammersmith and City line station called for a photograph. With mainly electric trains instead of diesels nowadays the station is quieter and the air quality is better.

A walk through St Pancras International revealed that there were no queues for the Eurostar terminal so I headed for the Barrel Vault, the new Wetherspoon pub sited in the unit previously occupied by Marks & Spencer on the east side of the station with windows facing Kings Cross station.

There was time to order a small breakfast (£3.10) and coffee with refills (£1.80) while I waited for Simon to arrive.

Simon duly arrived and after breakfasting we joined the short queue for the 10.58am Brussels train at the Eurostar terminal. Despite Simon's intention to book a forward facing window seat we ended up with a rear facing seat and not much window. The train was full so there was no opportunity to move seats.

Brasserie de L'Ermitage

After arriving on time at Brussels Midi we walked to Brasserie de L'Ermitage, 26 Rue Lambert Crickx via Place Bara.

On Friday or Saturday a visit to this brewery and tasting room can be combined with a visit to nearby Brasserie Cantillon and is recommended. See L'Ermitage Nano Brasserie blog post for more details of the quirky decor, beers and brewery.

After checking into our hotel we caught a 51 tram from Bodegem south to Albert at 16:10.

We both used our pre-purchased MoBIB cards to pay for the journey on board.

Most of the trip was underground and leaving Albert station we headed for Parc de Forest passing Bar du Matin at Place Albert on the way.

Parc de Forest (panoramic)

It was a surprise to find that we were now in an elevated position with views towards Anderlecht from Parc de Forest. We noticed that there were plenty of people in the park relaxing in the sunshine.
We took a walk down towards the northern corner passing a group of fir trees with hanging parrots nests and noisy green parrots congregating.

A view from this side of the park included a variety of houses in Avenue du Mont Kemmel bathed in afternoon sunlight.

4,5,6 Ave du Mont Kemmel

We walked back up this road and spotted some decorative art nouveau houses at the road's highest point.

Moeder Lambic Original

After repassing Bar du Matin we walked down Rue Arthur Diderich to find Moeder Lambic 'Original' on the corner with Rue du Savoie.

Arriving here at 17:00 we enjoyed two beers inside at a chunky wooden table beside an open window. The hip-hop style music playing seemed a bit incongruous with the surroundings.

More details of our visit can be found in a separate blog post Moeder Lambic Original, Saint-Gilles which includes the daily tap list with three cask ales. A visit to this bar is recommended but note the 16:00 opening time on weekdays.

On leaving it was downhill again towards the Barriere roundabout which many trams circumnavigate.

Brasserie Verschueren

 

We walked north down Chaussee de Waterloo to reach Parvis de Saint-Gilles and Brasserie Verschueren arriving at 18:30.

The tables were busy but we found a narrow table inside the art deco style room with a view towards the bar. For details of the 'Bieres Maison' from De Ranke and Brasserie de la Senne that we enjoyed here and Pepsi the cat view a separate blog post Brasserie Verschueren, Saint-Gilles.

Brasserie de L'Union

Simon at the Brasserie de L'Union

A two minute walk east along the broad pedestrianised Parvis de Saint-Gilles led to the equally stylish Brasserie de L'Union on the corner with Rue de Moscou. There are black and white photo portraits behind the bar and the illuminated bar canopy is topped with a sign 'L'Union fait la force'.

The beer we both ordered here was draught Brouwerij Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet (8.4% ABV 33cl, 3 euros). The bad news was that it was not served in the brewery's own glass however it is a beer that I always enjoy drinking.

La Brocante

After a 1km walk north via Rue Haute along the side of the University Hospital we reached La Brocante, 170 Rue Blaes, on a corner of Place du Jeu de Balle, the site of the daily Marolles market (8am-2pm) where antiques and bric-a-brac can be found. It was now 20:20.

Less busy than the previous two brasseries we found a table near the bar and after spotting a promotional poster I ordered draught Brasserie {C} Smash (Liege Pale Ale, 6.2% ABV, IBU 26 - 'notre nouvelle sensation houblonnee') hopped only with Mosaic and certainly tasting hoppy.

There is an interesting sculpted city scene with a central tree behind the bar and a variety of enamel brewery signs. Music from a commercial radio station was playing.

The cafe even displays its own enamel sign which may not be as old as it looks?

The floor tiles are the same as at Brasserie Verschueren and La Brocante also has its own cat.
There was no opportunity to stay for a second beer here as it closes at 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Cafe Bebo

Instead we walked another kilometre to the spacious premises of Cafe Bebo, 2 Avenue de Stalingrad, arriving at 21:00.

We both ordered draught Brasserie Dubuisson Cuvee des Trolls which was served in the correct 33cl glassware. The 7% ABV, 19 IBU blonde ale, with dried orange peel added at the boiling stage, cost 3.50 euros here.

Poechenellekelder

 

After this beer we walked a further 500 metres, past Mannekin Pis to Poechenellekelder and were relieved to find a free table on arrival. I ordered lasagne as usual and draught Brasserie de la Senne Taras Boulba.

We stayed for another beer as there is always good service here and the surroundings are fascinating.

Moeder Lambic Fontainas

We left before midnight and stopped off at Moeder Lambic Fontainas on the way back to our hotel.

This is a different style of bar to the original in Saint-Gilles. Here you can rely on the same good service but with a larger choice of beers in a more contemporary setting. The six handpumps can be spotted half way along the back of the bar by the Cantillon sign.
Simon was especially impressed by his black IPA from Ghent's Dok Brewing Company - Sabrosura. This was brewed in collaboration with Madrid's La Quince Brewing and includes mango and Guajillo chilli additions.

We would return to Moeder Lambic Fontainas on Saturday night after a visit to Mechelen and there are photos from this visit at the end of the Mechelen meander blog post.

On Sunday we visited Leuven - more details in Leuven jazz festival blog post.

On Monday, before returning to the UK we visited some Victor Horta art nouveau buildings in Ixelles and revisited Saint-Gilles including a second visit to Brasserie de L'Union - more details in Brussels (South) blog post.