Follow Fiorenza’s route this weekend as he provides a taster through some of Brussels’ finest craft places post-lockdown.
Article and photos by Nicholas Fiorenza
Belgian cafes opened again on 8 June, so on 10-13 June I visited cafes and taprooms in Brussels.
I started out at Brasserie de la Senne’s new taproom at Tour et Taxis on 10 June (photo above), followed by a a Different Creature hibiscus/blood orange sour at close by La Source taproom.
On 11 June Brussels Beer Project’s taproom reopened, so I came for a tasting board of their latest NEIPAs.
On my way to Moeder Lambic Fontainas I had a Belgoo at Le Coq, which has an ingenious solution to dispensing disinfectant.
Moeder Lambic is supporting Belgian craft breweries, with L’Ermitage at Moeder Lambic Fontainas starting on 11 June (and Verzet on 18 June), so I had a passion fruit Berliner Weisse from L’Ermitage.
My last beer on 11 June was at GIST: 100 Pokib YHP imperial stout brewed with pears and plums by Lviv brewery Pravda Beer Theater, one of the breweries at the BXL beer festival in 2017 (see the Beer Idiots interview with Jenlain Delcourt of GIST).
I had my first meal out in at least two months at La Tana’s Carbonara Abstinence event on 12 June: mozzarella and wild broccoli, spaghetti alla Amatriciana, and tiramisu made with coffee stout, washed down by only two Italian beers and two German beers, all four on tap; Atrium’s Onyx imperial stout with orange zest and vanilla, and Cantillon whisky not distilled by the actual brewery.
This was followed by Brouwerij de Meester’s Meesteress with a kinky label at Beer Circus. The night ended with Northern Monk’s Grey Bloody Orange & Cinnamon Leaf Sour IPA at Dynamo and a Japanese red ale at Moeder Lambic Original.
The last day of my post-lockdown pub crawl on 13 June began with lunch at Le Corbeau with the beer of the same name and steak frites, followed by half a metre of Chimay Triple.
This was followed by an afternoon at Le Barboteur, with St Servais church looking good after its cleaning and without scaffolding.
My four-day post-lockdown pub and tap room crawl ended at Caberdouche’s terrace on Place de la Liberte with two beers from Brasserie Witloof, a brewery I don’t know: Boentje rye pale ale that has the bitterness of the Belgian endives the brewery is named after and Chipot saison with chipotle.
