Video (above): Marc Vandepitte, president and co-founder of Brugs Bierfestival, updates us on the festival’s success, which he and two friends started 13 years ago.
The sign says “Brugs Bierfestival”, but are we really in Brugge (Dutch), Brugs (local dialect), Bruges (French) or Brügge (German)? In any case you are in a fairy land, which gets more spectacular by night, with the canal and all those cute brugs (bridges).
This year’s festival (1-2 February), the 13th edition, featured 600 Belgian beers (and one Italian brewer) from 90 brewers, the most it has hosted.
All brewers are invited by the festival organisers who try to favour the smaller brewers, mostly family owned, but now including the craft brewers such as Totem and Atrium. Big brewers are not invited.
More than 70% of the brewers are “very small brewers” says Vandepitte.
The greatest evolution is the number of people who have become interested in beer, says Vandepitte About 20,000 people attended over the two days of the festival compared to 4,000 when the festival launched.
Brugs Bierfestival is run by Brugse Autonome Bierproevers, the beer club Vandepitte formed with two friends 15 years ago. It now has 260 members.
Photo gallery: The 2020 Brugs Bierfestival (1 February)
Trailer bierfestival 2018 from on Vimeo.
