The Beer Idiots interviewed Joel Galy in early December as he was in full construction mode for Brasserie de la Mule at Les Ecuries van de Tram, Schaerbeek, a municipality in Brussels.
Galy was dressed for the construction work as we met in the converted building, which also houses a bio market. Galy has taken over the bar and an outdoor area, along with a section in front of the main entrance, which will have all of the brewing equipment in full display.
He is re-developing the bar area into a type of Brussels ‘brown cafe’ and the outdoor area as his dream ‘biergarten’, where he and a partner plan to serve up German-style beers and saisons brewed by Mule.
Galy worked for seven years at La Brasserie de la Senne, where he worked closely with Yvan De Baets on the brewing recipes and on the barrel ageing programme. He also spent a season at Cantillon.
His next gig was going to be with a brewer in Mexico, but that fell through with the advent of Covid-19. Instead he founded the idea for Mule in May and in November received the green light from Schaerbeek to go ahead at Les Ecuries van de Tram.
Galy plans on producing about 1000 hl of beer in his first year. The brewing equipment starts arriving in January and by February he plans on his first brew followed by a release of the beers in March.
The Beer Idiots will follow Galy through the process of launching Brasserie de la Mule so one can follow the trials and tribulations and successes of a start-up craft brewer.
Stay tuned for Part II in at the end of February.
