[AzBruin]

Leaving Saturday for Amsterdam for a few days, then on to Brussels for about 2 weeks.

Will think about all of you while raising another glass!

[Slowbrew]

Leaving Saturday for Amsterdam for a few days, then on to Brussels for about 2 weeks.

Will think about all of you while raising another glass!

Have fun!  Brussels is  a beautiful city.  Take a day trip out to Brugges if you're there for 2 weeks.  It's a very nice ancient town/tourist magnet.

I haven't been to Amsterdam.

Paul

[denny]

2 things I highly reccomend in Brussels....the Musical Instrument Museum and especially this beer and chocolate walking tour....https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g1136493-d12863472-Hungry_Mary_s_Famous_Beer_and_Chocolate_Tour_Brussels-Ixelles_Brussels.html

Not only great chocolates and beer (and lots of both!) but Adrian, the guide has lots of info about the architecture and history of Brussels.  Great tips on which bars to avoid, and you go to some of the historic bars of Brussels. 

[AzBruin]

Thanks for the link, Denny. Will be working, most likely night shift, but that might leave some daylight time for exploration

[Pinchart]

Don't buy anything around the Grand-Place,  the prices are high for tourists (and don't go into a restaurant in this area,  everything is too expensive. )
For bars:
- Moeder Lambiek place Fontainas  (a lot of craft beers )
- L'atelier rue Élise (small but a lot of Belgian beers)
- if you don't have one in your city there is a Brewdog bar in front of Gare Centrale
- a myth: Delirium, impasse de la fidélité  ( 2000 beers) - close to Grand-Place

Don't go to La Bécasse.  It has been sold and the beers are now industrial ones.

If you want to buy beers, go to the Carrefour Supermarket in Kraainem. They propose 600 beers at à normal price.

And you MUST visit Cantillon. Close to this historical brewery, you have a craft one, L'ermitage.

Envoyé de mon SM-A500FU en utilisant Tapatalk

[spurviance]

 Brouwerij 't IJ in Amsterdam.   Small brewery with a great selection, best dopplebock I’ve ever tasted, lively crowd of locals, closes early.

+1 for the musical instrument museum in Brussels.

[AzBruin]

Well, the Brussels part of the trip is cancelled. The aircraft operator found hangar space in Amsterdam, so all the repairs will be completed there. I was really looking forward to the Brussels segment.

[Pinchart]

I confirm 't Ij Brouwerij produces very good beers. I didn't have the luck to visit it but I tasted their beers.

[NellyP03]

When you go to Amsterdam, definitely try some of the beers that originate from Holland, like Amstel, Dommelsch, Grolsch, Bavaria, and Heineken!

[Northern_Brewer]

Worth noting that Duvel have a stake in IJ, so I'd imagine you should be able to get them across the pond.

As for Dutch beers, don't forget Newcastle Brown Ale...

[BaseWerks Brewing]

I'm planning a trip to Belgium in the spring.  I'm considering going to Brussels and Bruges with a stop in Ghent perhaps. 

I would like to go out to Westvlerten to get some beer.  Has anyone done this?  How did you get out there?  It looks like it is about an hour from Bruges.

[Northern_Brewer]

There's a great thread here on buying from St Sixtus on HBT :
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/my-journey-to-belgium-to-buy-westvleteren.666899/

If you just turn up on spec you've got a good chance of being able to buy beer to take away from the café, and usually 12 will be one of the beers available for takeaway, and you can always drink the full range in the café.

It is in the middle of nowhere though - I'd brought my car across the Channel, it would be a pretty easy bike ride from Poperinge if you wanted to do that. (ditto St Bernardus)

Bruges is nice but very touristy, some great pubs though (and they are pubs not bars). Ghent a bit less touristy but nice, I'm not so much a fan of Brussels. Poperinge is lovely, has some interesting WWI history and a hop museum.

[denny]

I Form a beer and chocolate walking tour in Brussels that I highly recommendhttps://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g188644-d12863472-Be...

[spurviance]

I'm planning a trip to Belgium in the spring.  I'm considering going to Brussels and Bruges with a stop in Ghent perhaps. 

I would like to go out to Westvlerten to get some beer.  Has anyone done this?  How did you get out there?  It looks like it is about an hour from Bruges.

We rented a car when we were in Belgium to get to Westvletren and St Bernardus.  There's a Bed and Breakfast adjacent to St Bernardus that we stayed at, pretty cool as they had an honor bar stocked with their beer.  There was no additional fee to rent a car in one city and drop off in another.  Getting out of the touristy areas to see the countryside and the WWI museum were some of the highlights of our trip.

[denny]

I'm planning a trip to Belgium in the spring.  I'm considering going to Brussels and Bruges with a stop in Ghent perhaps. 

I would like to go out to Westvlerten to get some beer.  Has anyone done this?  How did you get out there?  It looks like it is about an hour from Bruges.

We rented a car when we were in Belgium to get to Westvletren and St Bernardus.  There's a Bed and Breakfast adjacent to St Bernardus that we stayed at, pretty cool as they had an honor bar stocked with their beer.  There was no additional fee to rent a car in one city and drop off in another.  Getting out of the touristy areas to see the countryside and the WWI museum were some of the highlights of our trip.

We stayed in Bruges and drove down to Westvletern. Took all back roads and it was a beautiful drive.