Books About Beer

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Not yet folks. In our dreams maybe. In the meantime, some essential updates…

Good Beer Guide Belgium – changes corrections and updates

Nothing stands still. The Belgian beer and café scene, like everything else in life is in constant flux. To keep your GBG Belgium up to date we aim to post significant changes here once a quarter. At least that is the theory. This posting took six months to appear!

What we will try to include

We will keep you up to date with corrections; brewery openings, closures and suspensions; café closures or downgrades; significant new beer cafés that we feel deserve publicity ahead of the next edition; significant new beer releases; and other interesting stuff. 

What we won’t bother to include

Marketing hype; one-off beers; most rumours; beer strength and label changes; altered opening times; and other boring stuff. 

What we need from you

If you know something we don’t please let us know by contacting us here.

Brewery closures

Bie’tje ter Doest

The brewpub spin-off from de Bie has not got off the ground. The parent brewery closed down its old location but has yet to brew commercially at the new site. They still say they will open later this year, which does not leave them long.

New breweries

Cosse NEW

Brasserie Cosse
Rue du Cimetière 73
4460 Grâce-Hollogne
T 04 239 06 92
www.brasseriecosse.net

Liège. Founded 2009. Miniscule. Brand new brewery seeking to water the socialist heartlands.

Regulars:

La Belle Ardente (7.5%) is a strong ambrée

Gruut NEW

Gentse Stadsbrouwerij
Grote Huidevettershoek 10
9000 Gent
T 09 233 68 21
F 09 225 23 32
www.gruut.be

East Flanders. Founded 2009. Tiny. A new generation of old hands set up in beer city no. 1.

Annick De Splenter’s family used to own the Riva brewery in Dentergem and if things had gone better she may well have been running it by now. Setting up her own brewpub in the centre of Ghent is proving a point. Determined to become a brewer with a different kind of product she has set to making beers without hops – the brand name refers to the herbal mix that ancient brewers used to flavour and preserve ale. A brown ale will follow at the summer 2009.

Regulars:

The range of Gruut beers are white and spicy Belgian Wit Beer (5%: ***), a quite accomplished and ‘different’ Blond (5.5%: ***/*); and still lightly hopped Amber Ale (6.6%: ***)

Hof Ten Dormael NEW

Brouwerij Hof ten Dormael
Caubergstraat 2
3150 Tildonk
T 0477 51 59 91

Flemish Brabant. Founded 2009. Tiny. A proper new farm brewery where they grow their own grain.

André Janssens was an accountant before he started brewing beer from home-grown malt in his ecologically sound smallholding south of Haacht, between Leuven and Mechelen. He has bought American kit to brew on a fairly serious scale for a newbie. We will watch his progress with interest.

Regulars:

The only beer we have seen thus far is a creditable amber ale, Hof Ten Dormaal (7.5%: ***/*) that clearly hit the ground running.

Triest NEW

Microbrouwerij Den Triest
Trieststraat 24
1880 Kapelle-op-den-Bos
T 0475 74 38 05
F 015 71 43 86

East Flanders. 2009. Miniscule. Brand new brewery with a tasting café.

Brewer Marc Struyf opened his picobrewery on outskirts of town, bang on the Antwerp border west of Mechelen. A brew run is 180 litres a time. He has five 200-litre fermentation tanks and one of 600 litres. He is set to make four regular beers, a blond, a kriek, a dubbel and a tripel, plus a Christmas beer called Triest X-mas.

Future breweries

The Wieze brewery of 70 Schrovestraat, Wieze (Flemish Brabant) (T 0495 53 22 38; www.wieze.be) is expected to get its license in the next couple of weeks (i.e. November 2009). Three beers are planned, all with the Wieze brand name. These are Tripel (8%), Blond and Bruin.

Struise Brouwers’ brewery is due to open in mid-November, along with a tasting room and tun cellar, though we have yet to be told if it will have a license for casual visitors. 

Café changes

ANTWERP

Baarle-Hertog: Brouwershuys

This long-standing café and off-licence closed in July 2009. Still up for sale as far as we know but not functioning as a beer house.

Beerzel: Dorp

No longer the local for ‘t Hofbrouwerijke beers.

Merkplas: Mart NEW

17 Markt (T 014 71 73 49 – shut Mo; Sa from 12.00; others from 11.00)

This classy 21st century café-bistro is not far from the main church of this small market town in the northern Kempen, 6 km NW of Turnhout, not far from the Dutch border. A good balance of food (to 21.00, 22.00 Fr&Sa) and drink.  60 beers include some authentic lambics and off-beat ales. Grills, scampi, Flemish classic, pasta and salads.  Snacks at lunchtime and pancakes in the afternoon. Amazing range of leaf teas too.

Sint-Katejijne-Waver: Café 206

This long-standing café and off-licence closed in July 2009. Still up for sale as far as we know but not functioning as a beer house.

Zwijndrecht: Violetta NEW

3 Kaaiplein (T 0475 89 49 64 – shut Tu; Su from 13.00; others from 14.00)

A large plain brown café run by a beer nut, easily reachable by the cycle path on the west bank of the Schelde 5km SW of Antwerp. Stocks 110 beers, including numerous gueuzes, regionals and Trappists. Table footie and smoke. Food limited to cheese. 

BRUSSELS

City Centre: Moeder Lambic Fontainas NEW

8 Place Fontainas (T not yet; Fr&Sa 11.00-02.00; others 11.00-01.00)

Just off Boulevard Anspach between Bourse and Annessens metro, the long-awaited city centre presence of the Moeder Lambic crew from St. Gilles arrived at the end of October 2009. Long, modern, light and stark, with a nine-metre bar sporting forty taps including six English-style handpulls used to serve lambic and faro. Two dozen beers from Senne, De Ranke, Jandrain-Jandrenouille, Kerkom, Slaghmuylder, Cantillon and Drie Fonteinen – and that is just the draughts. There are 150 in all.  Craft cheeses and charcuterie to keep you going. Beers of the month with come from different countries.

Jette: Gele Poraa

The beer list has dropped a lot so not worth the trek.

EAST FLANDERS

Ghent: Bierhuis Castel NEW

8 Koningin Maria Hendrikaplein (T 09 242 02 92 - shut We; others 11.00-23.00)

On the opposite side of the square at the front of St Pieters station, an obvious first and last stop for Ghent’s main rail link. A reliable rather than an exciting list of 150 beers and small menu of regional snacks. Assocaited with a small hotel too (www.hotelcastel.be).

Ghent: Gentse Stadsbrouwerij NEW

9 Grote Huidevettershoek (T 09 233 68 21 – daily from 12.00)

The idea of a large brewpub in a quiet canalside location in Ghent city centre may sound ridiculous but that is what you will find in the building that once housed the gas production plant for the city lights. As well as the three beers on draught there are light snacks including craft cheeses (12.00-14.30; 18.00-22.00) and occasional live brewing in the bar.

Knesselare: Poezenhoek

Apologies for listing this long gone entry.

FLEMISH BRABANT

Diegem: Groote Markt NEW

83 Oude Haachtsesteenweg (T 02 720 80 68 – shut Tu; Sa 16.00-22.00; Su 11.00-21.00; others 11.00-22.00)

Friendly, mauve-themed café-restaurant just off exit 3 of the Brussels Ring next to the city boundary. Cycling distance from Zaventem airport if you are feeling brave!  80 beers including Boon lambics, the Watou brewers and ‘t Hofbrouwerijke.  Good snacks and small meals too.

Vilvoorde: Apropos

Still in business and just as beery but now called the Preuverke.

HAINAUT

Blaugies: Saline

Sadly this flag waver for great beer in a regular bar has closed.

Charleroi: Corto

Still there but not beery any more.

Thuin: Impérial NEW

1 Place du Chapitre (T 071 59 84 59 – opening hours not known)

Attractive small town on the river Sambre 15 km WSW Charleroi on the way to French border, with a tram museum attractive hanging gardens. Closer to Lobbes station than Thuin. First and foremost a stately small town restaurant just off Place Albert 1er in the the old village centre. The beer list of 60 is hidden in the pleasant café downstairs. More reports please. 

Tournai: Cave à Bière

Changed hands, adopted the wrong path and closed – though there is a new beer bar in town (below).

Tournai: Cornwall NEW

14 Rue des Puits l'Eau (T not known – opening hours not known either)

Celtic theme, staff in kilts, drifts into Celtic folk, punk and heavy metal at times. The beer list of 120 with about forty serious ones from Rulles, St Bernardus, Légendes, de Ranke, St Feuillien and so on. Enough wood to feel Teutonic. Lots of long leather coats and bullet belts on Wallonian metallers’ night.

LUXEMBOURG

Florenville: Fond de Nanty

Appears to have closed.

Suzy: Stop

Closed for some months now without a buyer.

Villers-devant-Orval: Ange Gardien

Closed for renovation – possibly for some while. Will it go the same way as Westvleteren, Westmalle, Chimay and Achel’s taps? 

NAMUR

Beauraing: Beaulieu NEW

29 Rue de Bouillon (T 082 71 35 79 – shut Mo; others 08.00-20.00)

It is always a pleasure to welcome a new beer café in the real Ardennes. A small town 20km south of Dinant with this local bar serving snacks at good prices. 60 beers include one-year-old Orval plus other Trappists, Unibroue from Canada and a few more local brews. Its railway station is on the Dinant to Bertrix line. 

Ermeton-sur-Biert: Saint-Graal NEW

42 Rue d’Anthée (T 071 74 16 18 – shut Mo&Tu; Sa&Su from 12.00; others from 19.00)

Relais on the N951 south of the village with an impressive menu served in pleasant modern surroundings, accompanied by a beer list of around 80 mainly Wallonian beers, the vast majority in 75cl bottles. 20km WNW of Dinant, in the Molignée valley, along which run extraordinary (but hard work) rail bikes between Warnant and the abbey of Maredsous.

Namur: Chapître

This brilliant, ancient looking candle-lit café is closed and up for rent.

WEST FLANDERS

Bruges: At the Pub

Apparently aloof rudeness was just not enough to keep the customers satisfied, so it shut.

Harelbeke: ‘t Gaverhopke

The nearest railway station is Harelbeeke not Deerlijk, which closed in 1984!

Kortrijk: Klokke

Still going strong but has lost its special beers.

Leisele: Meuln NEW

70 Beverenstraat (T 0496 29 66 24 – shut We&Th; others 10.00-01.30)

Next to a large wooden windmill on the southern outskirts of this village near the French border, less than ten minutes from the E25 Dunkerque to Lille highway. An excellent new taverne-brasserie stocking 140 beers to enjoy with steaks, pizza and Flemish staples. Alternatively sit out on the large terrace and discuss life with the donkeys, Shetland pony, sheep, geese and black spaniel. Gentlemen should note the memorable urinal.

Middelkerke: Toogaloog NEW

7 Kerkstraat (T 059 31 53 13 – shut Tu&We; others from 16.00)

A great new café-bistro near the church at the inland end of Kerkstraat, a few minutes walk from the Casino on the road that comes in from the motorway. An intelligent beer list of 100 with regionals from all over Belgium and lambics from five or six top rate makers. Bistro food includes pasta, planks and steaks.

Nieuwpoort: Marée

Under new ownership and clueless about special beers.

Ostend: Gouden Leeuw

Was set to expand but appears to have closed instead.

Ostend: Bistronoom NEW

22 Vindictivelaan (T 0473 73 48 01 – shut We; Tu 10.00-16.00; others 10.00-22.00)

Straight in at the top for this superb restaurant by the yacht harbour in the centre of the seafront. Already has possibly the best list of 75cl beers in the Guide, with a healthy interest in rarer brews and smaller breweries – the list has 110 and counting. Restaurant license only but reports suggest the food is as good as the beer.

Poperinge: Paix

Now has a small hotel wing.

Belgian Beer in the UK

NORTH EAST

Darlington: Ale Cellar

This brave new off license off the beaten track has closed down sadly.

NORTH WEST

Altrincham: Mort Subite NEW

28–32 Greenwood Street (T 0751 296 9619 – Sa from 12.00; Su from 19.00; others from 18.00)

Under the same ownership as Trappiste and less that a hundred yards away. 250 beers and a touch of class. Reports please.

Manchester: Belgian Belly

The hardest working Belgian beer supplier in northern England ran out of puff and has closed.

SCOTLAND

Glasgow: Brel

The beer range has been expanded promisingly.

SCOTLAND

Glasgow: Brel

The beer range has been expanded promisingly.