Belgian Beer Specialist

The wonderful, atmospheric new “Le Trappiste” in Brugge (Bruges) is already making fans from all over the world, despite opening just a little over a year ago. “The Trappist” first lured beer lovers on May 9, 2013, but it still feels new. Co-owner Regnier De Muynck has been a fixture on the Belgian beer scene…

One of Belgium’s great beer cafes just celebrated 31 years of business. ‘t Brugs Beertje (“Brugge’s Little Bear”) first opened on Friday, May 13th, 1983. Co-founder Daisy Claeys is still owner, and remains one of Belgium’s top publicans. I spent an evening at The Little Bear on Monday, April 21st, and it was thoroughly enjoyable,…

There are some beers that are hard to find. Brouwerij Lindemans straight draft lambic is one of ’em. A lot of people that haven’t tasted the non-sweetened beers from this brewery may not know how good they really are. Lindemans lambic is used by all of the lambic blenderies in Belgium in many of their…

There are a lot of old cafes in Belgium’s Payottenland and Zenne Valley that should be better known. Many have closed their doors in recent years, as older owners retire, and their cafes are sold or continue to be used as residences. One of them that may also close for good at some point is…

During my many visits to Belgium (27, so far!) I’ve had the pleasure of exploring many places that are far off the well-known beer tourist circuit. In so doing, I’ve had some of the most fun of my travels, and met some of the friendliest people involved in the Belgian beer world, and beyond. A…

I’m happy to say that I have a 3,000 word article about Belgian lambic beer and lambic cafes in the March 2014 issue of All About Beer Magazine. I cover a basic background on the style, as well as brewing and blending methods, and 17 great cafes where you can taste superb lambic beers. These…