Liège - Saint-Lambert & Montagne de Bueren

The steps of Montagne de Bueren

On our Wednesday visit, we reached the Saint-Lambert area after a long walk from our accommodation in Angleur stopping at Liege Guillemins station to buy a Le Tec bus / tram multi-journey ticket.

(8 trips for €9.70. NB Fare increase on 1/2/2026: 6 trips for €13.40).

From there we crossed the River Meuse by pedestrian bridge to the island for a visit to the Robert Doisneau photographic exhibition at Museum La Boverie named after the island.

Photo of Georges Simenon by Robert Doisneau (1961)

A power cut interrupted our visit and this also prevented any service at the Madame Boverie sandwich bar inside the museum which serves local bottled beers.

Casa Ponton

After leaving, we walked north, recrossed the river Meuse and eventually found refreshment at Casa Ponton.

On the corner of Rue de la Cité and En Neuvice, the busy cafe features tables with an inset chess / draughts board.

There is colourful artwork above the bar with the windows of Casa Ponton featuring in the central panel, a stylised aerial view of the street corner at night.

The industrial history of Liège is referenced with framed black and white photos on the walls. The black metal bar stools and the overhead ventilation system matches this theme and contrasts with the brown cafe style.

There are 10 draught beers with local options including Tripick, Brasserie La Bestiale, Badjawe (Brasserie Cooperative Liègeoise) and Prieure de Beaufays, an abbey beer brewed by Elfique.

Tim enjoyed Badjawe Blonde for his first beer of the day at tea time for Meg. Soul classics were playing including tracks by Sam & Dave and Bob & Earl. Some customers had small dogs with them including one with a loud bark for its size. 

Through the windows to the left of the bar you can see a cast iron Montefiore drinking fountain and watch trams heading east from Saint-Lambert. La Batte, 150 metres to the east, by the river Meuse, is the nearest tram stop.

Casa Ponton and nearby La Fine Frite, both impressed 'Boak & Bailey' on their recent visit.

Heading north, away from the river Meuse, we resisted the temptation to buy a sweet Liège delicacy at 'La Petite Boutique' of Une Gaufrette Saperlipopette at Rue des Mineurs 7.

Wild Lab Liège

Thirty metres east from the top of Rue des Mineurs and slighlty set back at Rue Hors-Château 14, Wild Lab Liège was empty when we arrived at 5.15pm.

Following us inside, our host served us at the open bar. 11 of the 14 taps were connected. Tim's Cloud Drift, a 6% ABV Hazy IPA (€5.50 / 25cl), brewed by DosKiwis at their site, between Girona and the Costa Brava, would be one of his favourite beers on this trip.

Staying with the same style, his next beer, spotted in a fridge, was Ochtendnevel (Morning mist), a collaborative beer brewed by Kapsuul Beer Co (near Aalst) and La Source Beer Co. (Brussels). The 'drink in' price was €6.

The French hip hop style music sounded good with a decent sound system. Decor includes a high shelf of bottles and a display of hanging beer cans. There are blackboards with food options and event dates. The toilets are distinguished by male and female puppets suspended above. By the time we left at 6.45pm the bar was reasonably busy.

Wild Lab was the first stop on Jezza's September 2025 visit to Liège. His @bonvoeux1 Bluesky post about the 'excellent place' includes 4 photos.

We passed the daunting steps of Montagne de Bueren on the 250 metre walk to our next bar.

Sauvage

Turning left at the foot of the Montagne de Bueren steps we passed Brasserie {C} (closed on Wednesdays) and followed the passage to reach Sauvage at Impasse des Ursulines 3.

We found a table between the entrance and the bar. Service here was fast and attentive. A range of sour beers is available but Tim made the obvious choice of Curtius Classic as the bar is part of Brasserie {C}. 

For an upmarket style place in an historic building, the €4 price seemed very reasonable.

We returned to the Montagne de Bueren on Thursday. Instead of walking up the steps we caught a Le TEC 38 bus from Place St-Lambert (Quai D) to Hospital de la Citadelle.

From there it was all downhill, passing the brutalist 14th Line Regiment monument before reaching the top of the steps.

Brasserie {C}

Entering Brasserie {C}, we looked in at the bar but were then directed to a restaurant area in a courtyard with a temporary covering and hot air blowers. 

There was a sloping floor in this area and we could see the bar from our table.

The beer menu included the Sauvage range of sour beers. Tim enjoyed Brasserie {C} Smash Crush with cherry and raspberry flavours. €4.50 25cl.

Upstairs at Brasserie {C}

Before leaving there was a chance to visit the two indoor rooms on ground and first floors which were warmer and quieter but had a little less character.

Downstairs at Brasserie {C}

It was 3pm when we left and the afternoon light was illuminating the steps at Montagne de Bueren.

Another Liège landmark earmarked for a visit was the Roger Lenertz sculpture of Georges Simenon sitting on a bench at the Gare Léopold bus terminus near Place Saint Lambert. This was 600 metres away.

Naturally, the author of the Maigret novels is holding a pipe in his hand!

Other Liège posts on Beer Europe blog include: Liege 2025; Liege Guillemins & Angleur (2026); Liege - Saint-Paul & University (2026)

Portishead pubs - July 2021

 

Many people have heard of Portishead, perhaps from M5 motorway signs or from the eponymous trip hop band who released Dummy in 1994.

However, apart from Bristolians and sailing / boating types, not many people have visited the town on the Severn Estuary just west of Avonmouth, where the river Avon reaches the sea.

Thursday 1 July 2021

We arrived in Portishead after a mainly rural ride on the top deck of a bus from Bristol, passing Ashton Court with a slow ascent of Rownham Hill and later crossing the M5. After a walk from the bus stop we reached the Lake Grounds and then the Esplanade giving views of Portishead Point lighthouse and the yellow-painted walls of the Open Air Pool.

The Royal Inn

Instead of following Woodlands Road we opted for a walk on the quiet footpath through the woods which also leads to the impressive Royal Inn. A one way system was operating and after entering through the main door and signing in we were shown to a table in the spacious garden at the edge of the woods.

I ordered Butcombe Original from a choice of two cask ales where Doom Bar was the alternative. It's always nice to see a beer served in the correct glass but on this occasion my glass may either have been old or not entirely clean inside, judging by the line of air bubbles seen near the top.

However, the 4% abv beer looked and tasted good. Living in Bristol, Boak & Bailey recently eulogised over a pint of Butcombe in a blog post Pubs and beer all spick and span 'Leafy hop character, cracker-crust malt, a hint of rustic mystery from the yeast… A great way to break the cask fast'. This post was illustrated with a more recent version of the Butcombe glass etched with 'Truth in every taste'. With table service and its wonderful setting overlooking the Severn Estuary, £4.40 pint seemed reasonable for a pint at the Royal Inn which caters mainly for diners.

Portishead Marina

Heading down Pier Steps towards Portishead Lifeboat Station, there was an opportunity to get a photo of Portishead Pier and the dockside cranes of Royal Portbury Docks beyond.

A large lock separates Portishead Marina from the Severn Estuary and it was filling with water as a number of expensive-looking cruisers were raised to the level of the Marina.

At the north end of the Marina, there are several shop units housing Mokoko Coffee & Bakery, a Co-Op and a community pub - The Siren's Calling.

There were tables and chairs outside the Siren's Calling but unfortunately it was closed due to limited opening hours and we would be heading back to Bristol at 4pm, the Thursday opening time. There are usually four local cask ales, eight keg beers and lagers and nine bag in box ciders available at the bar.

Half way along the Marina lies Hall and Woodhouse, Portishead (built 2012). The bar / restaurant was designed by architects Mackenzie Wheeler and was awarded CAMRA Newbuild Pub of the Year 2013. 'Designed to be highly sustainable, the building comprises a two-storey, fully glazed, concrete-framed structure, flanked with 28 recycled shipping containers that accommodate the private dining and meeting rooms, toilets, staff accommodation and Marina facilities'. 

There is also a Wetherspoon pub next to Lidl, near the southern end of the Marina. The Posset Cup had seating outdoors on two sides but on our visit this area formed a wind tunnel and so we passed by and instead caught a bus back to Bristol. 

Although we did not make the most of opportunities to visit the pubs in Portishead, it was fascinating to learn about the history of the area from information provided by Gordano Civic Society on a board by the Marina. The Marina, now surrounded by modern housing, was once a dock handling timber and supplies for the Albright & Wilson phosphorus plant powered by cheap electricity from a local power station.