Beer Europe

11 October 2026

Leuven 2026 (visits 2 & 3)

View west from Ibis Budget hotel towards Leuven railway and bus stations.

Previously visited briefly in January 2026 (see Leuven 2026 visit 1 post), we returned to Leuven, east of Brussels, twice more in August 2026. In each case, as Leuven was a 'stopover' to or from Brussels by train, Ibis Budget hotel was conveniently close to the station and economical when booked in advance.

View from Ibis Budget hotel towards Kessel-Lo (Frituur Station on the corner)

There are eastern views from the hotel in the other direction with a pedestrian underpass that leads to a low-level station entrance and access to the city.

Bars and taprooms visited will be mentioned in the same order as our visits with the first on Tuesday 4 August, before university students returned from vacation. Previously visited bars have brief descriptions but there is more detail for (final visit) Brouwerij de Coureur.

De Blauwe Kater

At Mechelsestraat 51, De Blauwe Kater (blue tomcat / blue hangover) Jazz & Blues cafe has a cat dressed in blue mascot on a shelf near the bar and a blue cat playing a piano keyboard image, as part of the main external sign, above the entrance. As on several previous visits, Tim enjoyed a Saison Dupont from a bottle (€5). It's a pleasant place to linger with plenty of music related decor including old posters and there is always blues or jazz music playing.

MALZ

Arriving at 7.30pm on a Tuesday, MALZ was not busy and we were able to sit on the sofa, just inside the entrance of the award winning craft beer bar. After browsing the bound menu, we ordered a bottle of Druppel Ipanema by Brouwerij Van Druppel, a microbrewery in Aarschot and draught Vollen Bak a farmhouse ale (6.8% ABV, €5.50) from tap 5 by Brouwerij Adept based at De Smederij nearby in Winksele / Veltem. The bar and both beers are recommended.

There are shelves near the sofa with a variety of books and magazines about beer including Op Cafe in Vlaanderen by Sofie Vanrafelghem which features 200 beer bars in Flanders. A copy of Berkshire CAMRA 'Pubs & Pints' was added.

De Metafoor

Located between the river Dyle and the Oude Markt, De Metafoor at Parijsstraat 34 was another favourite bar to revisit. It was quiet at 8pm on Tuesday. From our table near the entrance we had a view of the corner bar and the bookshelf over the trompe l'oeil cabinet and real sofa.

We enjoyed a couple of bottles from the laminated beer menu. Meg's Job (6% ABV) by Brouwerij de Kroon and Tim's Wolf 7 (7.4% ABV) by Brouwerij Wolf. Music playing included 'Back in the USSR' and 'Don't fear the Reaper'. If you want to be sure of a table here, visit during university vacations!

In den Ouden Tijd

After a first late night visit in January, we returned to In den Ouden Tijd for a final beer on both nights when we visited Leuven again in August. It's near the station and Ibis Budget hotel plus the offer of a 33cl glass of Stella Artois for €2.50 is good value.

There's a smoking room behind glass walls on the left and a Belgian two pocket billiards table on the right when you enter. The games machines and bar are at the back and this is where drinks are ordered.

Stella Artois is the obvious choice here although the beer list includes other good value options including Westmalle Tripel (€4).

De Reynaert

Back in Leuven on Wednesday 12 August, after seven nights in Germany, we walked to De Reyneart after checking in at the Ibis Budget hotel.

It had been closed for some building work the previous week. Since a first visit to this 'Oldschool kroeg' in January, De Reynaert has become an essential bar to visit although its location to the south of the city centre involves a long walk or a bus journey.

Draught Cristal (25cl, €2.90) was the obvious first beer after a walk on a hot and sunny afternoon. There is a small courtyard area at the back of the premises which was still sunny at 5.30pm.

Retiring inside later we found a table near the entrance with a view of the bar and blackboard over. A Trappist Orval and a Nen Doorzetter by De Firma (brewed by Craywinckelhof near Lubbeek, 12 km east of Leuven) each cost €5.

Brewed since 2021, the fruity and floral Nen Doorzetter (6% ABV) was a great local find.

Brouwerij de Coureur

After a bus ride to Kessel-Lo, on the other side of the railway tracks, we reached the Brouwerij de Coureur taproom, Borstelsstraat 20, at 7.30pm.

The wide entrance includes bicycle parking space and decor. The poster beside the doorway inside includes the motto 'Life is Brewtiful'.

The white-painted toilet block and bar are on the right as you enter.

We found a table at the far end of the long brewery / taproom area near the large window. There are regular and high seating options including stools at the bar. Quirky features include a QR code card holder formed from a bicycle inner tube and rubber bands, oversize bottle caps with mottos eg 'Beer is cheaper than Therapy' and a counter with beer drinking ducks.

Natural light also reaches the space from rooflights. The blackboard on the wall near our table suggests 'Keep cool and drink beer'. While others were preparing to view the solar eclipse, there was sunlight on our table and we failed to notice any significant change in light although this may have been due to the gradual nature of the phenomenon?

Grinta (33cl), Colleke (40cl), Souplesse (33cl)

We may have missed the solar eclipse but we didn't miss the opportunity to enjoy some beers at Brouwerij de Coureur!

From the printed menu on a clipboard, we chose Grinta NEIPA (5.4% ABV, 33cl €6), Colleke 'fresh & uncomplicated' Cream Ale (4.5% ABV, 40cl €4) and Souplesse Blonde Tripel (6.9% ABV, 33cl €5).

Before leaving, an hour later, a few new customers had arrived and there was a chance to have a quick look at the brewing equipment. It was good to get around to visiting Brouwerij de Coureur and although it is some distance from the centre of Leuven it is walkable from the station (1.5km) and Hal 5 (1.2km).

Hal 9, Kessel-Lo

Unfortunately, the Hal 5 branch of Falafel Habibi had closed when we walked past but there was a view of nearby Hal 9 where redevelopment work continues to convert the former railway workshop into a youth centre.

Meals and coffee in Leuven

On Tuesday 4 August we dined on Tibetan food near De Metafoor at Intertaste, Parijsstraat 7.

On Wednesday 5 August, we had breakfast and coffee at the Leuven station branch of Madmum.

On Wednesday 12 August, we sat outside Frituur Station, Martelarenlaan 17, for a simple meal involving frites.

Travel to and from Brussels and Germany

These were brief visits to Leuven (3) in August on the way to and from Germany, after and before Eurostar train journeys between London and Brussels (2). See the posts below for details of the German cities visited.

Dusseldorf
Hannover
Köln

04 October 2026

Köln (Cologne) 2026

We arrived at Köln Hbf on Sunday 9 August after travelling from Hannover on three trains.

The main body of this post will give a few details of the breweries / bars we visited in the same order. For details of travel to Köln, accommodation, cafes, places of interest and a side trip to Koblenz see the appendices that follow.

Gaffel am Dom

Gaffel Am Dom (10/8/2026 10.30am)

From the main entrance to Köln Hbf it's a short walk across Bahnhofsvorplatz towards the west end of the Dom (cathedral) to reach Gaffel am Dom on Trankgasse.

The entrance is between external pillars and under a big blue Gaffel Kölsch sign.

Carrying our suitcases and backpacks, we found a table near the entrance at 5pm on Sunday. The service at a Köln brewery restaurant is similar to its Dusseldorf equivalent with the main differences being that the main draught beer is pale Kölsch and the standard glass is a smaller 20cl measure. The scrubbed wood tables with ceramic pots for cutlery are a common feature.

The draught beers available are Kölsch and Wiess, which is served in larger glasses. The bound menu also includes English translations for the food menu with sections for Salate (salads), Schnell & Satt (Quick bite) and Hauptgerichte (Mains).

One wall of the long room features traditional enamel brewery signs above the wood panelling.

Brauhaus Reissdorf

After checking in to our hotel, we walked to Brauhaus Reissdorf via Alte Mauer am Bach (Old wall by the stream) a nearby street that passes the remains of a Roman wall.

Brauhaus Reissdorf is situated on the ground floor of a block of flats at Kleiner Griechenmarkt 40.

Typically, there was wood panelling and a distinctive overhead lamp. It was warm inside with all the windows open and no aircon.

The Reissdorf Kölsch was poured from a barrel on the bar counter and served by a different friendly Köbes.

The beer menu also includes Reissdorf Dröppche Naturtrüb (5.1% ABV) and a 0.4l krug of the cloudy and fruity Dröppche was the next beer ordered to go with a meal.

The publicity for this new beer on the table translates as 'You’ve got to know how to treat yourself -

Treat yourself to a Dröppche fresh from the tap.'

Hellers Volksgarten

There were great views to the south of Köln from the high floors of our hotel.

On Tuesday afternoon we walked down Ulrichgasse to get a closer view of Ulrepforte (above right), a 13th century gatehouse. On the way we passed a historic street shrine with a Pietà sculpture embedded in the old brick wall of the former Carthusian monastery at the junction with Kartäusergasse.

Hellers Brauhaus is near Köln Süd station at Roonstraße 33. From early April until late September, Hellers Volksgarten also serves food and Kölsch at Volksgartenstraße 27, by the boating lake in Volksgarten (People's garden).

Kölsch & Wiess

Arriving at 7pm on a Tuesday, we were able to find seats at a spare table (61). The draught beers are Kölsch, Wiess and Weizen.

We drank 30cl glasses of Kölsch (4.8% ABV) before our meal and Wiess (4.5% ABV) afterwards. Wiess is brewed using the same top-fermentation brewing process as Kölsch but is not filtered. Both beers are recommended.

Früh em Veedel

Sachsenturm - Severinstorburg

It took less than half an hour to reach Früh em Veedel, assisted by a one stop tram ride from Ulrepforte to Chlodwigplatz.

Near Ulrepforte, the Sachsenturm section of wall has been extended eastwards with a 'relief building' (Entlastungsbau). At Chlodwigplatz the 13th century city gate Severinstorburg has a tower above which is octagonal at the front and square at the rear. Früh em Veedel is the brick building on the right of the Severinstorburg photo.

Built where the demolished medieval city wall used to stand, the tavern was founded in 1879 as Brennerei (distillery) A. Hermann and taken over by Früh in 1979.

The original distillery equipment and fixtures were preserved by Früh. In the far corner of a rear room, there is a vertical metal cylinder with glass expansion chamber components that was once used to distil spirits here.

We arrived before 9pm and found a table in a side room that was quieter than the bar area. The floor in the bar area has a tiled floor and the side room has a wooden floor. The Kölsch is served in traditional 20cl glasses. The Köbes replied with an exaggerated 'Ja' after my effort of ordering 'Zwei Kölsch bitte' but he seemed happy to serve us promptly.

After our final Kölsch in Köln it was time to return to our hotel.

The northern entrance to Chlodwigplatz U-Bahn station is by escalators slightly left of Severinstorburg. We would take line 17 two stops north to Severinstrasse, the current terminus.

At platform level it was interesting to see the remains of the base of the bastion which was a further line of defence before the Severinstorburg which was only unearthed recently when the U-bahn station was built.

APPENDICES

Transport to Köln etc

Hannover > Altenbeken, Altenbeken > Hamm, Hamm > Köln

Because of weekend maintenance work on the German rail network we needed to take three trains from Hannover. In Germany we used the monthly DB Deutschland-Ticket (€63) which allows unlimited travel on regional trains (not ICE), local U-Bahn, tram and bus services.

Köln Hbf is just west of the river Rhein near the cathedral (Dom).

The railway station includes many food outlets and other shops including a FC Köln shop . Payment is required to use toilet facilities.Trams stop nearby and U-Bahn services can be accessed from Breslauer Platz / Hbf station with an entrance near exit on north side of the main railway station and Dom / Hbf with an entrance near Gaffel am Dom (exit from south side of the main railway station).

Accommodation

We stayed at the Premier Inn Cologne City Sud hotel. This was not far from the Poststrasse U-bahn station.

There are far reaching views from the 16th floor!

Coffee bars and meals

Hotel breakfasts are usually expensive and we enjoyed two morning visits to the branch of Reys Bäckerei & Cafe at Kleiner Griechenmarkt 81 just across the road from Brauhaus Reissdorf where we received friendly service and good value.

Evening meals were reasonable value at Brauhaus Reissdorf (Sunday) and Hellers Volksgarten (Tuesday).

Landmarks and places of interest

Art galleries in the city include Museum Ludwig which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026.

Colonius, a 1981 telecommunications tower at Innere Kanalstraße, north west of the city centre, was spotted from a train.

We came across another medieval gateway (Eigelsteintorburg) to the north of Köln Hbf on Eigelstein.

The Crane Houses were only glimpsed from a distance from a train as we crossed the (depleted) river Rhein. They are the three large buildings beyond Deutzer Brücke and Severinsbrücke in the photo above.

A trip to Hachenburg and Koblenz

River Sieg - view from train to Au.

To reach Hachenburg by train involves a change at Au. After crossing the Rhein at Köln, it follows the river Sieg eastwards to Au. A connecting train travels south to Altenkirchen where it changes direction, east to Hachenburg.

Roland, Meg and Christa by the river Rhein, Koblenz

Thanks to our friends Christa and Roland we were able to visit them in Hachenburg (Westerwald) on the Monday, take an interesting walk around lakes, stay the night and get a lift to Koblenz on Tuesday to be shown around the town where Christa had lived as a student.

A memorial plaque in Am Plan square by Heinz Kassung

The train to Köln crosses the river Mosel (Moselle) as it leaves Koblenz and runs on the west side of the river Rhein, via Bonn.

At some points there are good views across the river, which had a lower water level than usual due to the drought.

Leuven (Belgium)

On Wednesday we travelled from Köln to Leuven by train, changing at Aachen and Welkenraedt. See separate blog post (Work in Progress).