Antwerp - June 2026

Groenplaats and Cathedral 

A visit to Antwerp in June, to coincide with the BierPassie Weekend festival, has become an annual tradition for a group of beer loving friends.

On this weekend in 2026 the temperature was very hot and there was a dramatic thunderstorm with torrential rain late after midnight on Saturday 20 June.

Richard, Andrew, Simon and Keith - Groenplaats (a previous festival location) 2016

Although the beer cafes, bars and taprooms visited were new to some in the group, (writer) Tim had previously featured them all in posts on Beer Europe dating back to 2016. To avoid duplication, this post will focus on any aspects not previously featured and include links to recent relevant previous posts.

Six arrived in Antwerp on Thursday 18 June and Tim was the first to arrive at Oud Arsenaal. Simon travelled a day later as in previous years.

The few tables inside the small traditional beer cafe at Maria Pijpelincxstraat 4 were occupied but Tim found a free terrace table where Richard and Keith would soon join him.

A draught De Koninck Bolleke is the standard local beer to start any Antwerp visit. Andrew joined us later with tales of an early morning walk to Fleet station and a heat-induced mishap on his way to join us.

We all appreciated the appearance of the remaining pub cat (Hoegaarden?) who took up residence on the bench by our table. See Antwerp 2023 - revisits for interior photos of Oud Arsenaal.

De Ware Jacob, at Vlasmarkt 19, was reached with a walk via Oudaan and Vrijdagmarkt. Other routes are available and may be more direct as I was reminded! Guy advised us that due to a recent incident, he had been advised by the police that Avec les Bon Voeux should be withdrawn from sale during hot weather.

Andrew, Richard, Tim and Keith - Thursday (Photo: Keith)

We took up Guy's suggestion of draught Brasserie St-Feuillien Belgian Coast IPA as an alternative. Paul and Jennie met up with us here after a meal. On leaving Guy suggested that he could possibly connect a keg of De Ware Jacob if we returned. 

Four of our group returned to De Ware Jacob late on Saturday night after being turned away at Billie's Bier Kafeteria because they were closing up.

Richard, Keith, Simon - outside DWJ (Saturday)

Guy disappeared into the cellar and soon afterwards brought us glasses of draught Avec les Bon Voeux. The price had not increased since my last visit (€5) and we all enjoyed this 9.5% ABV Brasserie Dupont beer.

Before leaving Tim presented Guy with the first two editions of Berkshire CAMRA 'Pubs & Pints' magazine. Guy posed for a photo to show the shelf where magazines are available for customers to browse. See Antwerp 2022 - Hoogstraat area post for more photos of De Ware Jacob and pages from the beer menu that includes bottles and cans from all the independent local breweries.

Paters Vaetje was the third traditional beer cafe we visited on Thursday evening. It was still hot so we sat at tables on the terrace by the cathedral.

From the limited food menu, we ordered dishes includng Croque Monsieur, cheese cubes, salami slices (large portions) and lasagne. Tim ordered the Wisseltap (guest draught beer) -  Antwerpse Brouw Co Eilandje which was served in a Seef glass. For exterior and interior photos see Antwerp revisits - June 2024 post.

The fourth traditional bar we visited was Cafe De Pelikaan at Melkmarkt 14 on the corner with Lijnwaardmarkt.

We found a table on the rear terrace shaded by flowering Linden / Lime trees and offering glimpses of the cathedral. This location has replaced Dageraadplaats in the Zurenborg district (called 'Argument Square' by our group) as the late rendezvous. We gathered here again on Friday and Saturday nights and came up with  'Assertion Square' as a possible alternative nickname. Further suggestions are welcomed!

The limited beer menu of about 20 beers is printed on a solid board. Note that hot drinks may not be available late at night but Tim did have one black coffee here (€3).

Chimay Tripel (bottle), La Chouffe (draught) and Tripel LeFort (wisseltap) were also enjoyed at Cafe de Pelikaan. For photos of the exterior (viewed from terrace), bar and floor tiles see Antwerp - June 2019 post.

Before BierPassie Weekend festival opened on Friday at 5pm, there was an opportunity to visit some brewery taprooms in Antwerp.

Having visited Cabardouche Taproom for the first time in April, Tim was keen for the rest of the group to also discover it.

After a journey on a hot and crowded bus to Borgerhout Stenenbrug it was a relief to reach the shaded space of the taproom under the railway arches at Engelselei 254, just past the arch housing the brewery.

A Caffenation flat white coffee is now Tim's regular first drink here. When Andrew (now nursing a cold), Richard and Keith arrived, it was time for the first beer of the day, draught Cabardouche Vinnig Meike, a 6.5% ABV Hazy IPA (33cl €5.50).

This fruity beer was selling well in the bottle so has been added to the draught beers list. Simon arrived later and there was time for another round of beers. Taking advantage of the table's position next to the shelf of games, Keith showed us a card trick with a Chimay branded pack and we also looked at the Chouffe version of Jenga. With its relaxed atmosphere, good service, music and drinks, Tim wasn't surprised when the others agreed with his high opinion of Cabardouche Taproom.

See the April 2026 post for more photos including the Antwerpen cafestad beer cafe trails poster in transport map format which hangs on a wall in the upper level.

The De Koninck brewery site is being redeveloped and beers like Bolleke and Tripel d'Anvers are now brewed outside Antwerp at the Duvel Moortgat brewery but the De Koninck Bar and Shop remains open as a showplace and outlet for their beers and it is possible to take an interactive tour of the site.

Keith was keen to visit De Koninck and De Lijn bus 30 provides a regular connecting service  via Antwerpen-Berchem station and Cogels-Osylei, a street in the Zurenborg district, lined with impressive villas and mansions.

Keith, Richard, Simon and Andrew at De Koninck + Tripel D'Anvers

We arrived at 3.30pm just after a coach party had left. Tables had been cleared, service was prompt and we could sit at standard height tables and avoid the high tables at the back of the room. The wooden floor is nice but the grey walls are a disappointment. Tim enjoyed draught Tripel d'Anvers in a stemmed glass that features iconic Antwerp buildings. See Antwerp - March 2026 post for exterior and more interior photos.

The Special Belge Taproom opens at 4pm on Fridays and we arrived there at 5.15pm after a short walk from De Koninck in the heat of the late afternoon.

Tim's first beer - Bleeding Hoppy Heart v2 Blood orange infused IPA 

Thankfully, it was cool inside the large space that includes Untappd menu screens, long tables, the brewery vessels behind a glass partition and the bar with horizontal tanks of beer above.

Each round of drinks needs to be paid for individually here and we stayed for three as everyone liked the place with its wide range of beers including several brewed by Special Belge like Bleeding Hoppy Heart v2 and Al Blondy. For more exterior and interior photos see Antwerp - March 2026 post.

Finches on stage at Handelsbeurs (Friday)

Tim didn't arrive at Handelsbeurs on the Friday night of the 25th BierPassie Weekend festival until 8pm. Entrance is free but some €4 tokens were purchased in order to obtain beer from the stands in a Beer Sommelier 15cl (Ritzenhoff) tasting glass saved from last year's festival. Entrance to the festival and programmes are free. A 'starter pack' of 5 tokens and tasting glass costs €25.

If you have the misfortune to break a glass during the evening, it's quite likely that a kind person will notice and offer you theirs, if they have finished drinking, as no refunds are given for glasses. Top tip - bring bubble wrap for your return visit.

Paul and Jennie had arrived earlier and it was possible to sit facing them at one of the long tables in the centre of the impressive hall. 18 brewery stands are arranged around the two long sides in the raised area behind the pillars.

Saturday's musical entertainment was provided by Optreden Lazy Jazz Men Band. Banners on each side of the stage feature Ben Vinken, Beer Sommelier and festival organiser.

Ben Vinken's latest book is about Belgian beer styles.

Simon, Richard and Andrew in festival t-shirts on Saturday evening

Further visits to Handelsbeurs for the weekend festival were made on subsequent days and hopefully the festival will return to the venue in June 2027 showcasing new beers from the participating breweries. Perhaps Tim will buy the festival t-shirt and avoid breaking another glass in 2027!  For more photos of the festival at Handelsbeurs see Antwerp Beer Passion Weekend 2025 post.

The Saturday lunchtime rendezvous was Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie taproom and beer garden at Eilandje.

On another very hot day Richard had completed a circuit of nearby Park Spoor Noord, a new park created from reclaimed surplus railway land, and was obviously thirsty.

Richard, Andrew, Simon and Keith

A table near the bar inside the two-level brewery taproom space provided shade but there was constant background noise from an industrial fan on the brewery side. Beer prices are reasonable e.g. 33cl Seef bier €4. A new beer from the brewery is Antwerps Witbier 'an homage to Pierre Celis', for the same price. NB When ordering and paying at the bar by card, there may be a preliminary screen for adding a tip to the payment.

The brewery was set up with the help of a crowdfunding process in 2016, which Keith participated in, after meeting brewery owner Johan Van Dyck at Bierpassie Weekend 2016 and sampling the initial beers. A brick with his name on was a reward offered but this was changed to a board on the upper level listing names of the orginal crowdfunders. Andrew and Richard took photos to record his initiative ten years previously. See Appendix for details of Keith's recent brewing award. 

See Antwerp - June 2025 post for more photos of Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie bar and beer garden taken on another hot day, a year previously.

MAS

Passing the MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) en route, our next destination was Dr. Beer 'the cosiest bar and beer shop in the world'.

A blackboard on a shelf near the bar lists the current draught beers which change regularly.

Tim would try tap 3 - Signal to Burn brewed in Antwerp by Uncharted Brew Co. an American IPA brewed in collaboration with De Mortselarij.

Seating options include two hanging chairs by the front window and this year it was Keith and Richard's turn to try them.

Others found a shaded table outside with a view down Adriaan Brouwerstraat towards the river Scheldt. Again, see Antwerp - June 2025 post for more Dr. Beer photos including last year's draught beers list and one of Tim and Andrew in the hanging chairs.

Appendix 

Resident in Germany, Keith Moore entered a beer in the '4% ABV and under' category for the 2025 MDHT (Mitteldeutsche Hobbybrauertreffen, or middle-Germany hobby brewer meeting) which was held in Leipzig that year. Based on Fuller's 'Discovery' blonde beer, his beer was awarded first prize for the category.

Keith writes:

I call my beer Entdeckung, which is German for Discovery. It's the same beer for which I won the Mainzer Craftbiermesse 2018, and was brewed by Kuehn Kunz Rosen, a brewery in Mainz in 2019 for the Fest that year. Sadly the organising company didn't survive Corona.

The original was dry hopped with an American hop, which tasted similar to East Kent Goldings. I do mine with more typical American hops (Simcoe and Amarillo, though sometimes do variations).

The annual MDHT is supposed to be in the middle of Germany, so everyone can get to it, but it's generally held wherever someone is prepared to do the organisation.