Antwerp - June 2025

On the annual trip to Antwerp for Beer Passion Weekend in late June, our group also visited Brussels and Lillo (Tim) or Ghent (Andrew, Keith, Richard & Simon) as described in separate posts:

Antwerp - Beer Passion Weekend 2025 at Handelsbeurs

Antwerp & Lillo by Waterbus 20 June 2025 + Ghent

As usual, we also visited several bars and taprooms in Antwerp during the trip including several favourites mentioned in previous posts. This post will start with a first visit to Station 1280 and include a few details of bars earmarked for a visit in future. 

Station 1280

In previous years, Station 1280 was always closed when an attempt was made to visit this bar, tucked away inside a neglected arcade of shops known as the Beehive, Winkelcentrum Oudaan, which lies just east of a landmark tall building, Politietoren.

Inside the main building, Station 1280 is next door to Uncharted Brew Co, a microbrewery which was closed as on previous visits.

Right: Andrew, Keith & Richard outside Station 1280

Having just met up with Andrew, Keith and Richard outside a favourite bar, Oud Arsenaal, which was closed this week, Station 1280 was Tim's first opportunity for a beer in Antwerp, the others having already enjoyed a beer at De Kroon van Hopland. On Thursday 19 June, Simon was still on his way to Antwerp.

Inside, there was a limited range of draught beers including some imported beers. The bar's current tap list with prices can be found on Untappd. Tim enjoyed Saison Dupont Biologique. Cheers to Richard who paid for our round of beers.

Bars to visit in future

The weather was very warm and it was tempting to stop at every bar but some had not yet opened and the temptation was resisted in other cases.

On the south side of Paardenmarkt, near the university, there are two colourful beer cafes that may be popular with students - Cafe Cousteau and Cafe Het Kleintje.

Bar Nest     +    Bar Noord

In the green area of Park Spoor Noord which is reclaimed railway land near the docks, with little shade to offer, there are two buildings which include contemporary spacious bar cafes with pleasant views and shade - Bar Nest and Bar Noord.

Near Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) and the docks are traditional warehouses including Felix Pakhuis which now includes a Wolf Sharing Food Market on the ground floor. There are various street food type kiosks and food / drinks are ordered online with a notification when ready for collection.

The draught beer range includes two Wolf beers - Wolf Blond and Wolf White both brewed at nearby Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie. Other beers include Cristal Pils and Triple d'Anvers.

Favourite bars and taprooms revisited

Panorama at Pelikaan with Simon, Keith, Andrew and Richard

Later on the Thursday evening, we chose Cafe de Pelikaan, on a Melkmarkt corner, near the cathedral, as a rendezvous for Simon. With tables inside, facing the bar, we were in a convenient position for service and to observe the constant activity behind the busy bar. The doors and windows were open on this warm evening. 

There's a good range of draught beers including Westmalle Duo and Tripel d'Anvers. Tim later ordered a local bottled beer not previously noticed - Bolder. This Antwerp brewed 7.5% Belgian Pale Ale, served in a delicate stemmed glass, was on the dry side and cost €4.60. A variety of music was playing including tracks by Nick Cave and Sam & Dave. On a busy Thursday night we stayed here until it was late before walking back to our various destinations, all quite near to the central station. 

On Friday, after a boat trip on the river Scheldt, Tim revisited De Ware Jacob and his visit to this favourite bar is covered in the Antwerp & Lillo by Waterbus post.

On Saturday, after Richard's traditional Saturday run, a double circuit of triangular Stadspark when in Antwerp, our lunchtime rendezvous was at the Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie taproom in Eilandje, the docks area. Tim's 9000 step walking route here was via Park Spoor Nord where Bar Nest and Bar Noord are located.

As one of the brewery's original crowdfunders, this visit is a tradition encouraged by Keith. We sat outside at a table with a parasol and went inside the taproom to order beers from the bar. New beers on this visit included Cadix Pils 'the only and original Antwerp Pilsner', a smooth and refreshing 5.2% ABV lager, not to be confused with Super Cadix, a dry hopped IPL variant. From the bottle, Martin's Populus is a limited edition 8% ABV lime blossom Tripel. 

However, draught Eilandje, named after the neighbourhood and now a regular ABC beer was Tim's favourite beer of those selected on this hot afternoon. It has tropical flavours and is an 'Antwerp interpretation of NEIPA'.

On the way to Dr Beer we had a look inside the historic Felix Pakhuis. However, after getting separated in the maze-like interior, both sub groups gave up on the idea of ordering a drink from the bar which is part of the Wolf Sharing Food Market.

Reunited at Dr Beer, Tim was excited to spot Boskeun, the strong Easter beer from De Dolle brouwers on draught tap 6. Apparently Boskeun is a childhood nickname given to Jo, one of the two Herteleer brothers and brewers, and means a hare. This would prove to be his favourite beer of the day.

Left: Simon & Richard + Right: (photo: Richard R) Tim & Andrew

While most customers, including Keith, Richard and Simon were outside, Andrew persuaded Tim to take advantage of a suspended cane chair for a unique seating experience! 

Jeroen Peeters arrived before our departure and Tim appreciated being greeted by the bar's owner just as we were leaving. 

Het Souke, on a corner of pedestrianised Hoogstraat, looked different with an A-board for LePlan outside and a Le Plan sign above the window. The translation of the words chalked on the A-board is 'More than 40 Antwerp beers' and several of these are from Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie as illustrated by the red enamel Seef sign at the entrance. 

Subsequent research revealed a March 2025 report that Erwin Liekens (41) is the new operator of Het Souke. Tim remembers visits in previous years when Jacob Gouka ran the bar with a friendly attitude and an interesting choice of music.

LePlan is the name of a relatively new brewery based in Westmalle linked to Dirk Vermeersch, a former rally driver who also owns a Rhone vineyard. Draught LePlan Extra 5 (photo above left) was Tim's first beer at Antwerp Beer Passion in Handelsbeurs on Friday, but the 4.8% ABV Blonde was too dry for his taste.

Near Het Souke and up the road from De Ware Jacob, De Vagant has been a group favourite for many years. Once it was the bar to enjoy flavoured Jenevers before or after a meal at De Groote Witte Arend opposite. 

Since May 2022, run by Bart Daems, it has become an uncluttered natural space with high windows and ceiling, a table reserved for chess and a well chosen range of beers including seven on draught. On Saturday evening, Tim enjoyed a bottle of Radio Minerva Tripel (€4), now a regular Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie beer which is named after a popular Antwerp radio station.

Antwerp - Beer Passion Weekend 2024

Overlooked by the Cathedral of Our Lady, Groenplaats is the setting for the annual Bierpassie Weekend in Antwerp. The 23rd edition opened at 5pm on Friday 21 June 2024.

Our group supported the festival for a few hours on the Friday (early evening), Saturday (mid evening) and Sunday (lunchtime). Tim and Simon were glad to return after missing the 2023 edition after finding out too late that we had booked travel and accommodation for the following weekend. Richard and Andrew were back as usual but Keith was missing in Germany this year. Paul, Jennie and Linda were attending for the first time.

L to R: Simon, Jennie, Paul, Linda & Richard 

On the Friday evening we found a table in Ben Vinken's Beer Sommelier bar which was less busy than usual. Ben and his friends sat at a nearby table smoking cigars.

Entrance to the Bierapassie Weekend costs 10 euros and includes a programme, tasting glass and two beer tokens (each with 3 euro value for a a 20 cl serving). Tim and Simon reused their old tasting glasses and simply bought 10 tokens for 30 euros to start off with. To access the toilets costs 1 euro. N.B. Bubble wrap or similar is useful for keeping your glass safe from one day to the next. 

In addition to Ben's bar in the marquee near the entrance, this year there were 16 brewery stands and 3 brewery beer trucks. Glasses are routinely rinsed or replaced before each beer is served. Breweries staff their own stands and at quiet times are happy to chat about the beers served.

A new stand this year was for Apropos IPA from Antwerp. Tom Snels and Bart Wynants from Cafe Apropos, Schermersstraat 33, near Mechelsplein and Leopoldplaats, a kilometer away. They collaborated with Brouwerij De Graal to brew their house beer, a blond 7.5% ABV IPA.

Le Plan-Vermeersch brought a beer truck to the festival. Taking its name from former Belgian rally driver Dirk Vermeersch, who subsequently built up a winery in France and more recently developed a range of Belgian beers.

Keen to try flavoured beers, Tim enjoyed a glass of Le Plan Beat, a 5% ABV red wheat beer with a hint of beetroot.

Dixieland Street Band

During the festival there are several performances around the site by musicians including Dixieland Street Band (Friday and Saturday) and Tussen Neus en Lippen, a Dutch brass band from 's-Hertogenbosch known for its Oeteldonk carnival (Sunday lunchtime).

'Tussen Neus en Lippen' (NL)

Staying at nearby Hotel National, Tim was the first to arrive on Sunday morning and his first drink of the day was Floris Framboos, a 3.6% ABV fruit beer from Brouwerij Huyghe, the brewers of Delirium Tremens. 

See you at Bierpassie Weekend next year? While Tim has only been a regular since 2016, Richard, Andrew and Simon have been attending since the festival started and have the t-shirts to prove it!

The festival programme reveals that the 24th Bierpassie Weekend in 2025 is moving to a new venue indoors - the historic Handelsbeurs building. Once a commodity exchange and later a stock exchange it is now part of an events venue.