Antwerp - Saturday 23/6/2018

After breakfast on Saturday, I walked about two miles from Hostel Pulcinella, Bogaardestraat 1, to the new Brouwery Cafe de Seefhoek, Indiestraat 21.

Turning left from fashionable Hopland into Kipdorp Vest, I stopped for a photo of De Kroon van Hopland. This bar opened in 1910 and was noticeable for its steel sculpture and crowned devil sign above the corner entrance.

My walking route also passed the impressive dockside Museum aan de Stroom (MAS), previously visited in 2016 and 2017. 

Looking north from Londenstraat's bridge, where tram lines have recently been laid, it is possible to see the Port House, formed of a traditional building straddled by an angular glittering new structure, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. 

On arrival at the Indiestraat 21 entrance to the Brouwery Cafe de Seefhoek, a tour group had stopped to hear about the history of this sizeable industrial building which also houses Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie.

A sign in the street indicates the entrance and that the Brouwery Cafe is open from Wednesday to Sunday at noon.

There are outside tables in the courtyard, some with shades.

Inside there are fermentation vessesl on the left, brewing vessels ahead with a bar in front and on the right a screen had been hung from a balcony to show FIFA World Cup games. Two photos were joined (above) to give a panoramic view.

The full range of Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie beers were available on draught. My first beer here was Super Cadix dry hopped lager, possibly named after Cadixstraat, the next parallel street to the south. This was reasonably priced at 3 euros.

As the others had not arrived at this rendezvous yet there was an opportunity for an indulgent selfie, to include the Super Cadix and highlight my Hop Stuff Brewery t-shirt and Allagash Brewing cap.

John, Simon, Richard, Andrew and Keith arrived in time for the start of the Belgium v Tunisia FIFA World Cup game at 2pm local time.

There was time to order other beers from the bar and the table top menu sheet gave a useful guide to styles, strengths and prices.

Keith Moore had participated in the Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie crowdfunding and this was a good reason for me to try the Crowd Funding Bier which was served in a chalice glass. This pleasant glass of 8% ABV Tripel Blond cost 3.5 euros. However, my favourite beer at the brewery on this occasion was Seefbier.

A technician made attempts to improve the quality of the image on the screen but with sunlight from the windows above he was fighting a losing battle. Happily for Belgium, they would win this match 5-2 although Simon and I departed at half time as an advance party for the Bierpassie Weekend festival. The yellow and green boxed area on the right of the photo (above) houses the toilets for the cafe. We were impressed by this cafe / taproom and with its helpful staff and interesting location in the docks area - it is well worth a visit.

We caught a No. 7 (blue line) tram from the current northern terminus 'Eilandje' to a stop near Groenplaats. Using prepurchased Lijn cards from De Lijn valid for 10 trips, each journey costs 1.60 euro.

BierPassie Weekend - day 2

Barry, Trish & Terry

Barry & Karen, Terry & Trish had arrived earlier at BierPassie Weekend and occupied a table on the east side of the festival enclosure at Groenplaats. Although Mark Geeson was not with us on this trip we had channelled his traditional snack provision service by bringing our own edible supplies for the table including an appreciated box of Ritz crackers. The festival was busy and it was nice to be able to sit down and rest our beers on a table. Thankfully it was warmer than Friday.

The BierPassie Weekend programme marks new beers to the festival with a red asterisk. Brasserie De Silly Green Killer IPA with dry hopping was the first of these to be sampled today, proving fairly bitter as appropriate for the style.

John, Richard, Keith and Andrew(Hilton Antwerp in background)

Eventually, the rest of our group turned up making our group ten strong.

Richard, Karen,Simon,Barry,Trish,Keith and Andrew

During the afternoon I enjoyed several good beers from the festival including Corsendonk Grand Hops and two beers from the Arthur's Legacy series developed at the De Hoorn microbrewery - No 13 Aerts 2016, hopped with Target and Golding and No 14 The boy from IPA.Nema hopped with Cascade, Simcoe and Target.

However, my favourites of the day at the festival were the Malheur 6 with spicy and citrus Saaz hop aroma and

Hapkin a powerful blonde beer with a floral touch of Saaz hop.

It is always entertaining to see different groups of drinkers pass by including stag and hen party groups. A disappointment to notice that the bride to be was offering wine and not beer to her group!

Our table was on the right side of the festival for listening to BigBand Ekeren playing lively music from the bandstand near the festival entrance.
As evening approached, Barry & Karen, Terry & Trish departed, to catch a train back to Brussels where they were staying. Their places at the table were soon filled.

CAMRA's Good Beer Guide Belgium suggests Billekletser, 22 Hoogstraat as an alternative to its former neighbour Antwaerps Bierhuyske which shut in July 2017. While I took 4 packs of beers from Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie and Brasserie du Bocq Saison 1858 back to the hostel, the rest of our group headed to Den Billekletser where I would meet them shortly.

In the basic corner bar of Den Billekletser, I enjoyed a flute style glass of Houblon Chouffe, the Brasserie d'Achouffe 9% abv IPA, hopped with three varieties.

The decor here included a framed collection of beer bottle tops.

From here it was only a two minute walk to De Groote Witte Arend, Reyndersstraat 18, where we all sat in the attractive courtyard and ordered 40 cl glasses of Kriek.
Our next stop, a few steps away, was a Jenever / Genever bar - De Vagant, Reyndersstraat 25, where I sensibly ordered coffee! 
On leaving, Simon and I persuaded the others to join us for their first visit to nearby Billie's Bier Kafetaria, Kammenstraat 12, where we would sit upstairs.

My last beer of the night at Billie's would be a Schelde Brouwerij Zeezuiper, a golden triple with notes of coriander.
The main group would now head to 'Argument Square' (Dageraadplaads) with late bars, like Cafe ZeeZicht, near their hotel (Tryp by Wyndham).

Brussels - Sunday 24/6/2018

A La Mort Subite faces Scott's Bar at Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères 2. The pizzas at Scott's Bar were recommended by Barry and Karen who had visited a few days previously. They also told us that the bar had a big screen and was screening FIFA World Cup games with English commentaries.

Our group had left Antwerp before the Sunday lunchtime session of Bierpassie Weekend in order to watch the England v Panama game in Brussels which kicked off at 2pm local time. My first beer at Scott's Bar was Maes Pils (2.20 euros / 25cl) and this allowed me to reserve a table with a reasonable view of the screen.

Once joined by the others it was time for a Blanche de Bruges (4.70 euros / 50 cl) served with slices of lemon and lime. This was a goal filled game which ended England 6 Panama 1. Several pizzas were enjoyed by our group although it was too early to take advantage of the Happy Hour offer.

After the final whistle we crossed the street to the historic and traditional A La Mort Subite. CAMRA's Good Beer Guide Belgium explains its name is derived from a dice game and was later given to a beer brand.

As on previous visits I enjoyed a glass of draught Mort Subite Peche (4.3% abv) with a flavour of sweet peach.

Andrew was still hungry and ordered a tomato omelette, served with a large slice of bread.

Richard, wearing yet another vintage of CAMRA Kingston Beer & Cider Festival t-shirt, checked his phone for distances to nearby bars. My CAMRA Good Beer Guide Belgium research had identified Brasserie du Lombard at Rue du Lombard 1, as a nearby bar that none of us had visited before. We walked there via Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, using the northern entrance to the arcade lined with exclusive shops. This arcade entrance is visible in the top photo (beyond the crowd of tourists).

We entered Brasserie du Lombard and found a high bar on the left with a range of fifteen fonts, several of which were out of service.

We ordered our beers at the bar and found a table on the right where a full height mural adorned the far wall.

Keith and Simon faced towards the entrance where they could watch the next FIFA World Cup game on TV. The chandelier light fitting on the left side of the bar was noticeable for the (Delirium) pink elephants above it. The proprietor was wearing the same design of navy polo shirt bearing a pink elephant as Andrew, something that will surely remain in our memories!

The art nouveau style beer menu was studied before the next round of drinks was ordered. This bar has a good range of bottles including a good selection in 75cl size that are hard to find.

During our trip, John's red moustache protector, seen here attached to a thin stemmed Silly Triple Swaf glass, had attracted much interest.

It was good to have a chat here with Keith Moore about his homebrewing. He is waiting to find out the style for the next contest at the 4th CraftBeerMesse in Mainz (23/24 November 2018), where his beer has previously won a prize. Keith had noticed that Bosteels Brewery Pauwel Kwak was available on draught at Cafe du Lombard so ordered this and it was served in the distinctive flask shaped glass in a wooden holder.

Simon ordered locally brewed draught Brasserie de la Senne Zinnebir. It was a relief to find that my choice of bar met with general approval. With its big windows on two sides and high celing it was a pleasant place to enjoy some Belgian beers, chat and keep up with the football. The proprietor was efficient if not exactly friendly. It was reported that toilet facilities were obviously not designed for large persons.

Moeder Lambic Fontainas (on right)

I would meet up with the group again, about an hour later, at nearby Moeder Lambic, Place Fontainas 8, after checking in at Hotel Floris Ustel.

This was the weekend of the Fête nationale du Québec event at Moeder Lambic. There was Quebec style folk music in one of the gazebos outside and draught beer was being served for the audience from a bar in a wooden shed.

Our group had found a booth with a view of the TV for the next World Cup football game.
As the last to arrive my seat was a stool in the aisle. As usual, I admired the design of this bar with its exposed brickwork, framed brewery photographs and suspended lighting. Keith pointed out that the grey seating sections for the booths were actually hollow and made from wood painted to match the appearance of the polished concrete floor.

Thanks to Andrew (centre) whose round included our 50cl measures of festival beers. Note that Richard had now changed into a red Kingston beer festival shirt.

I enjoyed my No Science Da' Funk (Single hop Zeus Pale Ale). The No Science website mentions 'this is not Belgian style / but we still put our Belgian touch in it' and gives the microbrewery's contact address as Rue Dieudonné Lefèvre 37, Brussels with opening hours as Fridays 13:00-16:00. This looks like a plan for a future Brussels visit!

Our final Sunday destination, in a rerun of the 2017 visit, would be Poechenellekelder, Rue du Chêne 5, near Mannikin Pis. We arrived to find Barry and Karen, Terry and Trish sitting outside. After some negotiation we decided to find a long table inside as the temperature was dropping outside.

Our table was near the bar, making our hard-working waiter's job slightly easier. We were also grateful to staff for taking this photo with my iPhone's camera. Note the puppets suspended from the ceiling and walls that are a feature of this much appreciated establishment.

A blackboard lists the beers available on draught.

After a Brasserie de la Senne Taras Boulba, I chose a bottle of 5.8% ABV amber coloured Martin's Pale Ale from the menu which is dry hopped with Kentish hops. This was a good accompaniment to the delicious and filling baked lasagne which has become a regular food highlight of a Brussels trip.


Any visit to the (downstairs) toilets involves passing a display featuring a couple of seated puppets.

There was time for another beer and I chose another beer brewed in Brussels - Brasserie de la Senne Jambe-de-Bois, the 'Belgian Revolution triple'.

Afterwards, on my way back to the hotel I passed a tempting cheese shop -
La Fruitière, 99-103 Rue du Marché au Charbon with a marvellous window display.

See Monday's blog post for the next instalment.

Brussels - Monday 25/6/2018

Day 5 in Belgium would  be the warmest - no jacket required.

My route from Hotel Floris Ustel (Midi) to meet up with the others in Hotel Floris Arlequin (Grand Place) after breakfast was mainly along Avenue de Stalingrad. A dog kept watch on passing pedestrians outside Anne H, Tapissier Garnisseur at No. 17.

Cafe Bebo lies a little further along at Place Rouppe. This is a corner cafe, mentioned in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide Belgium, which obviously deserves a visit in future.

From Hotel Floris Arlequin, Richard led us uphill to Parc de Bruxelles with its lawns, trees, dusty paths and a pool with a fountain.

Richard led us to our destination, Woodpecker, before noon and a majority of our group chose refreshment in the form of an ice cream or a coffee rather than beer on this occasion. This was a pleasant place to relax with background music playing by Fat Freddy's Drop.

We retraced our steps to the park's entrance at Parc Metro station. It was then only a short walk to Bier Circus at Rue de l'Enseignement 57.

We ended up sitting outside on the shady side of the street as the bar had no windows and we preferred to be outside in the warm weather. A blackboard on the far wall of the bar gave details for five draught beers including Dupont Saison (3 euros / 25cl), Hopus Primeur (4 euros / 33cl) and '25 years Bier Circus' (4.5 euros / 33cl). Enamel signs decorate the walls of the bar and tall fridges behind the bar display a range of bottled beers which are listed in a menu.

The 6.5% abv Saison Dupont was a popular beer for the first round at Bier Circus.

We went inside to the restaurant area where most of our group ordered lunch from an appetising menu with a limited range of dishes. Old beer bottle tops are incorporated into the decor in a colourful way.

In contrast to the bar, the triangular restaurant area has plenty of natural light from windows on two sides of the room. A large blackboard shows draught beers and the special dish of the day (15 euros).

The 8% abv '25 years of Bier Circus' special, a favourite Tripel Blond on this trip, was brewed for Bier Circus by Brewerij den Hopperd (Westmeerbeek). As the only non-diner, I was grateful to Simon and Keith for letting me finish off their chips! Everyone enjoyed their meals and for next time in Brussels a meal at Bier Circus will be something to look forward to. Note that Bier Circus opens only from Monday to Friday.

Old LP and EP covers on the end wall were of interest and the music playing included classics like CSN&Y's 'Almost cut my hair' and blues from Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown.

There was time for a third beer before Bier Circus closed for the afternoon and the draught (dry hopped) Hopus Primeur, served in its distinctive glass, was superb.

Apart from the circus theme there are plenty of cartoon characters to spot among the decor including Tintin.and Snowy (Milou).

There was time to visit one more bar in Brussels on this visit and we headed back downhill, past the Cathedral of St Michael & St Gudula, to Delirium Cafe, Impasse de la Fidélité 4. 

On a previous visit the group had discovered a quieter upper floor but this was closed on a Monday afternoon. 

The only way to fit the long bar into a photo was with a panorama. Blackboards above the bar list the draught beers which are served from descending fonts evenly spaced along the length of the bar.

This was a good opportunity to drink a Jack's Precious IPA from by The Musketeers Brewery. A beer from their Belgian Legends series, the glass is illustrated with Jack the Asian elephant, who sadly ended up as meat for a Dutch sausage factory after Ghent zoo closed in 1904.

We found a big table in a relatively quiet area decorated with backlit historic brewery mirrors.

On the way back to the Hotel Floris Ustel, to collect my case, my route passed Het Zinneke, the sculpture of a urinating dog by Tom Frantzen. Also known as Zinneke Pis, it is protected from traffic by a bollard at Rue des Chartreux 35.

Once on board Eurostar, I was able to enjoy a cold souvenir can of Jupiler Pils, purchased from the Carrefour Express, inside Brussels Midi station. The can had been rebranded 'Belgium' (Official Beer of the 2018 FIFA World Cup) and the back of my can had a photo and signature by M. Dembele with a Belgian Red Devils symbol. In three days time, Belgium beat England 1-0 in the group stage to win the group. Both teams progressed to the final 16.