This April my husband and I will be in Belgium in the city of Bruges. Neither of us are informed about beers, having never been properly educated. Is there some location in Bruges that provides "beer tastings" such as we have here in CA in the wine country? We feel that since we are traveling to one of the beer countries of the world, we should at least come away with a passable knowledge of the brews.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5529 posts
I enjoyed the brewery tour at De Halve Maan brewery in Bruges. They explain how the different beers are made. After the tour, you can sample the beer.
It is not quite the same as a "beer tasting" but you do get a bit of an education on some of the different types of beer.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Here's a brief intro- you will see Jupiler, Cristal, and Stella Artois sold everywhere... save your limited alcohol capacity for better beers, as these are the Belgian equivalents to Miller, Budweiser and Coors. Just about anything else will give you a good experience. Most restaurants have a decent selection of beer available. One forewarning- Belgian beers typically have a much higher alcohol percentage than US beers, particularly the Trappist Ales, and this catches many Americans by surprise when they find themselves much tippsier than they expected after only two beers.
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL, USA
264 posts
You are in for a treat! I was just in Bruges in June. Before I began that trip I had seen some travel films touting the Belgian Lambic beers. Not only does Belgium have over 400 kinds of beer; each beer has it's own glass!
Some of the beers are made with a second fermentation in the bottle, sometimes with fruit added, such as raspberry, peach, or cherry; hence the name Brussels Champagne.
For lunch have a sandwich and a glass of Kriek! Don't be afraid to have a second glass, it's only 3.2 beer!
Bon Apetit!