Bruges/Brugge visit area in August

[ronaldaroo]

Are any Trappist breweries open for visitors?
Name top 10 Belgian beers in Bruges/Antwerp/Gent area.
Name top ten pubs/cafes in same area.
Thanking you in anticipation for your help.
Ronald John Saunders

[Theakston]

I don't think there is a trappist brewery close to Brugge. The best Belgian bar in the world is in Brugge: Het Brugs Beertje
Kemelstraat 5, B-8000 Brugge tel en fax: 050/33.96.16
email: info@brugsbeertje.be it's in the main shopping street in the town - not far from the station. There are a few other breweries and bars in Brugge: Straffe Hendrick is in the old town with a beautiful bar - de halve man right on the river IIRC

You could try and ask your question on the Burgundian Babble Belt - they know Belgium better than anyone:




Babble belt site (http://www.babblebelt.com/board.html)

Another good resource is:
Beer Advocate - Beer Fly (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beerfly/)

[eppie]

I saw you did post your question on the Babble Belt site and they let you know you're not getting into Westvleteren. They are +- 1 hr drive from Brugge and do have a cafe/ visitors center and is in a nice area called the Westhoek, but you're not gonna see any brewing or talk to any monks or even get onto the grounds of the monastary.
Brugge/Gent/Antwerp is a huge area so I'll just give you my West Flemmish suggestions.

Yeah 't Brugs Beertje is a great cafe it has +- 300 sorts and a very knowledgable staff and a nice atmosphere (on the Kemmelstraat across the steenstraat from the Simon Steven Plein). Erasamus Hotel/Restaraunt has a good selection. (Wollestraat runs S from the SE coner of the Markt square). De Garre is a very nice romantic place with a great beer menu, cozy atmosphere and classical music. ( The street is called De garre it is a tiny street that runs off of the Breydelstraat between the Markt and the Burg squares. You may walk by it ten times before you realize that it is not a doorway, but a sidestreet). Die Verstende Nacht had a good menu, jazz music, and a funky atmosphere. The owner can be really annoying if he gets to preaching about beer, but if he leaves you alone it's a nice place (Langestraat just over the bridge form the Hoogstraat).

Not-to-miss West flemmish beers are:
-Poperings Hommelbier (probbably Belguim's hoppiest, but still well balanced)
-Westvleteren 8. The 12 is much more popular, but I like the 8 better
-Dulle Teve. Practically anything by the Dolle Brouwerij is good
-Rodenbach Grand Cru or Duchese du Bugogne. a lot of people hate tham, but you got to try a West Flemmish red.
-Brugge tripel. No longer brewed in brugge (no in Roeslare), but good

Not-nesecarily-West-Flesmmish but Not-to-miss:
-Karmeliet tripel
-La Chouffe
-Duvel
-Most Trappists

I hope this helps while you're in brugge sorry I can't help more for East Flanders (including Gent) or Antwerp. Enjoy your trip!

[JorisP]

If you're in Antwerpen, visit:
- Kulminator, Vleminckveld 34 (near the police tower station)
unbelievable choice of beers, including lots of aged beers, often from breweries long gone.
-'t Waagstuk, Stadswaag, in the university quarter. Old building, around a nice little courtyard, very good choice as well
-'t Oud Arsenaal, Maria Pijpelinckxstraat (near the Saturday/Sunday market and the Rubenshuis), a little preserved gem of another century, also with a very keen choice, and working together with a beershop, Den Dors(t)vlegel, some 300 m further out
- De Vagant, a jeneverbar in Reyndersstraat
Don't visit Antwerpen without drinking a "bolleke Koninck" the (AMBER!) ale from thé Antwerpener brewery

In Gent best places are:
-Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (right opposite the Mediaeval castle Gravensteen and Vleeshuis). good choice, twinned with a restaurant and a jeneverbar (Dreupelkot). Housebeer on draught.
-Den Hopduvel (Rokerelsstraat, a bit out of the centre), beautiful restaured old factoryworkers' houses around a stunning summergarden, very good choice. There is a beerwarehouse and seller with the same name, though independant at Coupure (10' walking distance)
-Het Trappistenhuis (Brabantdam 164, near the red lights quarter)
specialising in trappists and some Walloon brews

Hope that helps somewhat,
Joris