Belgian cafes:
Afspanning ‘t Waagstuk, Stadswaag 20, Antwerp. Tel: (03) 2250219, fax (03) 2263370. Open 10 am-2 am Mon-Thur, 10 am-4 am Fri, 2 pm-2am Sat, and 2 pm-2 am Sunday. About 80 beers.
Le Bier Circus, Rue de l’ Enseignement/Onderwijsstraat 89, Brussels. Tel:(02) 2180034. Open Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm and 6 pm-midnight, Sat 6 pm-midnight. More than 200 beers, with five on tap.
Cafe Bottelje, Louisastraat 19, Ostend. Tel: (059) 700928, fax (059) 502856. Open Monday 4:30 pm-1 am, Tue-Thur 11:30 am-1 am, Fri 11:30 am-2 am, Sat 11:30 am-3 am. Restaurant Lucullus open 6-10:30 pm. Hotel Marion upstairs; this is a three star hotel/bed and breakfast with 24 rooms, each named after a Belgian brewery, replete with photographs. About 300 beers, with 13 on tap.
Het Brouwershuis, Molenstraat 42, Baarle-Hertog. Tel:(014) 699403, Fax (014) 699397. Open Tue-Fri 10 am-6pm, Sat and Sun 10 am to 5 pm. Closed Mondays. About 600 beers.
Gans, Kloosterstraat 40, Huise. Tel: (09) 3849025 (weekdays), (09) 496208039 (weekends). Open Fri 6 pm-1 am, Sat 4 pm-2 am, Sun 10:30 am-1:30 pm and 3 pm-11 pm. About 350 beers, all in bottles.
De Heeren Van Liedekercke, Kasteelstraat 33, Liedekerke. Tel:(053) 680888. Open Mon 11:30 am-11 pm, Thur-Sat 11:30 am-1 am, Sunday 1 pm to 11 pm. Closed Tue and Wed. About 300 beers.
Kroegske, Vifwegenstraat 35, Izegem (Emelgem). Tel:(051) 307763. Open Thur 7 pm-midnight, Fri 7 pm-1 am, Sat 7 pm-1 am, and Sun noon to midnight. About 450 beers, all in bottles.
Kulminator, Vleminckveld 32, Antwerp. Tel:(03) 2324538, fax (03) 2268532. Open Mon 8 pm-midnight, Tue-Thur noon to midnight, Friday noon to 1 am, Saturday 5 pm to 1 am. Closed Sundays. About 600 beers, with nine on tap.
Musee de Bieres Belges, Rue de la Gare 19, Lustin. Tel:(081) 411102, fax (081) 413766. Open 11 am to 7:30 pm on Sat and Sun, Belgian school holidays, and every day of the week in July and August. About 800 beers.
Den Stillen Genieter, Nauwstraat 9, Mechelen. Tel:(015) 219504. Open Mon-Sat 7:30 pm-2 pm, Sun 6 pm to 2 am. About 330 beers, with 5 on tap.
Four very good internet sites on Belgian beer, and one message board
http//:go.to/cervesia by Willy Michels, A Belgian
http//:www.beerlink.cjb.net by Filip Geerts of Brugge
http//:www.belgianstyle.com, by American Steve Gale
http//:www.obp.be for info on the Belgian beer society, the Objectieve Bierproevers (Flemish only, with an English translation for the 24 Hours of Special Beer later this year.
http//:www.babblebelt.com, a link to the beer message board The Burgundian Babble Belt..
And three great Belgian beer guidebooks…..
The Good Beer Guide to Belgium and Holland, by Tim Webb. The updated and expanded fourth edition is due out in October 2002. The new book will cover all of the current breweries in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg and their regular beers. It will also cover more than 400 cafes where one can drink beer in those countries. The book will be available for sale through www.beneluxbeer.com (still in development at press time) and also at www.belgianstyle.com.
A Selective Guide to Brussels Bars, by Stephen D’Arcy. Write CAMRA Brussels, Boite No. 5, 67 Rue de Atrebates, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: (02) 2990249 (work), (02) 7367218 (home); fax: (02) 2958625. Stephen.D’Arcy@cec.eu.int. Copies will be sent postpaid to the U.S. for $8, cash only.
Tromp’s Beer Traveler in West Flanders, by Simon Van Tromp. The latest edition is June 2001 and is available from Beer Traveller Tours and Publications, Seaview House, The Marina, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 1HH, UK, tel/fax: 01502 589403, info@beertraveller.com. From the U.S., send $10 (cash only) to Simon Van Tromp, 25 Ranville, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 8UB.
Note: when calling Belgium from the United States, dial 32 011+ the number. The ‘0’ in the city code of each Belgian telephone number must be dropped when calling from outside Belgium.