Belgian Beer

With over 450 varieties of beer in Belgium, you could feel stressed about what to drink in Belgium.  Lucky for us we weren't Belgian beer novices and knew what to look for.  Jim enjoyed many of his favorite beers which are harder to find in the US and sampled a few new ones.  Maybe one or two sour beers weren't my favorite, but over all we had a fun time drinking delicious beer for a weekend.

Here is some of what we tried...

Leffe Bruin

Brugse Zot

Jupiler

Bourgogne des Flandres

Westmalle Trappist

Keizer Karel

Tongerlo

Leffe Blonde

Duchesse de Bourgogne

De Konink

Triple d'Anvers

La Chouffe

Kreik

Lindemans Framboise

Duvel

Now I'm thirsty!

Belgium : Part Three : Brussels

After leaving Antwerp on Sunday we took the train back to Brussels.  Our flight was leaving early in the evening but we were able to spend a few hours in Brussels.  We walked through some parks, saw the famous Manneken Pis and had just enough time to savor some delicious mussels and Belgian beer. 

Belgium : Part Two : Antwerp

On day two of our Belgian adventure we left Brugge by train and arrived late morning in Antwerp.  Antwerp has hands down the most beautiful train station I have seen in Europe.  It is also incredibly huge and has 4 levels of trains. 

obligatory room photo

Cathedral of Our Lady

After we checked into the hotel, we headed out on a very important mission.  Find Jim's all time favorite kebab shop near the University where he studied (8 years ago).  Surprisingly once we got to the school he found the street.  Unfortunately for him, it was now a burger place.  He was disappointed to say the least.

University of Antwerp

The flyer says "Free Beer with every house burger".  Great Promo!

Our next stop was to go to the De Koninck brewery and take a tour.

After checking in advance that they gave tours on Saturday without advance tickets we showed up and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  We also noticed other people waiting.  And after about 30 min I was tired of standing and hungry.  I checked the site again, noticing that the tour was 2 hours!  So we made an executive decision to ditch the brewery.  And go to the restaurant behind the brewery.  Drinking the beer is the best part anyway.  Turns out the restaurant also makes delicious food.

The rest of our evening was spent walking around town, getting a few drinks and finding a kebab shop.  Pretty much Jim's only requirement on the trip was to eat kebabs and drink beer.  I have to admit both were delicious and if we could get kebabs for 4.50 in Geneva we would eat them way more.

picture blurry from excitement

The next morning I wanted to make two stops before going back to the train station and on to Brussels.  The first was to see the castle of Antwerp which was located across from our hotel on the river Scheldt.  And second see the Cathedral of Our Lady.

Cloudy and cold day on the Scheldt

Stay Tuned for... Part Three: Brussels

Belgium : Part One : Brugge

The fall really progressed into a whirlwind of travel.  By late October my visa approval was still in question and if we didn't receive the approval by November 14th I would be grounded to Switzerland until we did get approval.  That being said Jim decided we should go to Belgium in early November.  Since he lived in Antwerp in college for a semester he was made tour guide and planned our general route.  We booked the flights and it was set.  We were flying into Brussels but taking the train to Brugge.  Spending Friday night in Brugge then taking the train to Antwerp.  Spending Saturday night in Antwerp and taking the train back to Brussels on Sunday.  Since our flight was in the early evening we were able to spend some time in Brussels before leaving Sunday. Not only was the weather perfect for walking around the cities, but the food was amazing, the chocolate divine and the beer heavenly.  I highly recommend a trip to Belgium to anyone who likes to eat and drink. 

After a very early flight into Brussels we caught the regional train to take us about an hour and a half to Brugge.  The really cool thing about Brugge is it is shaped like an egg which makes it mostly car free.

Our hotel: Hollywood Hotel and Bistro

Construction out our window, which thankfully wasn't annoying

After checking in, we were off to accomplish our first mission.  Find a frites stand and enjoy the most delicious french fries you'll ever have. 

Frites stands are everywhere and open all night

After our snack we walked around for a while before finding a restaurant by one of the canals for lunch. 

Christmas shop which I sadly did not go in

Building with gold leaf

Canal and the restaurant we ate at for lunch

Jim's first beer on Belgian soil

Mussels in Belgium are amazing!

3 handled mug we later purchased in Brussels

So much Leffe - Jim's favorite beer

Brugge train station

Up next: 
Part Two : Antwerp