Whimsical, but then again one would expect that from a brewery that features a little hop-seeking…read moregnome on its labels. A lot of Belgian breweries are surprisingly tiny operations, but that can't be said about the Chouffe. In 2006, the brewery was purchased by the much larger Duvel Moortgat, and it shows. This brewery and its surrounding area is really quite the enterprise by rural Belgian standards - there's the brewery itself, a tap room, another tap room that serves food, an adjacent full-service restaurant with a stocked trout pond behind it, and a gift shop. This all seems a bit "commercial" and United States/Disney-esque, especially after you've been traipsing around Belgium and rural France visiting decidedly non-commercial breweries that half the time were closed, much less have a freakin' gift shop. There's even a pond with a little island with a gnome-hut on it. It would have to try pretty hard to be more cutesy. Still, there's something to be said for this kind of corporatist professionalism, even if it does somewhat resemble visiting the Epcot Center, if it had a "Belgium" pavilion. You don't have to worry about it being open, which was a constant problem in visiting other breweries throughout the region. There will always be a wide, complete range of its beers available, both for on-site consumption and to take home. And of course, plenty of merch and swag featuring that lovable gnome! A Chouffe tulip glass is a must - and there's even Chouffe coffee and cream liqueurs available, of which we purchased a couple small samplers. Of course, there's also the beer. Even after the Chouffe's purchase by a larger brewery, the flagship La Chouffe strong blonde ale hasn't suffered all that much - it's still one of the better examples of the popular "Belgian Strong Pale Ale" style. I think it's got more going on than either Duvel and Delirium....more fruity, spicy, yeasty, while at the same time being a little cleaner than a La Fin Du Monde. I'd still rank it as my favorite easily-accessible example of the style.

I have lived in Europe for years and have come to accept poor service at restaurants…read more This one took the cake. I sat there for more than 20 mins and was not approached one time for service. There were multiple tables that came in after me and folks were served directly. I am 6'11" or 210 cm tall. Clearly the biggest person in the restaurant, so there is no reason I could not have been seen. Huge let down after traveling from Hawaii to my favorite brewery.

Finally made it to the holyland. Got off the Eurostar, walked over to Cantillon, got yelled at as…read moreI walked in to try to meet friends at the upstairs bar, and eventually was allowed to go up. Spent about 4.5 hours here, did a tour as well, drank about 15 bottles between us. Look, it's Cantillon, if you're here, you likely came here for a reason. It's awesome, go drink.

Because of the utter dysfunctionality of Brussels, I arrived late at Brasserie Cantillon, whose bar…read morecloses at 4 P.M. -- because beer drinking ends at 4 P.M., right? Drinking alcohol is an early daytime activity for most folks, isn't it? I got there at 4:12 P.M., when they wouldn't pour me a beer but were more than willing to sell me merchandise for another hour: CANTILLON GUY: "What do you want to buy?" ME: "The bar's closed? CANTILLON GUY: "We can't keep serving all day." ME: "So there's no way to get a beer?" CANTILLON GUY: "Get here earlier." ME: " ... " CANTILLON GUY: "So, what do you want?" ME: "I don't want anything." (Exit ME.) I get it -- there are lots of tourists, and there are times to close. Did I expect him to open the bar for just super-special me? No. Did I expect him to be maybe just a little bit less of a jerk, especially when he was simultaneously trying to pry my wallet open? It sure would've been nice.

Good brewery, they have a nice pilsner as their main brew and a small variety of others (blonde,…read moreamber, raddler). Great space, both indoors and outdoors and perfect for group gatherings and events. The actual brewery is located across the street with options to take a tour. Food is solid as well with a selection of good appetizers, sandwiches, burger, pizza, and pies.

From the owner: Alfa Bier is een onafhankelijke Limburgse bierbrouwerij en familiebedrijf, gevestigd in Thull,…read moreSchinnen, ook wel bekend als de poort van het Zuid-Limburgse Heuvelland. Al vijf generaties lang wordt hier bier gebrouwen door de familie Meens, op traditionele wijze en met oog voor kwaliteit. Wat Alfa Bier bijzonder maakt, is de combinatie van een traditionele brouwmethode volgens het Reinheitsgebot en het gebruik van natuurzuiver bronwater uit eigen bron. Alfa Bier vernieuwt regelmatig, maar de traditionele brouwmethode uit het oprichtingsjaar van de brouwerij is onveranderd gebleven. Bovendien is de Alfa Bierbrouwerij de enige brouwerij in Nederland met een door de overheid gecertificeerde natuurzuivere waterbron. Het bronwater vormt sinds 1870 de basis voor alle Alfa Bieren. Eén van de bekendste is het Alfa Edel Pils, dat internationaal werd bekroond als Beste Pils ter Wereld door World Beer Awards. Alfa Bier levert aan horecazaken en winkels, en verzorgt ook bierleveringen voor evenementen. Daarnaast zijn er volop mogelijkheden om de brouwerij te bezoeken. Er worden brouwerij rondleidingen en proeverijen georganiseerd. En in het Alfa Brouwerijcafé kunnen bezoekers in een gemoedelijke sfeer genieten van streekgerechten en natuurlijk een goed glas bier.

Like the natural wine movement that seems to be sweeping some of the great eateries in Europe right…read morenow, the same could be said for some of the beer too. The folks over at Veranda introduced me to this maker that used to distill gin. At first made 30 liters of beer finding that it was way too much work for the amount of beer put out. However it was good so he moved up to 90 liters. Then 120. Using an organic process they use lots of interesting ingredients to produce small batches of things like pepper beer, quinoa. I tried the Belgian Pale Ale called Maya. It's actually a collaboration with a producer of seitan (crazy eh?) The seitan water replaces your normal brewing water, reducing the amount of barley and wheat malt. The other unique thing about this beer is that they used something called Cradle to Cradle (C2C) which requires the usage of all the by products of the beer to be used in other products somewhere down the line. An interesting take on sustainability. Since Im normally a stout drinker, this was crazy bright for me. I'd not normally drink this on its own, but paired with Davy Schellemans food, it's fantastic.

Good choice of microbrews…read more Van moll trippel: ok, though probably my least favorite. Van moll wodan imperial weizen: at this point, I realized I like weizens. Van moll three amigos belgian: You can pretty much sell me on any Belgian beer. This one was very good. Van moll adagio barrel cachaca: the best of the flight.

I wasn't expecting much in terms of non-Belgian style beers while on a work trip. Van Moll was…read moreexcellent and it was great to drink some really good IPAs and sours while in the Netherlands. There's a nice bar space and big tables (we played jenga for a while while drinking), and they have their own beers as well as a bunch of beers from other local craft breweries. I really enjoyed the Juice Rocket, it was a nice hazy IPA, and the Nitro Nemesis v2 collaboration beer they made with Brouwerij Kompaan. I'll be back here when I'm in town again.

Amazing piece of brew history!…read more During the tasting you will get insights into the story of De Koninick and its merge with Duvel (Heneiken tried as well). What has emerged is an on-site suite of local butcher, local cheeses, chocolates and great beer. There is a separate brewery tour which we have not taken yet; however, from a local museum tour, it will be a modest ticket for a great adventure. Cheers

De Konick Brewery was recommended to me by Antwerp locals I met in Baton Rouge. The best brewery…read moretour I've ever been to, out of several. Self guided tour concept is genius! The beer is delicious and the cheese platter is too. Souvenirs are priced for locals, unlike the inflated prices you find in downtown Brussels. I highly recommend to any American in search of good beer! Sincerely, AlsoABeerSnob

Outstanding beers!…read more Ole lady and I came here, was one of our first stops in Antwerp, recommended by the conceirge at our hotel and also discovered via yelp... We sat at the bar and all of the staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful. The beers were excellent. I particularly enjoyed the "Boot Je Bier". Liked them so much I lugged a couple all the way back to the U.S. I would say this is the best brewery in Antwerp.

Having a beer in a real working brewery, nice performances and fine snacks. Suits me!read more