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.

McChouffe was my first, and as such, holds a special place in my heart. You never forget your…read morefirst, and I remember the exact time and place I sampled her greatness. I vowed then and there, at the Brickstore in Atlanta, GA, to travel to this magical land called Belgium. My pilgrimage finally took place in 2011, while I was temporarily living in Stuttgart. I emailed ahead of time, and happily they had a tour scheduled the day I was planning for, albeit in Flemmish. Nevertheless, they allowed this American on the tour. At the time, it was free for Americans. And, with your tour, you received two complimentary glasses of beer in the brasserie, a souvenir glass, and your choice of a bottle opener or gnome hat. I went for the bottle opener and still use it to open all my bottled beers, even twist-offs! All of this, for me, for free. Yes, please! I would easily have paid for all of it. McChouffe on tap is just phenomenal, and so much better than the bottle. It was everything I hoped it would be, and more. I hit the restaurant and the gift shop. Had rabbit for the first time, which featured a McChouffe sauce, and was quite tasty. I scored several awesome additional souvenirs, but I can't say it felt like a commercial wasteland, the shop and grounds in general are very small and reasonably priced. For the beer, their hospitality, and exceeding the already unreasonable amount of hype I made you responsible to live up to, I thank you, Brasserie d'Achouffe.

From the owner: Le restaurant met à l'honneur les produits du terroir de la Commune de Durbuy et de ses voisines…read more Le produit incontournable est la bière brassée sur place : la Marckloff, elle est l'unique bière réellement brassée à Durbuy. Une ambrée, légère mais de caractère. En janvier et février, la maison est ouverte uniquement les vendredis, samedis et dimanches. Sauf pour les groupes vous pouvez demander une ouverture en semaine.

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.

Brasserie de Bellevaux is a local brewery with a cosy restaurant and terrace that serves small…read moredishes that fit a crafted beer. It offers possibility for a tour of the brewery and tasting of the beers. The place only opens up on Saturday and Sunday's from 11am-6pm. It is possible to make a reservation. This is recommended on bussier days (holidays).

You must call in advance or schedule inside for a brewery tour. They do have tours in English…read more This was my first brewery tour. I was expecting taste tests of many beers, a more in depth explanation or the brewing process and seeing it be made. Instead, you're shown video after video of "how its made", but applying to really any beer. They welcome you with a non-alcoholic beer and you don't get more until the very end. The tour itself was cheap, and the guide was kind, but it really didn't feel worth the time or money. It was very quiet and uncomfortable the whole tour. Felt like a cold, modern library tour. The best part was the bar at the end, which was beautiful. But not much to take from this besides a bottle of beer and overpriced souvenirs.

Make sure you find out when the English tour is :) we were just stopping by, and the very nice lady…read morein front let us into the tasting room (the best part) we had free beer and chit chatted with the very friendly bartender. Learned (in our own way) about the beer by asking questions. Poor bartender probably never has 2 words spoken to him :( he enjoyed our company as we did his! Try the green juice. Non alcoholic but made specifically from a plant in germany. Very unique. The locals were drinking it too. Very sweet. Gift shop is nice too of course!!

We came here for an authentic food and drink experience right in the centre of Cologne. Steps from…read morethe Cologne cathedral, this is a local favourite. We sat at a table in the centre and were able to enjoy the warm and friendly ambiance. A memorable dish was the Himmel Un Äd - a local specialty. Plus you have to have the kolsch - also a local beer - that comes in 200 ml glasses. Tip: the servers will keep replenishing your beer until you cover your glass with a coaster!

The restaurant was recommended by our tour guide, so we gave it a try…read more It was over crowded when we went in. None of the waiters were friendly. We decided to sit outside, but because it started to drizzle, we went inside. We paid for our drinks outside and brought them in with us. The waiter was not friendly. Asked if we had paid for our drinks, I said we paid outside. I'm not sure if he believed me. When he finally came to take our drinks outside order, he seemed irritated with us. We got our drinks and order our meals. Our meals arrived very quickly and everything was wonderful. However, upon closing our bill, the waiter got very angry with me saying something about good service and no tip. We are literally in Germany where you don't tip. It's a cool place to see, but I'm not sure I would go back.

Love the chicken sandwiches and good customer services. They have great seating for big groups and…read moreoutside seating for good weather.