Brussels Beer Project is like an enigma of its own.
You could argue that it's not technically a brewery given that a majority of their beers (including their flagship, Delta) is contract brewed out of Brouwerij Anders! Brussels Beer Project also set the internet abuzz by being what I assume, Belgium's first crowdfunded brewery, and their spirit of brewing "beer for the people" is very evident in their playground-like "open source" maker-culture interior, as well as the crowd it attracts, which at the time I went was mostly hipster tweeners and local entrepreneurs.
If you think the extent of BBP's unique identity stops there, you are gravely mistaken; even their beers are somewhat off-center, with most of their offerings seemingly being designed to provide an imaginative alternative to a country that's already inundated with many unique styles of beer -- within the arsenal that is their beer selection they have a "Bread Bitter," a "Saison IPA," an "Aztec Dry Stout," and even an "Apple Quadrupel." Never heard of these styles of beer? You're definitely not alone.
Whereas BBP gets full marks from me for style and idea, they do fall a bit shy on the execution department. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person to have made this correlation, but BBP is kind of like a poor man's Belgian equivalent of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (the people that brought you 60/90/120 Minute IPA) in the fact that they make a lot of experimental / niche brews that are either met with ambiguous acclaim or disdainful disgust, and for me it was more of the latter than the former. I would also like to add that where Dogfish Head has an arsenal of steady sellers to justify all their whacky side projects, Brussels Beer Project hasn't quite established such an experimental cushion yet, but I guess it's not really my place to worry.
The beer is served out of Teku glasses in two different sampling sizes (20cl or 40cl I believe) and the prices are quite reasonable (2-4 EUR depending on the beer) so you could technically go nuts and try experimental beers to your heart's content. The "brewery" itself is very spacious with tables and seats spread out sporadically, but you're not really expected to limit yourself to the confines of furniture, which is kind of cool as well. Bottles of BBP's beer is also available for takeout -- you can find their full selection toward the back of the "brewery" stacked up in black crates behind the bar space.
Overall a very un-Belgian-like experience right in the heart of Belgium; an interesting place to seek out if you're tired of drinking Belgian beers and are in search of something different. read more