I first tasted beer when I was 7 and yuck! College came and Budweiser was the norm. I thought…read morethat's just it beer sucks and it's a way to get drunk cheap just drink loads and get on with it. Westvleteren is one of the best beers and elevated beer to my drink profile. I drank and got into beers so much that I developed gout hahaha. The closest taste would be st bernardus but nothing really hits the spot unless you drink the real thing. I drove 250 km just to drink this.

When I heard we'd get to go to the Westvleteren Trappist Brewery I was thrilled and envisaged a…read morehundreds of years old building with creaking floorboards, lofty rafters and monks scurrying around pouring beer and chanting. OK not so much the chanting part but I think you get the picture I was seeing in my head. What a shock when we finally arrived (after about an hour drive from Brugge) and found a sleek, angular and thoroughly modern taproom and restaurant! Well for sure the ages old Abbey is around somewhere? Nope. Though we couldn't get a tour we saw many photos all showing very modern and classy facilities, including their worship spaces. Mind blown, but in amazing way. These Monks have totally embraced the modern times and they've produced a really nice facility with some wonderful grounds as well. What about the beer? , Yes, yes we weren't on an architecture tour we were here for the beer. And boy it sure didn't disappoint. There's a reason the Westvleteren XII was rated the best beer in the world a few years back and luckily we got to taste through the line-up the 12, the 8 and the Blonde! It should be mentioned that the food was quite good as well and despite the continuous stream of people strolling in to deplete the days supply of available "to go" six packs it was quite a pleasant and relaxing experience. (TIP: if you want take some home with you you better get there when they open and buy your six packs first thing. DO NOT wait until after you eat to buy the beer, I saw the days allotted pallet get cleared out in the time it took us to eat lunch:-) As I sit here months removed from my visit, staring at the last bottle of Westvleteren Blond that I schlepped through Europe and finally got home, I think that I've got to get back to Belgium and Westvletren and I envy any and all of you who are on your way there :-)

One of the most underrated breweries of all time…read more De Dolle Brouwers are as craft as craft beer can get. The head brewer and one of the masterminds behind the creation of De Dolle, Kris Herteleer, pretty much built the brewery from the ground up with his bare hands and I mean that strictly in the semi-literal sense. Coming from a former medical background, Kris is the quintessentially modern rendition of the renaissance man: he's the head of a cycling club, an artist who designed all the artwork that goes with De Dolle, the mechanic that keeps all the brewing equipment in line at De Dolle, and of course the genius behind De Dolle's unique and one of a kind Belgian Strong Dark and Pale Ales. The brewery itself is built around the Oerbierman, the mysterious yellow blob-ish like character that appears as the mascot/logo for De Dolle's signature beer. Think of the brewery grounds as the breeding and feeding grounds of Oerbierman -- a magical Belgian creature that feeds on the excitement and harmony created by all visiting these hallowed grounds and spouts out yummy beers in return. Abstract imagery aside, the brewery does kind of look like one big awesome theme park (in the likeness of Duvel-Moortgaat's proposed Chouffe Land) and any experience here will likely be a magical storied one. Kris and his better half Els are usually entertaining guests from both near and far on Saturdays and Sundays when the brewery is open to the public, and they sure do know how to make someone feel right at home as you immediately feel like family the moment Els hands over that crisp cool pour of Arabier straight from the hallowed taps. Dammit, I have to stop getting carried away with the imagery. There's usually three or so taps on offer at De Dolle with two of them permanently being reserved for De Dolle's year round offerings (Arabier and Oerbier). They do sometimes have bottles behind the counter as well, so it's always good to ask if you're looking for something specific. Across the kitty corner from the bar they also sell all sort of brewery paraphernalia like t-shirts, posters of Kris' awesome artwork, printed glasses, and also bottles to take away. English tours are only given on Sunday, but you can also set up a tour for a weekday if you have a large party with you (of 8 and over I believe.) If you've already made the drive out to West-Vlaanderen, or even to Bruges which isn't that far out from here, do make sure to stop by De Dolle to sample some of Belgium's finest non-sour traditional beers, and also if you're tired of the "European city hospitality" that Brussels, Bruges, and Gent are famous for and actually want to feel treated like a respectable human being. Even if you've never had any of De Dolle's offerings, I'd still urge you to visit -- this place is more like a playground for kidults if anything else, and I find it hard for anyone to have a bad time here. Food options limited.

This brewery is a must if you are in the area. Any aspiring home brewers or beer enthusiasts will…read morefind the tour fascinating. We tried the stout, the brown and the reserve. All were fantastic - the reserve was especially delicious and unique.

I was in Bruges for a day because I came here on a cruise and I was on a mission to have Belgium…read morebeer and Belgium Fries. We came to this spot because it is the actually brewery. Fun fact they run the beer under the city and into the different pubs. When we walked in we were impressed by all the little tables. We got lucky becuase the weather was perfect and we were able to walk right up to the bar and place an order. We both got the wheat beer. Once we got the beer we were told that we needed to order the food at the table. We were able to find a table on the back in a sunny spot which was perfect. We waited for a while and we kept trying to get the attention of the waitress. We kept making excuses for her because she looked like she was having a bad day and she was the only one for all the tables. We were finally able to wave her over and she came and put in our order for fries and mayo. A few moments later she brough them out and we were thrilled! The first were elite level fries. They were thick cut, freshly fried, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Safe to say we accomplished the mission of the fries. The beer was perfectly cold and crisp and it was the perfect pair after spending the morning doing a walking tour. Overall, the food and the beer what phenomenal the service was nothing to write home about but the ambience made up for it. Must at least stop by for fries and beer if you are ever in the city.

Beer was good. Burger cooked wrong, beef stew was tasteless. Fish Sticks yuk. Oy Vay! We tried!read more

I have seen Delirium-Hutghe beer around for a very long time. It's not terribly hard to miss with…read morethe pink elephant logo on it however it wasn't until recently where we had our first beer experience with it. We got a beer that we have also seen for a very long time too. It was the Delirium Tremmens which is a Belgian Strong Golden Ale which was pretty good. It didn't quite have the micro brew feel going on and had the feel of a larger mass produced brewery but it wasn't bad. Flavor characteristics with this beer are strong, sweet and some fruitiness going on. It's also strong tasting and light bodied. I am glad to have tried one of the beers from this brewery at long last!

Best brewery tour in the world. Great team and awesome and delicious beers. Easy to understand and…read morefun to do and super affordable. Check all the boxes. Ask for Jose!

My 2nd visit and I would highly recommend a stop here at sometime during your visit to Bruges. Lots…read moreof beer choices, some cheese or sausage snacks. Pretzels. Lively, on the canal which was a huge attraction for us as we first noticed the brewery from our canal ride. Just lovely, plenty of seating, attached to a beer museum of some sort ? I really enjoyed our time here on both occasions, once in mid march once in late June.

**This review is for the beer only.**…read more My husband and I split a flight of their six beers and had a good time. We sat outside to enjoy the views of the canal. They do brewery tours and serve some food but we did not try either of those. Cheers!

This Brewery in France makes some great beers…read more All their ingredients are local and spent grains are given to farmers for animal feed. They are experimenting with aging their beers in all types of wine, bourbon, cognac, whiskey barrels. There were barrels with tripels, barley wines, stouts, IPAs, sours (blueberries, peaches, other fruit), and a few others. Sign up here to go on a great tour (we were very fortunate to have Clement, one of the brewers!) and to visit the tasting room: http://www.brasserie-du-pays-flamand.com/la-brasserie/ The drive out to the brewery is also beautiful.

After having some of their beers in the US at the Shelton Brothers Festivals, we decided to go…read morevisit Brasserie Thiriez. We were very fortunate to receive a nice tasting from the brewer's daughter - Le Petite Princesses - which is a 2.9% saison collaboration with Jester King - very refreshing, and amber ale and a biere de Garde which was excellent. The tasting room decor and ambiance is superb (see photos). The brewer, Daniel, started his brewery 20 years ago and had been home brewing since he was a teenager. He's done an excellent job and continues to expand.

Arrived shortly before closing time on a Thursday. The son in law was super accommodating and very…read morefriendly. Had tastings of the three beers on tap blonde, amber, and saison. Very impressed with this small brewery!!

I've had shit ton of Belgian beers lately, mainly those that focus on a type or two. The folks at…read moreDe Struise are like the Danish Brewers Mikkeller and Evil Twin, they do collaborations and use other brewers facilities to make their product. The Black Albert is modeled after an Imperial stout, deep dark colour, and 15% in alcohol content so it packs a wallop. The cool thing however is they use all Belgian originated ingredients. An excellent representation of the stout style

Not sure how to review this place. Pretty much Urbain, the brewmaster, and other staff treat you…read morelike a long lost brother and you get to try the most badass beers ever made with the creators themselves. So if that sounds pretty awesome to you, then I would recommend dropping by the old schoolhouse brewery and set aside a few days to volunteer during brewing days and also chill-out on Struise Farm with the crew. It is very difficult to even buy some of the beers that are sitting around because Urbain will just give them to you. That's pretty decent value I'd say. Pro Tip: If you contact Struise on facebook ahead of time, you can set up appointments, tours, volunteer opportunities and even stay on the farm as if a bed and breakfast. Amazing cultural experience all around for beer and food lovers alike.