You got the French spelling rightCaptain Sousie wrote:Hey corbasse. I am now in Bruxelles (I'm trying to spell it correctly so let me know if I'm wrong) where I mistakenly thought you lived. I loved Brugge and I was wondering what beers you recommend. Any suggestions on what to see would be welcomed as well.
Thanks
Sou
(Belgium's a trilingual country with a lot of cr@^ going on between the two mayor language groups, with moronic laws demanding use of only the language of the region you're in...)
Duvel is of course great, if slightly over commerciallized. Also try some of the Trappist beers: Orval, Chimay red, blue or triple, Westmalle double or triple
If you can get hold of it, you MUST try Westvleteren. It's a trappist beer officially only sold at the gates of the monastery, (less than 1 hour away from here
) but some specialist shops or bars will have a few bottles. It's been voted best beer in the world, and experts rave about it.In Brussels try a kriek beer. It's made with sour cherries and a beer type called Lambic, which uses fermentation with airborne yeasts which can only be made in the region bordering Brussels to the southwest. It's slightly sweet and sour and quite refreshing. There's also a peach (pêche) or raspberry (framboise) variety.
The ubiquitous belle vue brand is too sweet for my taste, try to get the brands with the champagne corks instead.
At the moment I'm enyoing a Brugse Zot (Bruges' Fool or idiot), also an award winning local brew.
If it's warm (not much chance of that now
), get a Hoegaarden. A white beer, but quite different from the German ones due to the citrus and spices added.To see: The musical instrument museum! it's close to the central station, museum of fine arts, royal palace and the conservatory. In the brass department they've got some wacky contraptions by Adolphe Sax on display.
If you're interested in architecture try to visit the Horta house/museum in the rue Americaine. It's a beautiful Art Nouveau house in pristine condition.
Glad you liked Bruges. Next time you're here, come say hi in the music library of the music school just off the market