Final Days in Brussels

So, this is about it Beer Readers, my final days in Brussels. It has all come full circle, this is where my journey began. Two months ago Paul and I enjoyed the Brussels Beer Weekend and then the whirlwind traveling began. It's hard to believe all of the places I've been, all of the great people I've met and, of course, all of the amazing beers I have tasted. It is quite the list at this point! There are some that did not make the Master Beer List, as I tend to not report on brews I felt were not worthy, or that I did not really enjoy. Of course, it is a life long journey to try EVERYTHING, and I would wonder if any mere mortal could do that. I have had comments from followers recommending beers I have not posted about, some of which I have tried on previous, albeit, much shorter forays into the European beer landscape. That said, I will be back! A couple of things though...
British beer is a world onto itself. I guess that could be said of each of the countries I have visited, but with 850 breweries operating in the UK, any proper beer tour should concentrate on this wide variety alone, rather than trying to combine it with hopping back and forth across the English Channel as I have done. I met a lovely women in a pub in Bristol who has a friend that owns some double-decker buses. I was told they occasionally tour to different towns and perhaps festivals on one of these buses. Now wouldn't that be a great beer tour? This is something I will have to look into.
Belgium too is a 'beeriverse' onto itself, being truly the Mecca of beer geeks the world over. So many amazing beers, so many great pubs, such a collection of brewing knowledge in one small country! The Brussels Beer Weekend is, of course, a great place to start any extensive beer tour of Belgium, or the continent. There is also an event in the Springtime that would work equally as well. The Toer de Geuze happens every April and has as many as 24 participating breweries involved. This is a weekend in which most of the breweries in Payottenland, the area south west of Brussels where traditional lambic is made, open their doors to the public to come and taste and see just how the process works. I might have to return for this one day as well.
A few other things to report...
The wonderful and very beautiful The Ultimate Hallucination has been unfortunately permanently closed. This fabulous restaurant not only featured great Belgian beers and cuisine, but was an historical landmark in terms of its architecture, being a marvelous example of Art Nouveau style and design. It is a great loss not only to the city of Brussels, but to historians, fans of Art Deco and beer lovers alike. One can only hope that someone with money, interest and taste will step forward to reopen this wonderful place at some point in the future.
That said, at the other end of the spectrum, the Delirium Cafe is alive and well and still going strong. This is the best place to find and taste Belgian beers anywhere, bar none, I would say. They have 15 taps of wonderful ambrosia and have on hand over 2000 beers! This is the alter at which any self respecting Belgian beer geek must pray! The bar staff are very knowledgeable, well schooled in their art, friendly and ultimately entertaining too! I could not believe some of the beers I found here. The Delirium Cafe is notoriously hard to find, located as it is on a dead end alley or 'impasse' off of a small street of crowded cafes. The impasse itself first appears to be the rear delivery entrance to one of the restaurants, but at night, when the pink elephant sign is lit, it is a little easier to spot. This is also the alley where you can find the famous Manneken Pis' not-so-famous little sister, the Jeanneke Pis. The little girl squats at the very end of the impasse on the right hand side, not well lit and locked up behind a cage. I managed to tick off a few more boxes on my list of hard to find Belgian specialties at the Delirium Cafe, and will likely drop by again before my time is up.
The museums of Brussels are amazing too, whether you are looking for Brueghels, Bosch, Magritte or something totally modern or avant garde. The architecture of this famous city is also varied, from the mediaeval to the post modern, with sculpture and fountains everywhere to be found. The nightlife is sublime, musical adventures for every taste and the most amazing restaurants to choose from, any cuisine in the world can be found here and in any price range. It is no wonder this is the European Union's premier capital in this modern age of ours.
Of course, I spent my last couple of days wandering around to some of my favourite spots. I dropped by Moeder Lambic more than once. Always a great and varied selection. On the days I was there they had on a few beers on tap from a new Italian Brewery, Toccalmatto, who began brewing only in October of 2008, and already have a fine reputation for quality ingredients and excellently crafted brews. Their motto 'Birra Viva Artigianale' refers to the fact that their beers are 'alive and artisanal'. Of course, this goes hand in hand with Moeder Lambic's motto 'Beer is the answer!', and anyone reading this blog would know that to be true. What was the question?
So today I can finally shop. Being on the road for two months does have it's limitations. I decided to travel as light as possible this trip, having been embarrassed in the past, always recognized as a North American carrying too much baggage. I traveled with only two pieces of smallish luggage, but have now bought a third larger one which I intend to fill with my allowable limit of beer to bring back home. And there are many places to shop here in Brussels my friends! Beer Planet, De Biertemple, Beer Mania and many more, large and small.
Not much time left, so I'd better get going...