We arrived in Brussels on a lovely warm Fall morning, sunny with blue skies. After making our way from the airport to our hotel via train, we decided the best place to start of tour of 'the city of beer' would be the famous Mort Subite. Located a short walk from the Grand Place, we sat down in the mirrored lined and somewhat dimly lit room and enjoyed a bottled conditioned Mort Subite Gueuze. While sipping and marveling over this uniquely Belgian delight, I noticed a gentleman at the next table who seemed vaguely familiar to me. Sure enough, when I approached his table, it was, Charlie Papazian - long time publisher, beer writer and brew guru to a generation of home brewers and beer enthusiasts. He said he was one of a number of invited guests attending the 12th annual Brussels Beer Weekend. Wishing him well, we went on way, through the tiny, winding cobblestone streets of the city centre. Everywhere you turn is a pub, a cafe or a restaurant, beers and daily specials posted on chalk boards or in windows. It is very difficult in this city NOT to find a good place to have a great beer. So, we visited quite a few.
Les Brasseurs de la Grand Place was our next stop - the only actual brewpub in Brussels. They serve four of their own wonderful beers: a crisp and light bodied Blonde, a well balance Amber, a malt accented Dark and a mysteriously spiced Tripel (our favourite). My traveling and beer hunting companion Paul Geneau and I then decided it was time for food, and so we found ourselves at Cafe Leon, one of many small resto-cafes in the heart of the old city, enjoyed their house beer, Biere Leon, and some much needed sustenance. The rest of the evening was spent at various cafes, sampling some of our favourite Belgian brews and people watching, as the streets filled with club goers, tourists and locals looking to relax. It was 2 am before we knew it. Not so jet lagged as we thought!