Beer Destination – Bruges
More and more Irish people are heading off on weekend city breaks. This has been helped by the availability of cheap flights from Ryanair and Aer Lingus. There are more flights to more destinations than ever before. So why not choose a destination that has an excellent selection of good pubs and quality beer?
My favourite destination for a weekend beer-related break is the Belgian city of Bruges (or Brugge to give it its Flemish name). Situated west of Brussels in the West Flanders region, this charming city has all the elements needed for an enjoyable break. Firstly, it is a relatively small city, very handy for walking around the various venues.
Secondly, it has plenty of other attractions for your companion or companions that might not be as dedicated to beer as you are. Brugge is a very pretty place with a beautiful Grand Place (Grot Markt), many canals (with boat trips), churches, museums, lots of lace shops and chocolate. This brings me to one of the few downsides to Brugge; it is very popular with day trippers, and can be over-run with groups of American or Japanese tourists being herded to and from the bus park. However, after 5 or 6 in the evening, an air of tranquillity descends. It becomes “Beer Heaven”. The Flanders region has a very distinct atmosphere; they are a proud people and have a slight dislike for the French language! So, even though most of them understand it, they much prefer to speak English to visitors. So, forget your school French and speak English (unless you speak Dutch, of course!).
Venues in Brugge:
’t Brugs Beertje (The Little Bruges Bear), Kemelstraat 5. This is a legendary two room beer pub, with a superb list and a knowledgable staff. It is featured in every guide book, which means it can get very busy. It has an unsurpassed beer list, featuring some rare and local brews. Across the road is a very good restaurant (The Hobbit), and they have (in 2006) taken over the restaurant beside the bar.
Cambrinus, Philipstockstraat 19, just off the Grand Place, this place only opened in 2006 and has a menu with 300 beers listed, and reasonable food. There can be dodgy 70s-type music played sometimes, but anything can be endured with a Westvleteren to hand.
De Zolder, Vlamingstraat, an excellent cellar bar with great beer list. This place used to have home cooked meals (cooked with beer), but the food menu is more limited now. It seems to concentrate on having an excellent beer list, and has got a lot more popular recently. Good music played (CD cover displayed at the bar!).
Staminee De Garre, De Garre 1; this is a superb, quiet and atmospheric pub down an alleyway, just off Briedelstraat which is the street that runs between Markt and Burg. Thousands of tourists pass by each day and never notice the alley. This is a little bit more expensive than some of the other pubs, but is well worth it. They have an excellent beer list, including the house tripel Van de Garre specially brewed for them by Van Steenberg. It has a non smoking room upstairs; beware the scary descent after having a few strong beers!
Den Dyver, Dyver 5, located near the Groeninge Museum, this is really a restaurant that specialises in cooking with beer. It is highly regarded in culinary circles, but can be just a little pricey.
De Kuppe, Kuiperstraat 19, this is a nice bar with strange décor (check out the mosaic tiled floor!) but it has quite a good beer list.
Straffe Hendrick brewery and brewery tap, Walplein 26, no brewing goes on at the site; it’s really a touristy thing. Personally, I would not recommend it.
Dickies, Vrijdagmarkt 16, this is beer bar with charcoal grill. Try a steak with La Chouffe sauce (and a La Chouffe, of course!).
Logistics:
Catch a flight to Brussels or Charleroi from Dublin. If you fly Ryanair to Charleroi, you may buy a train ticket to any destination in Belgium for €10.50 (€20 return) and free bus ticket to Charleroi train station. A change of trains is required at Brussels Midi to go on to Brugge, and the trains are about every 20 minutes. The hotel I have stayed at on two occasions is the Hotel Van Eyck that offers rooms at about €60 a night for 2 persons sharing. The rooms are small but adequate, and a decent breakfast is included. It is also just around the corner from ’t Brugs Beertje!
Links:
Hotel Van Eyck:
Official Brugge Tourism:
http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/index.htm
Bruges Museums:
http://www.visit-bruges.com/museums.html
http://www.trabel.com/brugge-museum.htm
John Stephens Mar 2007 (photos April 06 – JS).
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