In Bruges, and Beer

Bruges, Belgium.

Although it does house the French Fry Museum, Bruges is a wonderful place to explore another Belgian staple, beer.

On one hand there are excellent breweries around the town. We particularly enjoyed Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan, central to the town and as beer lover’s paradise, lots of options and a great restaurant with it.

But – aside from the breweries the options for beer here (and it should be said a lot of towns in Belgium) are staggering. Your corner deli doesn’t just stock five kinds of beer in a cooler – even the meanest little Bruges bodega has a selection of several hundred ales and lagers. It’s simply that the beer distribution system is totally different here that the American version I am used to.

Needless to say a lot of the food focus in the restaurants here also pairs with beers, from moules frites to cassoulets to potato and leek dishes.
And walking around turning the corner to see gorgeous canals with swans and cathedral towers, there is nothing funnier than quoting the dialogue between Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges:
“Bruges is a shithole.”
“No it’s not.”
“It is a shithole.”
“We’re not even there can you reserve judgement until we’ve seen the f######g place?”
“Well, I know it’s gonna be a shithole.”