Brugge - The Amsterdam of Beer

For those who have never heard of Brugge, it's a small, well preserved town in the a region of Belgium called West Flanders. The old part of town hasn't changed much since the middle ages (other than the standard decimation by war). It's a pleasant 3-4 hour journey by Eurostar (connect in Brussels) from London.

For those who have never heard of Amsterdam, you're probably the type of person who thinks caffeine is bad and you're not going to be reading this blog.

Belgium is the heart of the beer world. Interbrew, the owner of most international beer brands, had their start in Belgium. Belgium has produced more styles of beer than any other nation I can think of. I've had a fair amount bad beer in my days, and I've had a fair amount of Belgain beer. I can safely say that Belgians don't make bad beer. There may be one or two out there that suck (Stella anyone?), but the number beers with an amazing, unique taste dwarf the numbers.

My favourite bar in Brugge is easily 't Brugs Beertje. It's down a tiny little street and is flanked by two cosy Belgian style restaurants. You walk inside and no matter what time of the year, it's completely packed. There are three drinking rooms that stretch down the narrow central corridor. The front room is where the main bar is. That's where the best atmosphere is. To reach the next room, you have to squeeze yourself through the inevitable bottleneck at the end of the bar. There's more tables and chairs and, because its not completely enclosed, doesn't loose too much of the ambiance. The third room is past the second, then past the toilets. You think you're going outside, but there's a door to a back-bar. I have been to this place on three separate trips and the bar in the back has never been open - although you can still sit. You've got to either wait for table service, or go all the way to the front bar to get your beer. Personally, I'd rather stand in the front.

If you're lucky to get a seat, search for the beer menu. The menu is a massive, 20-page binder, packed with every Belgian beer you've never heard of. While there are a handful of taps, almost all of the beer selection is out of the bottle, but when the server brings you your drinks, they will pour the beer into the appropriate glass in the appropriate manor. Every beer has its own special glass and its own special pouring method. Belgians take their beer seriously.

Choose your beer carefully; Ask the staff for a recommendation; Tell them what sort of beer you typically like. If you choose too hastily, you'll end up with chocolate covered insect flavoured beer. The Belgians make beer out of anything and everything. Another very important consideration is that there is no standard alcohol level. In most places, the alcohol content of beer is fairly standard and you don't need to double check. For instance, in Canada, 95% of all beer is 4.5-5.5%. This is not the case in Belgium. I've had a 10.5% beer accidentally. I ordered it before looking at the fine print. It was excellent and I probably would have continued ordering it until I woke up in a hospital. Another way they trick you (the bastards) is they sometime use the proof symbol instead of the normal %. Alcohol proof is typically twice the alcohol % of ABV. Normally, when I see something that is 14°, I'll assume it's 7%. Be very careful!

The comparisons to Amsterdam are many. The vast selection, the numerous pubs and bars on every corner, the bicycles, and unfortunately, the British. Amsterdam has the Red Light District, Brugge has the Market area. The area I speak of isn't actually in the market. There is a small square just off the NW corner of the market. There you'll find four "pubs" with Sky Sports showing and jam packed with people who are in Brugge and ordering Strongbow or Guiness or anything that isn't Belgian beer. This is a good thing for two reasons. Firstly, Brits don't just drink beer - they get pissed out of their minds. They'd have to have a detox centre next door if the Brits were getting pissed on Belgian beer. Secondly, because all of the Brits are contained within a small area, the rest of the world are free to roam from bar to bar and avoid that bit of unpleasantness.

Like Amsterdam, Brugge is one of those places that I've been several times and would return at the drop of a hat. Everything about the place is fantastic. The architecture, the chocolate, the beer, the bars, the food, etc. I love Brugge.

10/10

Imported Beer

Simpld fact: beer does not travel well. Any beer that does travel is saturated with chemicals to the point that its not worth drinking. Because of this fact, major beer brands are licensed to local brewers to produce. Of course, there's also the transportation and duty savings, but every imported beer I've ever had tasted like shit. In Canada, Bud is brewed by Labatt and visa versa. Before they merged, Coors and Molson had a reciprocal brewing agreement. In the UK, all of the major lagers are brewed in the UK. Carlsburg, Kronembourg, and as every aussie with attest, Fosters. Taste aside, the biggest reason to stay clear of drinking excess imported beer (or cheap, local lager) is the resulting hangover. I've found that chemical preservatives lead to killer hangovers.

India Pale Ales were invented specifically for exporting to India. They used unroasted (or very little) malt which contained a much higher sugar content. When brewed, the extra sugar yealded a much higher alcohol volume. Since alcohol is a natural preservative, it kept the beer from going bad over the long voyage to India. Modern IPAs don't have as much in common with their ancestors. They're typically somewhere between a lager and an ale in taste and rarely contains more than 5.5%.

Growing up, having never left the continent, I didn't understand this important knowledge. I've always thought German beer was vastly inferior to my local Canadian brew. When compared to any of Canada's premium beers, it just didn't stand up. I chalked this up to the fact that, similarly to Canada, they only exported their rubbish and kept the good beer for the locals. Who drinks Molson Golden?

About four years ago, I went on a month long solo trek through Europe. One of my destinations, the fatherland of the pilsner (Czech Republic) was a fantastic introduction to the joys of European beer. It may have been the 50c 1/2L beers, but the Czechs have some fantastic beer. They've got a bunch of national lagers (Starropramen, Pilsner Urquell, Budwiser [the original]), but their local breweries were outstanding. Another stop on my trip was Munich during Oktoberfest. At the time, I didn't think there was any topping the Czech beer, but the Oktoberfest beers took my breath away. They were, by far, the finest beers I've ever had. The Bavians know how to make beer. I'll soon get to relive these amazing beers this September when I return to Oktoberfest.

When I got home from my trip, my mind was wide open to the possibilities of world beer. I found myself craving Czech and German beer. I found some Pilsner Urquell at the beer store and bought a case. I was devistated to find that, not only was it not what I remembered, but it was down right awful. What I learned that day is that beer doesn't travel well. Stick with the local stuff, no matter where you are, and you'll enjoy yourself and the morning after.

The Cha Cha Cha

Ages ago I was in rambling around Europe, sampling all the libation delights of the old world. One that's stuck with me after all this time is the Cha Cha Cha in Budapest. The experience summed up a lot of what I've noticed about drinking in Europe. By day, it's a small drinking hole in a subway station in downtown Budapest. There's not a lot remarkable about it. There's room for four bar stools and a couple tables. At night, though, they pull out the foosball tables, extra tables and chairs, bring in a DJ, cover the lights with coloured fabric, and presto, a really cool bar. Drinking in public is not taboo over here. In some places, it's encouraged. You can crack open a case of beer on public transport and no one even lifts their eyes. The Cha Cha Cha was rocking that night. I was there with a bunch of crazed Belgians I had met at the hostel.

After chilling out for a bit and losing constantly at foos, we went up to the street and drank beer with a group of locals playing guitar. We went to countless shitty bars, but each one tend to have their own character and reason for existing. It's not to say that Europe is unique in this way, but it's certainly opened my eyes to the potential of drinking venues.

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