Places to drink real ale in Belgium

Having received my new passport from the Yorkshire authorities, I took it upon myself to see if you can buy beer outside York. First I looked in Lancashire; no, only kidding, Yorkshire passports aren't valid in Lancashire! Instead, I went to Belgium. As you may know from my guide to where to drink Belgian beer in York, York is the best place to drink Belgian beers. However, having heard that you can also buy Belgian beer in Belgium, I thought I'd give it a try.

Bruges

Some people say that Bruges is the only place worth visiting in Belgium. They're wrong of course; Belgian is full of nice places, and they're all steeped in beery goodness. However, Bruges is especially beholden in the eye of the God of Beer (who, presumably, is the guy who keeps all the Belgian monks busy making the stuff). Amongst its many beer shrines are two outstanding places of beer worship: Staminee De Gare and t'Brugs Beertje.

Staminee De Garre is hidden away down a narrow alley, situated not far from the main tourist area. Prior to opening, De Garre can be found propped up by an enormous cheese. Later this is chopped up into small pieces and served free with the beer. The beer range is small by Belgian standards (which are not modest), but includes De Garre's own Trippel, which is strong, creamy and goes perfectly with the cheese. Other food is also available, though the details are lost in a beer fog: possibly slices of meat and cheese? Unfortunately the place is no longer a well-kept secret, so don't get your hopes up for a table at peak times.

Café t'Brugs Beertje, located not far from t'Zand, is a landmark of the Bruges beer drinking experience. Unlike De Gare, it has an extensive beer range, cunningly obfuscated by the long, rambling beer menu. I'd recommend leaving about half an hour to choose your first beer. Other than the beer range, another reason to come here is the scenery: it's a proper old man's pub, covered in charismatic old beer signage. Whilst the front room is often full, there's a second room hidden away at the back; go past the toilets, through the door, across the alley, and you're almost there.

If two pubs aren't enough for you, I'd also recommend Herberg Vlissinghe, which is allegedly the oldest pub in Bruges. It must be the only perfectly square pub I've ever been to: imagine a small square wood-panelled room with a tiny bar in the corner, and it's like you're there already. There's also a unique soap feature in the toilets, but I won't ruin the surprise.

If you're hungry and you want to see another enormous beer menu, visit Gambrinus. Unlike most Belgian pubs, its food menu goes well beyond sliced meat and cheese. On the downside, it's usually full of people eating. Reserve several hours for studying the beer menu.

Gent

Gent, Bruges' big brother, is only half an hour away by train, and is well worth a beer visit. There are a few good pubs around the place. Probably the best one is Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant, a nice old place overlooking the river. Its beer menu is pretty well endowed, and it has a pleasant historic interior to boot. Next door is a Gent institution, t'Dreupelkot. Basically a shrine to Belgian gin, it is tiny and run by a grupy old man. In the door is his grumpometer: be extra wary when its indicator in the grumpy zone. It doesn't serve much beer though, so why would you want to visit?

However, the real reason to visit Gent is to bear witness to t'Velootje, a pub which bears no resemblance to any other pub you've ever been to. If you like junk, gloom, stuff hanging from the ceiling, and difficult to locate seating (it's under the junk), you'll love it. The owner has a beard, and possibly a cat, and will serve you whichever beer he happens to come across. Finding it open can be a challenge, and it's not for the feint of heart, but it is basically awesome.

Antwerp

Anterp is an hour's train ride from Bruges. Whilst also home to a range of pubs, the reason to come here is to go to the Kulminator. In beer worship terms, this is a cathedral, with catacombs full of old beer. The beer menu contains beer ages as well as names and (if you're under 40) some of them may be older than you. Fancy a 30 year old Westvletern? I did, and I had one - it was a bargain at 15 Euros! The place also has cats. Cats and beer are, of course, the perfect combination. Well, cats and beer and plates of meat and cheese. However, there's not a huge amount of seating, so arrive early.

Brussels

Brussels is not full of argumentative policiticans in suits: like all of Belgium, it's full of beer. More to the point, it's full of the best sort of Belgian beer - lambic! Of course, you must visit the Cantillon brewery. It's old, it's full of yeast, and (assuming you don't have a weak heart) you can try their fabulously sour beers. Mmm. After you've done that, visit A La Mort Subite and try their faro. Unlike the beautiful Cantillon geuzes, it has sugar in it, so you can let your sour taste buds recover before popping into Moeder Lambic and punishing them with some more geuze complemented by a range of cheese. If you're still alive after all this, pay a visit to La Bécasse and drink their home-made faro, which is served in its own ceramic jug.

House of the Trembling Madness

This is why I forgot to take
some interior pictures.

This small, yet perfectly formed, bar is perched above a Stonegate off-licence (called, rather appropriately, the Bottle Shop). It's not somewhere you're likely to stumble across by accident. In fact, even if you do know where it is, it may still take you some time to stumble across it - and when you do eventually find it, you may well find that it's already full to the brim.

Nevertheless, the House of Trembling Madness is a desirable new member of York's growing Belgian beer selling pub menagerie. Delerium tremens (the trembling madness) is a condition that results from cessation of drinking following from excess alcohol intake. Presumably the bar's name is a warning that you shouldn't suddenly stop drinking after visiting this place, since consumption of  Belgian beer is generally tentamount to excess alcohol intake.

The interior resembles a Germanic hunting lodge, with plenty of wooden beams and various animals of the pushing-up-daisies variety. The bar itself is miniscule, yet houses 8-or-so pumps, a fridge full of bottles, a kitchen, and three bar staff. The pumps are mostly of the Belgian variety. La Trappe double (a moderately strong, dark, well-balanced Trappist brew), Triple Karmeliet (strong and sweet), Barbar (honey beer) and Timmerman's (fruit beer) have all featured thereabouts. The fridge has an eclectic selection of Belgian, British and Other beers. Last time I visited, this included, amongst many others, Bush de Noel (lovely Belgian winter beer, 12%), Aventinus eisboch (strong yet well balanced German beer, also 12%), and Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (an unusual German smoked beer).

The food deserves more than a passing mention. Given that the kitchen seems to consist of an oven, a microwave, a fridge, and a chopping board, the range and quality of food is pretty amazing. A number of the dishes are platter-based, and consist of various morsels of locally-sourced produce. I can heartily recommend the cheese and bread platter - at least two of the cheeses contained beer. The portions aren't enormous, but are sufficient to extinguish the ravenous hunger produced by excess Belgian beer consumption. For future visits, I have my eye on the enormous pie platter.

The toilets (well, I can hardly review a pub without mentioniong the toilets) are somewhat unusual. They're located under the aforementioned off-license, in front of a large spirit display cabinet - something to admire if there's a queue.

Finally, the aforementioned off-license is well worth further perusal. It sells a pretty extensive range of European, American and British bottled beers. At Christmas time, this included a a good selection of Belgian Christmas beers, something that's pretty hard to get hold of in the UK.

Addendum 12/12/12: It was recently drawn to my attention that you can buy beer downstairs in the off-license to drink upstairs in the bar, subject to a small corkage charge. Livers beware! Unfortunately they no longer stock Linderman's Faro, my girlfriend's favourite tipple, so I'm no longer allowed to drink here ;)

Sam Smiths

For anyone not in the know, Samuel Smiths is a brewery located in the town of Tadcaster, just down the road from York. It's aways struck me as a bit of an enigma. For one, Sam Smiths pubs only sell Sam Smiths branded products. This includes not only Sam Smiths beers, but also Sam Smiths branded spirits and Sam Smiths branded snacks. Second, Sam Smiths pubs are exceptionally cheap. They often sell a pint of beer for less than half the average amount charged at other pubs (how do they do it?). Not that I'm complaining, mind. Sam Smiths beers are generally very good. For a small brewery, they are also very varied, covering the whole gamut from lager to bitter to brown ale to porter to stout, and back again to wheat beer, fruit beer and cider. Many of the more niche products only come in bottles - which is probably a good thing, since it allows pubs to stock a wide range without worrying about them going off. The Oatmeal Stout and Imperial Stout are outstanding, and widely regarded by beer enthusiasts. I have a particular fondness for the Nut Brown Ale, but then again I do have a fondness for brown things in general.

Given its close proximity to the brewery, York is unsurprisingly home to a large number of Sam Smiths pubs. This includes the King's Arms, perhaps York's most famous (and most flooded) pub. It also includes the Wellington, a tiny gem of a pub hidden between terraced houses in a picturesque street just outside the city centre. Yes, I know, the words terraced and picturesque don't usually occur in the same sentence, but this street is an exception, and so is its pub. It's also handy for the river, and has recently started opening all day and allowing children in.

Should you wish to explore further, there are plenty of other Sam Smiths pubs to choose from. The Hansom Cab, in the city centre, has a nice olde worlde interior. However, being in the city centre, it does get busy and does attract all sorts - one of the downsides of cheap beer I'm afraid (aka the Weatherspoon effect). Still in the centre, but less central, is the York Arms, which also has an interesting interior. The Sea Horse Hotel is worth popping into if you're in the area (which you will be if you've just been to the Wellington), and has a rather nice front-left room. The beer garden looks suspiciously like a car park though. I've only been to the Brigadier Gerard once, but this might be worth visiting if you want to see an example of a larger Sam Smiths pub. It's named after a famous horse, not a chap with a moustache.

I've heard the brewery tap, the Angel and White Horse, in Tadcaster is well worth a visit. I've been meaning to go there for a long time. The brewery has dray horses, apparently.

Where to drink Belgian beer in York

A real Belgian pub in Bruges.

Belgian monks are amongst my favourite types of monk. Whilst they don't have the trendy orange garments sported by their Buddhist brethren, and despite having to get up umpteen times a night to praise God, they manage to find time to brew one of my favourite beverages, Beer.

Belgian beer is, of course, nothing like British beer: it is nearly solid, small quantities make you want to lie down, and it is rarely named after ferets, randy old men, or famous British victories. Nevertheless, it is well worth drinking and, to my mind, it is important to know where to acquire it at short notice. As such, here is a list of places in York that will happily fill you with the dark brown chewy stuff.

La Place Verte is a tiny Belgian cafe located in the bridge tower of Skeldergate Bridge. It is Belgian-owned and sells a range of 30 Belgian beers in addition to other Belgian specialities, such as Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolates. All in all, a very Belgian place. It has a nice riverside garden, making it a good place to drink Belgian beer on a summer's day. However, they only sell beer from a single Trappist brewery, Westmalle, and the rest of their range is pretty standard stuff. Fine if you're not a big fussy head like me. EDIT: Sadly this place is no more, although its replacement does have a couple of Belgian beers, should you be in the mood to sit by the river.

The bar at Pivni

The York Brewery pubs all sell Belgian bottled beers, with the Three-Legged Mare having the largest range. Like most York brewery pubs, its name is an execution reference: in this case, a device for hanging three people at once. In case you find it hard to imagine such a device, there's a replica out back in the tiny beer garden - how thoughtful! The Belgian beer range features a couple of Trappists, though nothing too exciting. They have Kwak glasses, if you like a challenge whilst you're drinking your Belgian beer.

In terms of beer range, Pivni is undoubtedly the best place to drink Belgian beers in York. In addition to a selection of nearly 50 bottled beers, they also have one or two on tap, including McChouffe from the Achouffe Brewery. The bottled range includes examples from most of the Trappist monasteries. However, like everywhere else, they don't sell beer from the Westvleteren monastery: a group of monks who spend far too much time praying and far too little time making their highly sought-after beer.

Other places that sell Belgian beer are the Rook and Gaskill, the Maltings, and the York Beer and Wine Shop. The latter also sells cheese, the perfect accompaniment to Belgian beer (and everything else in life). If you like sour beer that makes you squirm, you might also be interested in my guide to Belgian lambic beers available in York.

EDIT: The new York Tap, situated in York station's old first class lounge, also serves a range of Belgian beers, along with almost every other kind of strong beer known to mankind. Highly recommended, but busy at peak times.

Where to drink real ale in York

The King's Arms, York's famous underwater pub.

I was just reading What's Brewing, and apparently beer is still good for you. To my mind, the best way to celebrate good news such as this is to drink some beer. But where? If, like me, you live in York, then you're spoilt for choice. Not only is York full of pubs, but it also has more than its fair share of good real ale pubs - so much so that there doesn't seem to be room in the Good Beer Guide to list all of them. When I travel elsewhere, I often rely on the kindness of strangers to tell me where the good pubs are, so here is my effort to do the same.

The Rook and Gaskill is famous for its beer range. It certainly has a lot of them - even when visiting several times a week, I haven't yet had to drink the same beer more than once. In addition to a dozen or so hand pumps, they also have a fridge full of bottled beers from Belgium, Germany and the USA, several proper continental lagers and a fruit lambic on tap, and usually a craft cider too. The pub itself is not unpleasant to look at. The main area is dimly lit with some comfy corners and a fireplace. Out the back is a conservatory - not as pleasant, but does have a revealing picture of Debbie Harry. There's also a tiny beer garden, but it's best avoided. The gents are functional, with an aluminium trough  - so not worth going out of your way to visit. The landlord has a dry sense of humour and an appreciation of classic rock. He runs a beer festival every now and then, during which the beer range increases to astonishing levels. There's a minimalist hot food menu and occasional live music.

Just inside the city wall, and not far from the Rook and Gaskill, lies the Phoenix. This is a lovely atmospheric place, recently rescued from slumber by a former Cambridge don. It has several real ales on hand pumps - these are well chosen, but admittedly it is not worth visiting for the beer alone. However, it has an attractive wooden interior, a beer garden overlooking the city wall, live jazz twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday last time I looked), and gents toilets with Victorian glamour photography. The landlord is a pleasant understated fellow, and the pub seems to reflect his personality.

Another short amble inwards toward the city centre, and you'll find the Bluebell on scenic Fossgate. Inside is a compact well-preserved Victorian interior. The back room is particularly enjoyable. Dimly lit, with old pictures and piped music from around the 40s and 50s, it's like a bubble from the past. There's usually a handful of real ales, with Ossett Silver King and Tetley's Mild often showing their faces, and a craft cider delivered straight from the box. It's like my ideal living room. However, it is tiny, and can get busy in peak periods, whereupon you'll probably end up standing in the corridor next to the bar, ordering beer through a tiny hatch - a not unpleasant experience. They serve sandwiches, and you can also bring in food from the Hairy Fig delicatessen just down the road. Sadly they no longer sell the pie and peas that I once fell in love with. The toilets aren't particularly interesting.

Another ten minute walk, and you'll come across the Black Swan, an ancient coaching inn located near York's inner ring road. This is easily York's oldest pub, and is reputedly infested with ghosts. There are several (3 or 4) real ales available, usually including Greene King's Abbott Ale, but I rarely come here for the beer alone. The main attraction is the thoroughly ancient wooden interior, best viewed in the front-left room (or even better, the upstairs room, but this is only open for music events and such like). There are faded historical portraits on the wall and leaded glass in the windows. Generally quiet, it also does meals, is well known for its folk music club, and has a roaring fire in the back room on winter nights. The toilets are less than outstanding, but you can't have everything.

Most of the good pubs are found on the fringes of the city centre. However, it is well worth spiralling inwards to visit Pivni (formerly Pivo), a small cafe bar located down a narrow alleyway. Whilst small in size, this place has a large range of bottled beers, half a dozen real ale pumps (mostly Thornbridge), and also sells German wheat beers, Belgian beers (typically La Chouffe and Duvel) and the Czech Bernard range on tap. Oh, and there's fruit lambics and cider, which my missus appreciates. The upstairs room is woody and pleasant, and has a well-stocked jukebox. Also sells paninis, pork pies, and Sunday lunch delivered from a local restaurant. The men's urinal used to be a monster, but it got slayed at some point, leaving distinctly unimpressive facilities.

Leaving the city centre northwards, if you're lucky you'll find the Minster Inn, located down a quiet street next to Minster Gardens. This is the chosen meeting place of York CAMRA, which probably tells you something. It is arguably the closest you'll find to a traditional pub in York, or for that matter anywhere else. The beer range is generous, and typically includes several offerings from the Jennings brewery. The pub manages to squeeze four rooms into its slender frame, all with distinct personalities. There's a small beer garden out the back, leading to arguably the best gents' toilets in York: a beautifully-preserved outdoor trough. The landlord is friendly, and has a soft spot for visiting dogs - examples of which you'll often find. No food, other than crisps.

Since you're in the neighbourhood, it's probably worth stopping by the Maltings. This is arguably York's best-known real ale pub. However, its proximity to the station means that it has an ebb and flow of visitors all day, and it can be quite hard getting a seat. Nevertheless, the beer (and cider) selection is always outstanding, and the interior is quite unique, with doors liberally plastered to the ceiling and bar. Also serves pretty good pub food. The toilets aren't notable.

Head south from the Maltings and you'll come across what I like to think of as pub heaven: three outstanding real ale pubs in a row. Well, roughly in a row, and admittedly with five minute gaps in between.

The first of these is the Ackhorne, located down an alley off Micklegate. I saw an old picture of this pub once, and it was called the Acorn, so clearly the interesting spelling is faux-olde-worlde. There's a good beer range, often including Rooster's Yankee, a lovely hoppy beverage. The interior is very woody, and the room on the left is particularly nice to look at. I've heard they do food these days, but not tried it myself. The toilets are best avoided in my experience, but won't kill you.

Moving south, you get to the even more salubrious Golden Ball, one of several York pubs on CAMRA's list of historically significant interiors. There are a handful of real ale pumps, at least one of which is a guest. Everard's Tiger and Copper Dragon Golden Pippin are usually amongst the offerings. The interior is quite interesting, comprising several rooms with disparate surroundings. The front-left room has the only bar billiards table in York, and there is a floral beer garden out the back - probably one of the best places to be on a sunny day. The toilets are functional, though not particularly memorable.

Finally you get to the Swan. This used to be my local, so I may be slightly biased in saying it's the best pub in York. It is also on the CAMRA list of historically significant interiors (apparently the layout is more typical of the West Ridings than of North Yorkshire). There are two rooms and a wide drinking corridor. The back room is particularly cosy, with a real fire. The beer range is always good, with the Salamander and Anglo-Dutch breweries much in evidence. The staff are always friendly, and the place attracts a wide range of customers coming in search of good beer and company. The beer garden is outstanding. The toilets are magical. I just wish they'd get rid of the recently-installed television over the bar!

Other pubs more-than-worthy of mention include the Masons Arms (outstanding food, good beer and toilets), the Wellington (an old-fashioned Sam Smith's local), the York brewery pubs (great beer, but a bit lacking in historical significance), the Tap and Spile (good beer, host to a pork pie festival once a year), the Wagon and Horses (extensive Thwaites range) and the Slip Inn (recently converted to a real ale pub by the Swan's owners).

Lambic

Mariage Parfait... soury goodness

I am one of those odd people who loves lambic beer: not the ones full of fruit and sugar, but the sour kind that give people queer facial expressions. My friends refer to them as toilet duck, which is an apt summary for anyone unfamiliar with such beers. Anyhow, given their niche status, they're not the easiest of things to get hold of - but luckily for me, I live in York, and York is jam-packed with places that sell beery goodness.

The York Beer and Wine Shop, a stone's throw from the city walls, is one such place. It sells two beers from the Cantillon brewery - the Gueuze 100% lambic, and the Kriek 100% lambic. The latter contains cherry, yet somehow manages to be even more sour than the straight lambic. The York Beer and Wine Shop is a wonderful place to buy beer, and is the recipient of numerous awards. The owner is very knowledgeable. The first time I bought lambic there, he asked if I'd had it before - presumably if I'd said no, he'd have told me not to. If you need further warning, the bottle has a picture of a boy pissing on the front.

If you prefer to drink your lambic in a pub, the only place I've found selling it is Pivni, a small cafe/bar in the city centre. This is a nice place to drink beer. In addition to lambics, it has an extensive range of bottled beers, a full range of Thornbridge beers, several German wheat beers on tap, and numerous others. I forget which lambic they sell, though I believe it has 'old' in the title. Take care though, they also sell Mort Subite (subtle death) Gueuze, which is slightly sweet and generally pleasant to drink. Not my sort of beer at all.

The only other source of lambic in the York area, that I know of, is Beer-ritz, a mail order company based in Tockwith, a village within 10 miles of York. According to their website, they sell both Cantillon and Boon lambics, the latter being the brewer of the frankly sublime Mariage Parfait. I've no idea whether they sell directly to visitors, or whether you have to order online and salivate until the postman turns up.

If anyone has had other lambic sightings in York, please leave a comment. Nothing fruity mind!