Brussels

After I found my hotel Friday night, I left in search of Brussels’ offerings. I stayed at the Marriott, which was close to the Grand Place and many restaurants, bars and chocolatiers. It was at a chocolatier that I first indulged, I ordered three truffles and ate them as I explored the city.

Usually when I visit a new city, I start out walking toward the major attraction, and then wandering about, follow my instincts, until I get lost or at least disoriented. This time, my instincts brought me through the Grand Place, and down many restaurant-laden alleys, until I looked to my right and saw something I could not pass up: the Délirium Café!

Délirium Café
Thanks to my flatmate’s fascination with beer, I was well aware of Délirium beer, but as I sat down at the bar of the Délirium Café, I was astounded by its selection of Belgian and other beers. The beer list was over 2,000 beers long, including nearly 1,000 Belgian brews and beers from around the world. I posted a picture of the beers from the U.S.A.; I found it interesting that Pabbst Blue Ribbon, one of my favorites, was excluded, while Stroh’s was included.

One of the beers on tap was called Pink Killer. Unfortunately, I could not resist trying this. It was sweeter than it was sour, and tasted something like a beer/pink lemonade combination. Once I finished the Pink Killer, I moved on to some real Belgian beers, Carolus Triple, Orval, and Westmalle Tripel (see photos below). The previous three were on the recommendation of a kind Belgian guy named Patrick. Each beer was a new and pleasant experience.

I enjoyed myself at the bar as I spoke with Patrick and another guy, Andrés, who was Swiss. Andrés and I spoke in Spanish and, after Patrick left, we met another American, who happened to be from Miami, and was able to speak Spanish with us.

The three of us tried the beers that Patrick recommended, and then went out for some late night Middle Eastern food, doner kebab sandwiches. After dinner, we continued on to a couple of Salsa/Dance clubs. All told, it was a fun night.

Saturday
Saturday’s highlight was the visit to Cantillon Brewery. Cantillon makes lambic beer, which relies on native yeasts and bacertia to ferment the barley and wheat. Until 1860, all beer was lambic. Lambic beer is a lot more sour (less than 0,2% is sugar by volume) than most commercial beers and I must admit that tasting the ‘real stuff’ nearly knocked my socks off!

The rest of Saturday I meandered through the Grande Place and the streets of Brussels. For dinner I ate mussels with a side of Belgian fries (for those of you who don’t know, what we call ‘Patriot Potatoes’ were first produced here in Belgium). I had a Belgian waffle for dessert with some Belgian coffee. Tomorrow morning I plan to have another Belgian waffle and try several more chocolatiers.

I have tried everything for which Belgium is renowned except the sprouts (Sorry Mom!), and I must say that the treats have lived up to their hype. I look forward to more tasting tomorrow. Bonne nuit or slaap lekker!