The welcome reception at the bar of Novotel La Tour Noir, in the heart of the capital Brussels, started well. By half past three in the afternoon, people started to come in one by one, and about an hour later, we were almost complete. Various Belgian beers were served at the tables and sitting in the comfortable chairs, we were introduced to each other, and our guide, Regnier De Muynck, told us a little bit more about the upcoming program

Three people, all from the DC area, had missed a connecting flight and would join us the next day. At 5 PM we all got on the bus and we started a tour through Brussels. The weather was rainy and the traffic was busy, but we managed to get a good view of the busy life in the capital and made a stop at the Jubelpark-Cinqantenaire, a park that was constructed at the occasion of the centennial celebration of the Kingdom of Belgium. Then we headed to the Koningstraat-Rue Royale, nearby the Royal Palace, where the restaurant “De Ultieme Hallucinatie is situated.

Rest. Ultieme Hallucinatie

There we all sat at the table for what was going to be the first of a series of memorable beer dinners. The interior of the restaurant is very pretty, as it dates from the beginning of the 20^th century and was furnished entirely in the Jugendstiel-Art Nouveau style, with green as the most important and omnipresent color. On the menu was a terrine with fresh vegetables, accompanied by a De Koninck amber ale and the main course consisted of Konijn-Rabbit prepared with a Cantillon kriek based sauce, of course accompanied by an authentic krieken lambic. This typical sour-acid beer was a first to some of us, and since the taste of it is a bit of an acquired one, the reactions went from ‘what a beer!” to “interesting”. The food was great and after the coffee, the bus took us back to the hotel.

Menu Terrine with fresh vegetables De Koninck Amber Konijn-Rabbit with Cantillon kriek based sauce. Cantillon Kriek Coffee

For most of us though the evening wasn't over yet, because we wanted to see some of the Brussels’ nightlife and had decided on a pub-crawl. We crossed Grand’Place, which is only a footstep away from the hotel, admired the beautiful old guild houses, including the Brouwershuis-Maison des Brasseurs and went on to Manneken Pis, the symbol of Brussels. Opposite the statuette is a good bar, called Poechenellekelder. We sat in the cellar and savoured a whole range of typical Belgian ales, including some rare Trappists and gueuzes. Very cosy, so we had another one, and then headed on in the opposite direction, across the Grand’Place again, towards Janneken Pis, where an incredible cellar pub is located that houses 2000 (yes!) beers, including all the Belgian ones. The atmosphere was loud and energetic, since there was a band playing blues and rock classics, but we found a place (not far from the bar) and had a great time there!

Poechenellekelder
Day II