Ok so I will be there for the weekend. Does anyone have suggestions on where I should eat, what beer I should drink, where I should go to drink, what i should do, etc? I have a few ideas but would love some TWW first hand experience. Let me know.

I saw a thing on the Food Network where a guy went to this restaurant that made all their food beer that was locally brewed and it looked amazing. I can't figure out what that place is (tried the internets). Thanks for the help!

9/25/2008 11:31:45 AM

Found that restaurant: Spinnekopke. In case anyone was wondering. Any other suggestions would be great.

9/25/2008 12:06:06 PM

Drink all the local beers. If you've never heard of it, drink it. The best thing about that place is the beer.

9/25/2008 1:15:49 PM

If you don't get pommes frites, you're missing out.

check out manneken pis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis

I haven't actually been there, but almost went while in the netherlands, so I researched it a bit

9/25/2008 1:20:26 PM

http://www.deliriumcafe.be/

This place holds the world record for the most beers offered in a bar, somewhere north of 2000 different kinds. It is a great place if you like trying a variety of beers. When I went there were quite a few expats around. Theres also a bar across the alley that specializes in Absinthe if thats your thing.

9/25/2008 2:22:00 PM

you can read through a blog-entry I made after my visit there a couple years ago and see if anything sounds exciting to you -
http://joelion.com/archives/26
http://joelion.com/gallery/europe/belgium/brussels/

I happened to show up there on a weekend where there was:
1) a World Beer Festival, and
2) a mussels and fries festival

So, you may not be that lucky, but you can at least still get some good beer and mussels.
The Cantillon Brewery was pretty cool. It wasn't a huge extensive tour or anything, but it was cool to learn some of the lambic beer brewing secrets (like, the roof of a lambic beer brewery building has to be made of a particular type of clay tile, and the beer must fermented in very wide, shallow copper bins in the attic. Then the prevailing winds pick up certain chemicals from the roof-tile and mix them in with the fermenting beer to activate the special kind of yeast they use)

Don't miss out on the fruit-flavored beers. It would be considered sissy to drink them in the US, of course, but they are outstanding - the kriek (cherry) and framboise (raspberry) are awesome.

9/25/2008 2:45:42 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, this is great. Definitely going to check out the Delirium Cafe, great pick up. I'll have to try one of the fruit beers too. If you say its good I believe you.

Excellent blog post too. Sounds like you guys came at the right time. We may not get that lucky but I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves.

I went once before but only for a day. I absolutely loved it so I'm pumped to get a weekend out of it this time. If there are any more suggestions I'd love to have them before I leave tomorrow morning. Thanks again!

9/26/2008 7:18:47 AM