Bruges is a compact city, which on first sight appears to be a cross between Cambridge and Amsterdam. It's small size is quite handy as it means you can walk (or stagger) round quite quickly without getting lost. Although there may not be the quantity of bars in comparison to Brussels, there are some authentic places to drink wonderful Belgian beer without being overwhelmed by stag parties. There are still quite a lot of tourists but most of them seem to be content with buying lace and chocolates.
There are only two working breweries left in Bruges (out of 31 from before World War One) and it is possible to visit both.
The brewery buildings date back to 1455 although 'T Hamerken started around 1889. In 1983 the modern brewery changed its name to the Gouden Boom (Golden Tree). There is a museum located in the old Malthouse which has an array of historic brewery equipment and many old photographs and beer ephemera. It costs 3 EUR to have a look around including a free beer. Special group tours can be arranged to look around the brewery properly, but otherwise head straight up to the bar and sample one of the four fermented beers on offer: Brugse Tripel(9%), Steenbrugge Dubbel(6.5%), Steenbrugge Tripel(8.5%) and Brugs Blond(6%)
It is possible to stay there as long as you want, sample every beer and order a plastic bucket of delicious cheese for a reasonable amount of Euro's.
This is the more popular brewery to visit, perhaps because many tourists get a free trip included with their holiday package (otherwise costing 3.70 EUR). Official tours start at 11.00am, last 45 minutes and continue throughout the day. The guide conversing in several languages takes the group on a roundabout tour of the brewery most of which does not appear to be in use today, although we were assured that for 2 days every 2 weeks brewing takes place. The tour of 'Strong Henry' includes a trip to the rooftop and a free beer - no choice but a nice Straffe Hendrick Blond to round the tour off.
There are some extremely nice bars in Bruges and in our opinion this is a selection of the best.
Located in a small alley off Briedelstraat, a two storey 16th Century bar where you drink along to the strains of classical music. As with most bars in Belgium, you'll be lucky to find a seat (otherwise you have to wait or return later) a waiter then brings a beer menu to the table. People arriving seem reluctant to share a table although we never bothered with this triviality!. The beer is poured for you and set down on a small wooden tray with a nice paper doily. We tried four beers here on two separate occasions; Brugse Tripel, Steenbrugge Dubbel, Palm and Westmalle Dubbel. No food is served in Da Garre apart from the seemingly indispensible small cubes of cheese in a very small glass dish.
A very extensive menu of about 300 Belgian beers can be found here. Surrounded by floral hessian wallpaper, the atmosphere and the staff are welcoming. Again, strains of classical music can be heard over the general rumble of conversation of beer drinkers who are packed around every table. We tried another four beers here; Oerbier (Esen), Stout Louwage (Kortemark), Petrus (Bavikhove) and Hetkapittel Prior (Watou), the menu helpfully giving details of which region the beer comes from. Try to get here if you can as it's a classic!
Supposedly the oldest bar in Bruges dating back to 1515. The one smokey room displays an authentic Flemish interior with dark green walls, oak panelling and the famous Van Dyck armchair among other artefacts. There are about 25 beers on offer including 3 on draught. We tried some old favourites here; Leffe Bruin, Leffe Radieuse, Rodenbach and Hoegaarden Veboden Vrucht. We were here on a Sunday lunchtime when the bar was full of locals enjoying a convivial chat over a beer or three. Highly recommended.
The guidebooks recommend the Woolstreet Company, a shop at 31a Wollestraat, which sells more than 450 Belgian beers and glasses plus other tipples such as Genever. Compared to other shops selling beer near the Diamond Museum on the Katelijnestraat, the Woolstreet Company was much more expensive even compared to Beer Temple in Brussels. Comparisons as follows:
Restaurants at the weekend appear to be fully booked up with locals and tourists alike and it can be difficult to find a decent place to eat by just taking your chances. A recommendation is to make a reservation earlier in the day if you have somewhere special in mind. If you like fish and you've got a few quid to spare, try the fish restaurant at Briedelstraat 24. You can always drink the beer and we had some very nice Tripel Karmeliet to wash down the mussels and chips.
This is an exceptionally good idea if you are travelling by Eurostar, and can spare a few hours before catching the train back to London. We found that Bruges didn't wake up until about 10.00am for shopping so we headed for Brussels earlier than originally planned. From Bruxelles Midi it is about a half-hour walk to the Grand Place. Alternatively you can take the metro 3 stops to Beurs Bourse costing just 1.40 EUR which was very quick. Time for a Triple Westmalle and a du Chateau Double Bruin with a plate of cheese (not forgetting the celery salt) in the Mort Subite (Sudden Death). A quick stop in Beer Temple to stock up on a few more beers and a final drink in the Falstaff before heading for home.
All in all another good city break with plenty of nice beers and a trifle too much cheese.