Scottish beer pub Brewdog sets up shop in Brussels
Every week, Flanders Today surveys the world of local cuisine to fill you in on the best recipes, foodie events and special eateries. This week: Brewdog’s 32 beers on draught
On Flemish food and drink
Brewdog launched in 2007 when two enthusiastic home brewers, James Watt and Martin Dickie, took out some “scary” bank loans, bought some second-hand equipment and set up in Fraserburgh, at the top corner of the east coast of Scotland.
They now have 17 Brewdog pubs worldwide from Stockholm to Sao Paolo, following a strategy that anyone can make beer, but not just anyone can make a “beer experience”. Last autumn, they opened in Brussels.
The Brewdog pub is on Putterij directly across from the row of bus stops that run alongside Central Station. It’s located in the former Sabena terminal, which operated in the days when people would take a shuttle bus to the airport, in the days when Belgium had its own airline.
By local standards, it’s a massive space, all on one floor but doubly high. The bar is roughly L-shaped, both arms lined with 32 beer pumps for draughts – split into roughly half Brewdog’s own brews and half guest beers from other breweries. Those include Boon kriek, Zinnebir and Curieuse Neus from En Stoemelings.
Punk IPA
But it’s the Brewdog beers you came to discover. With names like Punk IPA, Hardcore, Jack Hammer and Dead Pony Club, each one is more daring and extreme than the last. Flavours range from (quoting the menu here) burnt caramel, citrus and tropical fruit to forest fruits, pepper and grapefruit.
The tap beers aren’t very high in alcohol, but the bottled beers are: Cocoa Psycho is 10%, AB 19 carries 13.1% and the Dog D is marked 16.1%. Prices are also extreme, even for the city centre: That last one costs €18.80 for 33cl.
The pub has many different ways to arrange yourselves: a large communal table and smaller tables, booths, sofas and, last but not least, a 20-square-metre terrace overlooking Spanjeplein. Snacks and finger food are available.
Photo: Salwa Souirat/Brewdog
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