The somewhat sporadic and wilfully threadbare nature of recent posts owes much to the fact I am journeying through the Benelux region (well, Belux anyway).
Sunday was spent in Brussels - Delirium Cafe may be full of wide-eyed 19 year old tykes from Wyoming and Minnesota, but the international crowd is young, there certainly are plenty of locals and the barstaff are friendly. In short, the ambience is more studenty than touristy. I like it.
It was here we tried La Chouffe Houblon - a mad, mad mash-up of classic IPA, bonkers-spicy US hopped IPA and Belgian tripel. A terrific find and, at 9%, just a short passageway to oblivion. Textbook.
My fiancee and I scanned the room again - there can't have been anyone in there over 30. Now don't get me wrong, I love the classic ideal of the British pub, with inter-generational drinking and frank exchanges over a disinterested hound. But it did strike me that Belgium must be doing something right to make its artisan beer worthy of seeking-out by hip young things. In the UK, CAMRA struggles to win the interest of youngsters (and where it does, such as myself - I am a member, they seldom become activists). Even the sterotypical Belgian beardy (male) beer geek has a hippy, rocked-out low-countries charm lacking in his Dungeons & Dragons anglo-saxon brethren.
And on that bombshell...have a good Easter break! I'll put up sexy pictures on my return.
Posts
News, nuggets and longreads 21 December 2024: The Parallax View
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Here’s all the writing about beer and pubs that grabbed our attention in
the past week, from Samuel Smith to red hot pokers. First, some news that’s
crea...
2 days ago
5 comments:
It did have an underpant lining but it perished
I was racking my brains - does AP have anything to say about Belgium. Had to settle for a Not the Nine O'Clock News quotation for the headline. Which would show my age were I older than 25, which I'm not.
I liked Delirium Café, I'm over 40, What does this mean?
Dave - I think it means you know a good bar when you see one! I certainly don't think it's an exclusive place, it was just that when I was there the young'uns made up the bulk of the clientele.
As an aside, I think I've come up with a possible explanation for why the hipsters dig Belgian beers but not their UK cask cousins. And there's only so much CAMRA can do about it. That'll be my next post, I think.
2021 and 2009's students are actually bearded mid-aged drinkers in Delirium cafe :-)
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