The European City Rick Steves Recommends As A Mecca All Beer Enthusiasts Must Visit

Bruges, Belgium, is one of Rick Steves' favorite European cities owing to its pretty canals, medieval architecture, and world-class beer. During his numerous visits to Belgium's sixth-largest city, Steves has observed how Bruges is a mecca for countless international enthusiasts who admire the styles, traditions, and fastidious craftsmanship of the city's beer culture.

In Bruges, visitors will find the full breadth of Belgian beer styles including dubbel, tripel, and quadrupel ales, and lambics, saisons, and witbiers. Perhaps the most unique of all is the bière brut style, typified by Deus Brut des Flandres — an elegant and intensely carbonated drink that blurs the line between beer and champagne. These beers and others provide many shades of flavor, texture, and aroma, from earthy and funky to sharp, tart, and fruity.

Visitors can investigate Bruges' beer scene on brewery tours and organized tasting sessions, but Steves prefers to dodge the cruise ship tourists and head for authentic local spots. One such watering hole is 't Brugs Beertje, a city institution where locals and visitors alike gather among trinkets and wooden furniture to enjoy, learn, and savor Belgium's world-class brewing heritage.

Rick Steves notes that a significant portion of Bruges' many visitors is made up of beer pilgrims, drawn to the winding cobbled streets in search of blondes, bruts, and perhaps a portion of Europe's most deliciously addictive fries. At the heart of Bruges' brewing tradition is De Halve Maan, the city's last remaining family-operated brewery. Established in 1856, De Halve Maan was built by six generations of the Maes family, making it one of Belgium's most familiar breweries on the international stage. Today, De Halve Maan is perhaps best known for Brugse Zot ("Bruges Fool"), the brewery's flagship pale ale.

While we recommend a tour of De Halve Maan's beautiful brewery and premises, local bars are the best way to experience beer in Bruges. Boozy forays to the likes of Beers Yesterday's World, Cafe Cambrinus, and 't Brugs Beertje — Steves' favorite — will give any visitor an excellent grounding in the nation's beer. 

As any beer pilgrim should know, Belgian beer is strong. For example, Westmalle Tripel — one of the finest examples of the tripel style — is 9.5% ABV. Other Belgian beers continue to 11% and beyond, hitting the mid teens on occasion. Consequently, even the most eager beer students will need to know their limit during their Bruges break, and that's fine because they can curate a take-home order at The Bottle Shop, which houses not only a fine collection of beer but also an immense line of glassware. 

Rick Steves may have a high opinion of Bruges, but so do millions of tourists, who flock to the city from the nearby cruise port of Zeebrugge, just 10 miles north. The lines, crowds, and fanny packs have strained Steves' love of the medieval city, but instead of lecturing visitors on the simple cure to ugly tourism, Steves can always set things straight at Cafe 't Brugs Beertje, a gabled old pub on an unassuming backstreet near one of the city's shopping arteries. 

A cozy pub adorned with rows of beer mugs and many other trinkets, Cafe 't Brugs Beertje is an inviting little pub where conversation flows as freely as the beer. English standards are high in Belgium, even among older generations, which means conversation will be fluent. Steves' chat with friendly locals began politely with handwringing at the unpredictable weather but soon turned to the subject of Dutch beer, which is met with good-humored mockery in these quarters. 

Out of the 300 beers available at Cafe 't Brugs Beertje, Steves tried a St. Bernardus ale, brewed in the Trappist monk tradition, and quipped that it was so good that it might just make celibacy livable.