A One Day Beer Tour of Antwerp
Visit the Best Bars in Antwerp and Sample Rare Belgian Beers
A beer tour of Antwerp takes you through some of the best beer bars in Belgium, and introduces you to the different Belgian beer styles.
Antwerp is the city of Rubens. It's the city of modern fashion and design. It's a major diamond trading centre. But it's also a city of beer – and a beer enthusiast can have a marvellous time here.
Start off at the Waagstuk, on Staadswaag in the north of the city, near the old docks and industrial district. This busy bar is named after the official weighing post that stood in the picturesque square outside. Waagstuk has a good choice of beers, five or six from the pump and nearly a hundred bottled. Beer tastings are held regularly, and there's also a choice of excellent beer cuisine. Don't forget to try the Waagstuk's own special beer, Zeppelin – dark and licorice flavoured.
Waagstuk is open from 10 in the morning till 2 am on weekdays (later on Fridays) and 2pm-2am at weekends.
Local Beer Slang Must Be Learned!
By the way, beer drinking visitors may be mystified by Antwerpers ordering a "bolleke". That's not a rude word – it's the local nickname for De Koninck, the local pale ale.
A Bar Next to the Cathedral - Culture and Beer Side by Side
The next stop on the tour is Paters Vaetje, right next door to the cathedral, so it's a useful stop for beer-loving tourists. True, it suffers by comparison to the holy trinity of Waagstuk, Oud Arsenaal and Kulminator, but almost anywhere else in the world would be an outstanding little pub. Though its touristy position means many patrons are just drinking Bolleke, don't be fooled – it has a 100 strong beer list and good snacks, too, though prices are just a little higher than elsewhere.
Paters Vaetje is open 11-3am, seven days, and till 5 am on Friday and Saturday night.
Oud Arsenaal - Right Opposite Rubens' House
One of Antwerp's appealing features is that some of its best beer bars are on the main tourist routes. From Paters Vaetje, right by the cathedral, head for the Oud Arsenaal – opposite the Rubens House. Culturally minded beer drinkers can decide in which order to take their delights!
Oud Arsenaal's opening hours are intriguing – you can have a beer for breakfast here at 9 am (730 am on weekends) but it closes early, at 730 in the evening. It serves some fine lambics, such as de Cam gueuze, and the knowledgeable bar staff can always offer a suggestion if you have a beer style you want to try.
It's a very traditional bar, with tables lined up against the walls, benches one side and chairs the other. Be ready to share a table if it gets crowded. Apparently, the bar has been refurbished recently, but old timers say it's hardly changed at all. It's been in the same family for generations, and it feels like it – cosy and warm.
Kulminator, Possibly Antwerp's Greatest Bar
To the south of the centre, quiet streets of nineteenth century houses make you feel as if you've drifted away from the centre of things. Don't be fooled – this is where you'll find Kulminator, possibly Antwerp's greatest beer bar.
Kulminator offers a mindboggling variety of beers – lambic, gueuze, fruit beers, trappist beers, they're all here. This dark little bar serves a number of regular bottled beers, but its real strength is the vast selection of aged beers in the cellar. Some are more than thirty years old.
Snacks here include sausages and cheese. Keep your eye on your food though, as the bar is home to two cats.
Kulminator opens Monday evenings (from 8.15), midday till midnight on other weekdays and 5 till midnight on Saturday. It's closed on Sundays, though.
If the snacks on offer in the bars don't suit you, and you need some food, Antwerp's other great tradition is frites – french fries, available from a number of stands including Friterie no 1 just by the cathedral. A portion of frites isn't a balanced diet – but it will see you through to your next beer bar.
