Brewdog Brussels

My first visit to Brewdog Brussels in about two years was a relatively flying visit, while I killed a couple of hours waiting for my Eurostar train back to London. 

This huge bar, spread over two substantial floor was part of the early wave of Brewdog's expansion into Continental Europe. It occupies a superbly strategic location, right opposite one of the entances to Brussels Central Station, so enjoys plenty of passing trade.

As I was settling in at the bar, it occurred to me that I have traveled a long way in my craft beer journey since I last sat in this pub, not least of which has been with Brewdog themselves, including attending the past two AGMs in Aberdeen, as well as countless trips to other Brewdog bars across Europe.

This bar could easily accommodate several hundred people, so the 40 or so punters in there on a Thursday at 3pm did not make it seem busy at all.

My initial thoughts as I surveyed the menu board behind the bar were: 

1. The guest beer list was disappointingly Belgiany (I know, I was in the Belgian Capital, but I had hoped to discover one or two guest IPAs, Porters, Stouts etc.The only non-Belgiany guest beer was Stone's Ruination DIPA, which I had previously tasted, and anyway at 8.5% wasn't ideal lunchtime drinking!)   

2. The prices were pretty steep! (EUR4.30 for half a pint of Punk IPA, equates to £7.50 a pint!)

Nonetheless, the staff were attentive and welcoming, so I ordered up a sequence of halves of Brewdog beers, including Cybernaut, Libertine, Jet Black Heart and Native Son. 

A pleasant couple of hours later, I headed back out into the Brussels afternoon in search of a frites shop, to sustain me on my journey home.

In conclusion, Brewdog Brussels is a pleasant spot for some afternoon drinking. It is very handily located, and so will likely continue to thrive. It's huge size means you will rarely struggle to find a seat, but it is so big and airy that it can tend to lack the atmosphere of some of their smaller and more intimate bars.