home london bar guide rest of the uk famous belgians glossary links
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This stalwart Northumberland ale pub offers easily the widest selection of Belgian beer for miles around. Their range includes Westmalle, Rochefort, Arabier and Liefmans Goudenband.
www.john-bull-inn.co.uk
The tap of the award-winning Triple fff brewery a few miles away in Four Marks, The Railway Arms includes Ellezelloise, St Bernardus and Westmalle beers in its Belgian range. Not to be confused with the similarly-named pub opposite - the Arms is across the main road from the station.
Although the name and notional location (Impasse de la Fidélité) pay homage to two
famous Brussels bars, it is a third which more readily springs to mind: imagine
Goupil le Fol transported to a cosy cellar in northern England and given a good beer
list, and you have an idea what to expect. Plush furnishings and candlelight lend Mort
Subite the ambience of a private club, making it possibly the most civilised place to
enjoy Belgian beer in the country.
The list of 250 includes many non-Belgians but even
so, it must be about the longest Belgian list in the UK.
There's no standing, so it's advisable to reserve a table at busy times.
www.mortsubite.eu
Large pub with a good Belgian range. The list includes Oud Beersel, Brasserie de la Senne and various Trappists.
Specialist beer shop operated by the owners of Mort Subite over the road. Beautifully retro-styled, albeit with its URL on the fascia board.
www.biercell.co.uk
Classic village pub popular with walkers and cyclists, The New Inn runs two or three Belgian beers on tap along with a wide bottled range.
Brewpub featuring an ever-changing range of international bottled beers including of course many Belgian ones. More info here.
This member of the expanding group has 50 beers and the restaurant seats 60.
www.cafebelge.co.uk
Were it not for the eyecatching gable signage, you could easily walk past this beauty set a little back from the main road. Inside you will find a small and welcoming
specialist beer café bedecked with Belgian breweriana. The wide selection includes several from Brasserie de la Senne, who also feature in the décor. The excellent menu includes some Belgian specialities. Hemelvaart also punches above its weight as a regular music venue. A bus connects Bedale to the nearest mainline station at Northallerton, while the Wensleydale heritage line station is just over the road. Well worth making a special journey for a Belgian fix.
www.hemelvaart.co.uk
This pub on the outskirts of the town centre stocks over a dozen Belgian beers including Westmalle, Orval, St Bernardus, De Dolle and a few more unusual ones. www.wellingtonarms.co.uk
Up to 40 Belgian beers available - all served in the correct glass - and Belgian
dishes, too.
www.cafebelge.co.uk
An elegant late-Victorian community pub, its place on the Grade II list has left The Anchor a little isolated in
ripe-for-development Digbeth. A fair few interesting Belgians (e.g. from Br. de la Senne) make
it well worth the ten minute walk from New Street station.
www.anchorinndigbeth.co.uk
Small city centre cellar bar with a huge range of beer. Almost certainly the largest selection of Belgian beers in the midlands, icludes Boon, St Bernardus and Rochefort. Entrances on New Street and Pinfold Street.
www.postofficevaults.co.uk
An interesting concept, Belgique is a chain of brasserie-cum-teashop-cum-patisseries around north and east London. The beer range is
broadly mainstream but undoubtedly includes enough of interest for any Belgian beer aficionado to make it well worth dropping in for a beer
and a slice of cake.
www.belgique.co.uk
Classic traditional pub with floorboards and flagstones slightly out of the city
centre. When I went the blackboard advertised:- Straffe Hendrik, Troubadour, Barbar,
Piraat, both Westmalles, Geuze Boon, Jacobins Kriek, Grottenbier, Chimay Red,
Kwak, Forbidden Fruit, Gulden Draak & Rochefort 10. In addition Hoegaarden
is on tap. The Greys also enjoys a good reputation for food.
Sometimes has
live music. Click here to find out more.
Another traditional one very close to the station. The Evening Star has a well-deserved reputation as a real ale pub, offering loads of guest beers alongside the Dark Star brews. Belgian beers on offer include:- Piraat, Troubadour, Cantillon Geuze, Saison Dupont and quite a few more, generally of the less well-known variety. Click here for the latest info.
Traditional off-licence which stocks around 50 Belgian beers as well as a good range from the USA.
Superb town centre ale house, popular with Burnley FC fans (Turf Moor is a ten minute walk away).
Belgian, German and US beers available along with real ales from local breweries. Belgoo, Zot, Chouffe
and Rochefort 6 feature. Closed on Mon & Tue.
www.thebridgebierhuis.co.uk
Large range includes the De Dolle beers and sometimes Westvleteren.
This shop has the same ownership as the Jug and Firkin and, though it is more wine-orientated, Belgian beers are available.
Over 30 Belgian bottles. Range includes Hommel, St Bernardus, De Ranke XX and Rochefort. Regularly updated website at www.the-cambridgeblue.co.uk
A traditional backstreet pub in a city that seems relatively unaffected by the blight of pub-closures. The décor comprises breweriana and photos from the many events the pub hosts, and low lighting lends something of a Belgian ambience. The thoughtfully-curated Belgian menu lists about 100 beers, ranging from (all) the Trappists to Brasserie de la Senne, De Struise and Préaris.
A bistro-style bar with its focus firmly on Belgium. Good list, decent food and a mini-cyber café thrown in. www.latrappiste.com
About 40 or 50 beers available, including all Westmalles, Chimays, Rocheforts as well as Rodenbach Grand Cru, Delirium Tremens, Verboden Vrucht and a host of others.
A very good list of foreign beers can be found here, including a good few Belgian brews. They also do a Damson beer in homage to the Belgian fruit beers.
This seafood restaurant in a fishing village near Stonehaven is one of the most
northerly outposts for Belgian beer. A good list includes St Bernardus, Corsendonk
and La Chouffe among more usual offerings from Liefmans, Duvel and Westmalle.
www.thecreelinn.co.uk
City centre Franco-Belgian restaurant offering various reasonably-priced 'meal deals'. The tap beers are De Konink, Leffe Blonde & Maes Pils, and the bottled range includes Duvel, Brugs Wit, Hoegaarden, Chimay Triple, Chimay Rouge, Westmalle Double, Leffe Brun, Grimbergen, De Troch Geuze, Belle Vue Kriek, Bush, Kwak, Kastille Triple. www.moulesagogo.co.uk
Friendly café-bar in a converted 13th century church spire. Food served all day with Belgian beer the house speciality, served in the correct glasses. Live music on Thursdays.
Beer shop and online retailer run by the same folks as Inspire. Stocks over 850 world beers, many of them Belgian. www.beergonzo.co.uk
The landlord is a Belgian beer enthusiast - there are over 50 available here including many less commonly found brews.
The sign says 'Belgian-Style Café Bar', which describes Hops precisely. Town centre bar equally suitable for a session or to drop in for a chat after a spot of shopping. The list of over 60 includes Cuvée van der Keizer and De Dolle, along with the standard Trappists.
Over 100 Belgian beers plus scores of Belgian glasses amongst the many other delights.
About 30 Belgian bottles are available in this stalwart real ale community pub.
Excellent city centre place which combines a decent 40+ Belgian list with fully functioning as a mainstream pub. Enthusiastic and knowledgable bar staff and pretty much the full set of branded glasses. www.theheadofsteam.co.uk
Formerly a Café Belge, The Belgian Café has about 60 beers on the list and offers an opprtunity for outdoor dining on the seafront. www.thebelgiancafe.co.uk
Tiny corner pub in Tollcross with a considerable range of Belgian beers available.
Local grocery store which claims the same range as Brauhaus round the corner, at take-out prices. A few doors away is The Cloisters, an excellent pub worth a visit despite not having any Belgian ales.
Possibly Cornwall's only outlet for Belgian beer (let me know if I'm wrong), HAND has 30 continental beers of which a third are Belgian. It also offers meat and cheese, DJs, live music and an art gallery.
The Inverness District CAMRA Pub of the Year 2007 boasts the largest Belgian beer
range in Scotland. Highlights include Hommel Bier, Oerbier and St Bernardus. Also
has a fine restaurant and accommodation (discounts for CAMRA members in winter months) plus 200 single malts.
It is well worth organising a holiday around a visit.
www.theanderson.co.uk
Belgian speciality bar and restaurant with Leffe Blonde and Brune, Liefmans Frambozen, Hoegaarden, de Koninck on draught, and Chimay, Liefmans, Duvel, more from the Leffe & Hoegaarden ranges and various entry-level fruit beers in bottles. Brel also boasts a very enticing menu and regular live gigs and DJs. Check www.brelbarrestaurant.com for details.
600 bottled beers stocked, including many Belgians.
www.beersnale.co.uk
Chris Ryley moved from the Grays Athletic FC bar (no longer listed) to this pub and has stocked it with such bottles as:- Barbar, Westmalle, Rochefort, Golden Carolus, Piraat, Maredsous and several others. Prices are very reasonable. The pub currently runs a Folk Club on Sunday afternoons & a Blues Nights on alternate Thursdays.
Good selection of the Belgian classics.
This country pub just south of the M40 near Gerrards Cross is a gem. Whist real ale is their stock-in-trade, they also do a draught Belgian beer and several bottles and these are generally beers that you don't commonly find even in the pubs listed here, e.g. Hapkin. Sunday lunchtime brings people in from miles around.
Craft beer specialist in the centre of town. Large range from the populist end of the spectrum. Food menu centres on steak and sausages.
www.beertreepub.co.uk
Excellent real ale pub that also stocks a selection of Belgian beers - served in their individual glasses too. The bottled beer list includes:- Kwak, Barbar, Hercule, St Bernardus, Liefmans, Westmalle, Rochefort, Corsendonk, Orval, Gouyasse. A great traditional drinking pub five minutes walk from the town centre always with a good atmosphere. Bev the owner takes great pleasure in his beer and customer satisfaction.
Less common Belgian bottles include Achel, Corsendonck, Grottenbier and Gulden Draak along with many more familiar brews.
www.thebootleggerpub.co.uk
Part of the local Two Kiwi group, along with The Beer Tree, The Bootlegger and The Birdcage, with a similar range of beer.
www.sausagetreepub.co.uk
Range can include Westvelteren 12, Orval, Achel, Westmalle, Piraat 10.5%, Gulden Draak, Leffe Blonde, Hommelbier, Brugel, Augustijn, Grottenbier and a fairly unusual selection of British beers in bottles, draught ciders and cask ales.
A neat village separated from Cambridge by the A14, Histon is home to several pubs as well as a giant-killing non-league football team. The Red Lion featured in a BBC documentary on pubs with that name. Its Belgian range includes Rochefort.
Undoubtedly one of the finest ale pubs in the UK. Beers from De Struise, Tilquin, Boon and Westmalle can be found among the Belgian range.
A Sex Pistols artwork commemorates the band's legendary Christmas Day gigs in the town.
www.groveinn.co.uk
This obvious first-and-last stop for football and rugby league fans, located in the famous neo-classical station frontage and full of railwayana, has several Belgian bottled beers available.
www.theheadofsteam.co.uk/huddersfield/
A range of 60 Belgian beers can be found at this superb local CAMRA award-winning pub, which features a walk-in cooler. Correct glasses wherever possible. www.thewellington-hull.co.uk
Chimay, Duvel, Forbidden Fruit, Kwak, Liefmans, Orval, Timmermans, Westmalle. www.fatcatipswich.co.uk
This enormous shop sells an amazing variety of beers - 1100 at the last count - including 400 Belgian beers, 130 Belgian glasses and 32 Belgian gift packs. The prices are very reasonable too. Mail order via the Beers of Europe website.
Eight Belgian beers on draught, including Liefmans Frambozen, La Chouffe, Leffe, De Koninck and Hoegaarden, plus many more in bottles. Also does food & accommodation. See website - www.devonshireangel.com
Located in a photogenic cobbled street in the Herefordshire market town, The Prince of Wales
is a 16th century pub with a dozen or so Belgian beers, including Zot and Rochefort.
www.powledbury.com
North Bar has long been the premier Leeds venue for any beer cognoscento. Boasts a huge range of bottles: Belgians can include Westvleteren, Tilquin, St Bernardus and De Struise. The single long, narrow room varies between a quiet space to read the papers and a DJ venue with loud dub reggae. A must-visit Leeds institution.
northbar.com/northbar/
The best beer shop in Leeds, stocking many interesting Belgian bottles. Order online from www.beerritz.co.uk.
A bold departure from conventional UK bar genres, FoH is a charcuterie, fromagerie and modern craft beer café of the first order, and always has a wide range of cask, keg and bottled beers. It's clear a lot of thought has gone into what they sell. Belgians available include Saison Dupont, Cantillon, Westmalle and Orval with others coming and going. The compact and bijou bar area leads to a spacious lounge-style cellar which hosts occasional music.
www.friendsofham.com
This establishment, located in the heart of the Staffordshire market town, serves 120 Belgian beers and 20 genevers along with Belgian cuisine in a modern continental-style environment. The perfect place for reading the Sunday papers in a relaxed atmosphere.
Online off-licence offering 200 Belgian beers - a truly impressive range. www.the-offie.co.uk
Award-winning city centre brasserie serving 4 draught Belgian beers & 45 bottled ones, along with Belgian dishes. Don't miss the domed ceiling.
Traditional pub selling an immense range of Belgian beer. Fills up quickly when
the Tigers or the Foxes are at home, and away fans are welcome. Excellent simple
food in the shape of cheese rolls and the like. This is genuinely one of the best
places to drink Belgian beer in the UK.
View the impressive list on their
website.
Convivial bar on the edge of the city centre, selling a range which extends far enough beyond the usual to merit a special visit.
Herefordshire off-licence with many Belgian beers available for on-line purchase. www.orchard-hive-and-vine.co.uk
The finest serious beer venue in Liverpool, this characterful Art Deco pub has over fifty Belgian beers and has won numerous local CAMRA awards. Get the latest info from the Ship and Mitre website.
A favourite haunt of students, The Sandbar sells 10-15 Belgian beers.
This Northen Quarter bar could lay claim to be the UK's most authentic Belgian-style bar. Up to 50 Belgian beers can be found here and the range is a good mixture between mainstream (Leffe, Liefmans, Kwak) and those not often encountered over here (Cantillon range, Boon, Brigand, Bornem). Bar Fringe is not exclusively Belgian - several real ales are available, not to mention ordinary lager, so there is something for everyone. The clientèle is very mixed, the décor is very brown and the nod at Belgian quirkiness is provided by the motorbike up in the gallery. The food is unspectacular but great value and perfectly adequate to complement the beer, and the jukebox is superb. Extremely highly recommended.
Sloeber and Ename Blonde amongst a few others.
Dentergems, Antoon + bottles.
Essentially the tap for the Boggart Hole Clough Brewery, MicroBar also sells a load of bottles from Belgium and the USA. Belgian gift sets are available. The seating is shared with the other stalls, so you can complement your beer with, for example, an Afro-Caribbean curry from next door.
Miniscule but stylish café bar in this fashionable Northern Quarter thoroughfare, 57 Thomas Street aka Marble Bar (it's a second tap for the Marble brewery) has a long, good quality Belgian beer list and deli-style snacks.
Opened in 2010, the PSBH instantly established itself as a serious player on the UK beer scene, and a must-do on any beer-related visit to Manchester. Embraces cask and craft keg with equal enthusiasm. Plenty of Belgians to be found - find the latest info at www.portstreetbeerhouse.co.uk.
Specialist Northern Quarter beer shop which may well turn up some seriously good finds. Plenty of 75cl Belgians stocked. Handy for several other bars listed on this page.
beermoth.co.uk
Stocks a large range of Belgian beers.
Country pub stocking an amazing 110 Belgian beers - named after an Indian town where the local squire fought a famous battle.
Stylish seafood restaurants which have attracted very favourable reviews. Featuring
a fairly mainstream list of Belgian bottles.
www.bigmussel.co.uk
This multiple CAMRA award-winning pub thumbs its nose at the Carlsberg brewery over the road. Aside from the decent range of real ales, it offers Westmalle, Duvel, Corsendonk, Kwak, Leffe, Orval, various Timmermans flavours and a few more. The bar food is excellent value too. www.maltshoveltavern.com
A good range of over 25 bottled Belgian beers is to be found in this great backstreet pub a mile from the city centre, which has the distinction of winning CAMRA's National Pub of the Year title twice. It was also the Good Pub Guide's Beer Pub of the Year in 2008. Highlights include Witkap Tripel & Hommelbier. There are also up to 28 real ales from all over the British Isles. The surroundings are traditional cum retro, and food is available at lunchtimes in the form of excellent-value-for-money rolls. Latest news at www.fatcatpub.co.uk.
20-30 Belgian beers in this city centre bistro near the market square.
Further info at www.thebelgianmonk.com.
A classic ale pub located just inside the inner ring road, The King's Head can genuinely claim to be both a city centre boozer and a community pub. While the Belgian range isn't huge, it does include the Het Kapittel range and most Trappists.
www.kingsheadnorwich.com
Almost certainly the only pub anywhere with a narrowboat moored up inside. The Canalhouse, situated in an old Fellows, Morton & Clayton wharf building, has a massive range of Belgian bottles, real ales aplenty, bar food and a huge, covered canalside terrace. Its handy location between the station and the city centre makes it a great stop on any visit to Nottingham.
www.thecanalhouse.co.uk
As well as serving 100 Belgian beers along with other bottle conditioned ales, The Belgian Café is something of a local art space, holding regular concerts, recitals, cabaret and exhibitions. www.belgiancafe.co.uk
Superb ale pub with a few decent Belgians available.
A large, friendly real ale pub bang in the town centre, The Merchant's Inn stocks a healthy range of Belgians.
Food, music and sport (but not football) also feature.
www.merchantsinn.co.uk
The Cellar Bar has been flying the flag for Belgian beer since 1987. They currently have Hoegaarden and De Koninck on tap plus Orval, Duvel, Liefmans, Brugse Tarwebier, Kwak, St Bernardus Triple, Westmalle, Leffe and Hoegaarden Grand Cru and Forbidden Fruit. They also have an excellent range of German & Czech beers and have offered over 400 real ales in two years. And if you visit the website you can get a free pint - www.cellarbar.co.uk.
A genuine Premier League alehouse located in what must surely be the UK capital
of shut down pubs. Landlord Tim Flynn is justifiably proud of his excellent Belgian
range, which sits alongside a large selection of real ales. Close to Salford Central
station and only a short walk over the river from Manchester city centre.
Website
at www.thenewoxford.co.uk.
Around 100 bottled beers from Belgium and specialist Belgian guest beers on draught.
The CAMRA National Cider and Perry Pub of the Year Cider for 2007 and a regular
winner of local awards.
Website at www.valleybar.co.uk.
The Devonshire Cat opened in March 2001 in the Devonshire Green area, and includes up to 60 Belgian bottled beers in its vast range. Highlights include Cantillon & Hommel Bier. The full list can be found at www.devonshirecat.co.uk.
Beautiful Edwardian waiting room which had lain derelict for decades prior to being renovated by Thornbridge brewery and York's Pivní Café and opened as a 'world beer free house'. The Belgian section of its list extends into three figures. Factor it in as the first and last stop on any visit to Sheffield - or visit it as the main event.
Long-established real ale pub and tap of the Kelham Island brewery, the ferociously independent Fat Cat has a small and unlikely Belgian range which includes Het Kapittel, Mort Subite and Vichtenaar.
Hopefully the above address will make sense to anyone familiar with the area. A superb range of Belgian beer is available and also a very good range of glasses.
Off-licence with a mission to promote beer as a serious drink. A huge range of Belgian beer is available. Full details at www.bittervirtue.co.uk.
This country inn is in fact a tidy step outside the Yorkshire town: first-time visitors will require a map, GPS or a taxi. A good beer list with a serious food menu rewards those who make the effort.
Superb original Victorian railway bar on Platform 1 serving a large roster of real ales and several well-known Belgian beers. Stalybridge is on the Huddersfield to Manchester trans-Pennine route, and it's well worth splitting your journey to faciltate a visit. More details at www.stalybridgebuffetbar.co.uk.
Classic real ale pub stocking a decent range of Belgian bottles, including Hommel and Oerbier. Under constant threat from the developers. Note: It's nowhere near the railway, the one after which it was named disappeared decades ago.
Well-stocked off licence with 30+ Belgian beers including Boon, Rodenbach Grand Cru, De Dolle, St Feuillien, plus a good selection of 75cl bottles.
Two of De Koninck, Antoon and Cuvée de Koninck on tap plus eight bottled beers including Chimay Blue, Duvel, Abbaye des Rocs, Montagnarde, Abbaye des Rocs Spéciale Nöel.
Up to 70 Belgians stocked including some not often found in UK pubs, e.g. Ename,
St Feuillien, Piraat alongside the Trappists. Great location, relaxed friendly
service and the only place in Hanley where you can sit outside on a nice terrace
and enjoy your food and drink.
www.barmetro.co.uk
Over 20 Belgian beers are available in this well-kept town centre pub owned by the Titanic Brewery.
Around 150 Belgian ales are available at this charming harbourside pub, including a
range of 75cl bottles. There are always three Belgian guests on draught.
www.marinehotelstonehaven.co.uk
Range includes Brugse Zot, La Chouffe and Gulden Draak.
www.birdcagepub.co.uk
As well as its own beers the shop stocks scores of bottles from all
over the UK and a decent contingent from Belgium.
www.hogsback.co.uk
Another member of the northen chain, the Tynemouth Head of Steam opened in May 2014. Its range of over 20 Belgian bottles includes La Chouffe, Tripel Karmeliet, Rochefort 10 and St Bernardus Abt. www.theheadofsteam.co.uk
This award-winning pub, located two miles from Windermere on the road to Kendal, stocks several Belgian beers and you might even find peche beer on tap. Excellent food and accommodation at a reasonable price.
Seven or eight belgian beers on draught including La Chouffe, Satan, Liefmans Frambozen, Antoon and Jan van Gent (may have changed recently), Leffe and Hoegaarden. About 12 more in bottles, plus 4 ever changing British ales. Also does food & accommodation. See website - www.wookeyholeinn.com.
Mexican restaurant specialising in beers from around the world, including 20 from Belgium.
www.chestersrestaurant.co.uk
'World beer freehouse' located in a timber-framed building dating from 1190. Pivní has about 20 or so Belgians in a large range of foreign beers. If it looks a bit full there is a little more space upstairs.
Café bar located in what is claimed to be York's oldest licenced premises. Easily overlooked, it's found up the stairs from The Bottle off licence. A delightful haven from the madding crowd below (in the street rather than the beer shop).
Excellent beer shop with a large range of Belgian bottles.
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