Tag: brussels

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Beer shops in Brussels: Beer Planet

Next stop in my quest to visit all the independent craft beer shops in Brussels and put them in the spotlight: Beer Planet in Brussels 1000.

About Beer Planet

Beer Planet is a relatively new beer shop in Brussels, they opened in July 2024. It was founded by three Latin-Americans that are crazy about Belgian beer. Diego (Venezuela) and Francisco (Colombia) dreamed about opening a specialised store dedicated to Belgian craft beer and were joined in their adventures by Pamela (Colombia), Francisco’s wife. They found the ideal location for their shop in the heart of the historic district the Marolles. Hoppiness had a lovely conversation with all three of them together about their beautiful shop and project.

What is your specialisation?

Our mission is to share the authentic Belgian beer experience, promote the diversity of styles and flavours, and support independent microbreweries across the country. Our focus lies mainly on Brussels, but we definitely don’t say no to other microbreweries. We don’t sell beers that you can find at the supermarkets, we even don’t have the full stock of the Brussels breweries. Our assortment changes all the time, we want our customers to discover something new every time they come here. We have special ales, but also a good variety of spontaneous fermented beers like gueze. We also sell some other things like coffee, artisanal crisps, glassware and beer for dogs. (yes really!)

How do you choose the beers and other products that you stock?

We work directly with the breweries and try to make sure we always have something new from the local breweries in our store. New discoveries are key for us, for instance we have a beer with carrots and one with pickles in store now. We really like to find new things and share them with our customers.

What else can be expected at Beer Planet?

We want to make shopping with us an experience to remember. People can stay here for a drink and play games, if they want to. But we also have a shopping game, people can throw darts to win a sticker when they buy something. We want everyone to leave with a smile. After hours we regularly host beer tastings for private groups but we also have a collaboration with guided tours in the Marolles where one of the stops is at our shop. We also brew and sell our own beers. We do this at Brouwerij de Meester, where we learned a lot from the guys from the Brussels brewery Gansbeek Brewing. We have two permanent beers available, Belatina (a blonde) and Tri Color (a triple). But we also experiment with new recipes on our small brewing system in the basement and have limited batches of those beers available.

And now a personal question: what is your favourite beer?

Francisco: I’m a big fan of all barrel aged beers, like BANG, the barrel aged imperial stout by Brouwerij Stroom.

Pamela: For me my favourite changes with the seasons, but one beer I will always like is Urine by Brasserie Borinage.

Diego: I’m a big double IPA fan. A good example is Hop Circles by Fugu Brewing.

Beer Planet

Rue Blaes 109

1000 Brussels

www.beerplanet.be

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Beer Shops in Brussels: Beer Mania

I started a new project. I will visit all the independent craft beer shops in Brussels and put them in the spotlight. Here is the next one: BeerMania in Ixelles/ Elsene.

About Beer Mania

Beer Mania is both a beer shop and a cozy bar. It’s run by Michael, who started the shop in 1981 and was the first one in the whole world to open a shop specialising in beer. In 1997 he opened the bar and private tasting room in the back of the shop and started with the online beer shop as well. Hoppiness spoke with Michael in his beautiful shop and bar in Ixelles, about ten minutes walk from metro station Porte de Namur.

What is your specialisation?

When I started the shop, beer did not travel. In those years everybody drank local beer. When I was in Oostende and asked for an Orval, they literally threw me out. When I asked for a Duvel in Wallonia, they laughed in my face. This made me sad. So I decided to become a pioneer, and bring beers from all the regions together. My shop is the place to find all the good beers from Belgium. So we specialise in Belgian beers and have a very large selection. People come here to enjoy a beer in our bar, to get good advise and to take beers home. I also ship worldwide. We also sell beer glasses, some Italian wines that I’ve hand-picked, beer gifts and spirits.

How do you choose the beers and other products that you stock?

What matters to me is that the beers are good and that I have a good relationship with the breweries. So the main thing is passion and quality. But of course I can’t sell only what I like. For instance I don’t particularly appreciate it that many good beers nowadays come in a can, instead of in a bottle. But my customers like this and a lot of what I sell is canned beer. I do have to pay the bills, so for this I go with the flow but I do hope all beers go back to bottles again.

What else can be expected at Beer Mania? Do you often have events?

We have a nice bar and many people come to have a drink here. Many people find us in the guidebooks or online travel guides. We did many events here in the past, I think we tried out every concept, many of them with success. At the moment we don’t have any events planned, but we regularly host beer tastings for private groups in the upstairs room.

Something else that is quite special is that we have our own beer. For nearly 27 years I have been brewing this beer, the recipe has changed quite a few times over the past decades. It’s an amber ale of 6.5% called Mea Culpa and I brew it once a year at Brouwerij De Ranke. We serve it here in a handmade glass at the perfect temperature, which is something we do with all the beers, to make sure you get the best experience.

And now a personal question: what is your favourite beer?

I’m a big fan of Orval and of the XX-bitter from De Ranke, which can be seen as well as my inspiration for the Mea Culpa. I also am a big fan of Girardin lambic and gueze, of everything they make actually.

Beer Mania

Chausse de Wavre 174-176,

1050 Ixelles, Brussels

www.beermania.be

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Beer shops in Brussels: Le Comptoir Belge

I started a new project. I will visit all the independent craft beer shops in Brussels and put them in the spotlight. Here is the next one: Le Comptoir Belge in Sint-Gillis

About Le Comptoir Belge

Le Comptoir Belge is a cozy shop that sells only Belgian products, like local craft beer, but also things like coffee, tea, speculoos, vinegar, mayonnaise and even cuberdon sauce. It’s run by Gilles, a true multilingual Brusseleir, who took over the business in 2021. He wanted a different direction to his life and chose to combine two of his favourite things: daily contact with people and sharing and enjoying good food and drinks. Hoppiness spoke with Gilles about his beautiful shop in Sint-Gilles, close to metro Porte de Hal.

What is your specialisation?

When I took over the shop I changed the concept from Belgian products to as locally sourced as possible. So for all products I stock, I try to find a producer from the Brussels region first and then look to the rest of Belgium. I have a big selection of Brussels beers, but also many other produce. Our prices are very democratic, you can always find a good beer for 2 euro in my shop. Most of our wines come from the region between Namur and Liege but we also stock two Brussels winemakers.

How do you choose the beers and other products that you will stock?

Everything is done through personal connections. I keep up to date with all the things that happen in the artisanal beer -, wine – and food world in Belgium through the news, trade fairs and festivals. My clients also often tell me about their new discoveries. I try to meet at least once a year with all my suppliers, but many of them I see more often. With a lot of them I’ve become friends and for me the main thing is that it needs to feel good.

What else can be expected at Le Comptoir Belge? Do you often have events?

We host about five tastings per year and when the weather is nice we’ll have some tables outside. We announce these events on our website and on Facebook. We offer a wide variety of apero gift baskets, with or without alcohol, and with a nice selection of local delicacies.

And now a personal question: what is your favourite beer?

I like gueze beers a lot, especially from 3 Fonteinen. If I have to choose one beer I’ll go with Wilde Terf, a collaboration between Brasserie de la Senne and Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, a delicious blend of a locally sourced wheat beer and lambic.

Le comptoir Belge

Av. Jean Volders 72

1060 Saint-Gilles

Website: www.lecomptoirbelge.be

More photos on our Instagram

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Beer shops in Brussels: Malt Attacks

I started a new project. I will visit all the independent craft beer shops in Brussels and put them in the spotlight. Here is my first article: Malt Attacks

About Malt Attacks

Beer shop Malt Attacks was founded in 2014 by Antoine. He is very passionate about craft beer and decided to make his love for beer, his work. At that time there were not many beer specialised shops in Brussels yet, but over the past decade things have changed a lot, especially consumers interests. Hoppiness spoke with Antoine about his beautiful shop in Sint-Gilles, close to metro Porte de Hal.

What is your specialisation?

Antoine: ‘We have a very big selection of craft beers, not just from Belgium but from many different countries, mainly European (like France, Estonia and the UK) but also from America and Canada. We don’t have industrial beer, we only stock independent breweries. We have a lot of different beer styles, a huge gueze selection and a big alcohol-free craft beer section. Besides beers we also have natural wines, ciders, spirits and beer glassware. And we have our own beer advent calendar on sale at the moment’

How do you choose the breweries & beers that you will stock?

‘I am in contact with most breweries myself, through the years I discovered a lot. I often go to beer festivals to discover new beers and breweries. I also have a partnership with Dynamo Bar and Hops ‘n More in Leuven, we often order beers together to save costs. ‘

What else can be expected at Malt Attacks? Do you often have events?

‘This coming weekend we have a ‘meet the brewer’ event with the brewer of Babeleir. He will talk about the brewery and their beers will be for sale. I plan to do more of these kind of events in the near future. It’s always so nice! I am also working on a web shop for easy ordering and I can deliver in Brussels. I’m also hoping to repair our growler machine soon so that my customers can come here again for special beer from a fresh keg..’

And now a personal question: what is your favourite beer?

‘I love drinking gueze beer so there are many favourites there. If I have to name one brewery I will actually go with a brewery from the UK, Track Brewing in Manchester. They make a lot of hop forward ales and everything is so good!

Malt Attacks
Av. Jean Volders 18
1060 Saint-Gilles
Brussels

Website: https://www.maltattacks.com/

More photos on our Instagram.

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BLACK FRIDAY DEAL

BLACK FRIDAY DEAL – book a beer tastings on Friday November 28!

Book this beer tasting experience for only 15 euro per person!

Instead of shopping that day, you can just relax and enjoy some tasty beers!

Want to learn more about Belgian beers, Belgian breweries and Belgian beer culture? Join our classic beer tasting for a tasty introduction! 

You will taste four different beers in four different beer styles. With each beer you’ll get a delicious food pairing (think cheese/ chocolate etc.)

During the tasting experienced local beer sommelier Carien will tell you more about the Belgian beer scene. 

Book here: https://www.billetweb.fr/beer-tasting-brussels

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Monthly beer tasting

Hoppiness will start with beer tastings for individuals!

Want to learn more about Belgian beers, Belgian breweries and Belgian beer culture? Join our classic beer tasting for a tasty introduction! 

You will taste four different beer in four different beer styles. With each beer you’ll get a delicious food pairing (think cheese/ chocolate etc.)During the tasting experienced local beer sommelier Carien will tell you more about the Belgian beer scene. 

Alcoholfree tickets available for the same experience without alcohol!

Click here for more information and bookings.

First upcoming date: Friday September 12

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Heritage Days Brussels 20/21 september

Heritage days /Journées du Patrimoine/ Open Monumentendagen

20 & 21 SEPT. 2025

Exciting news! Hoppiness Brussels will participate in the Heritage Days this year!

ART DECO, Roaring Twenties, Crash Years

For this 37th edition, Urban will show this artistic movement from a new perspective, as part of the 2025 Art Deco Year. We will not only delve into the movement’s well-known aesthetics and luxury, but also explore its urban, architectural, sociological, and human dimensions.

Under the theme ART DECO – Roaring Twenties, Crash Years, the event will highlight a wide spectrum of heritage: from buildings, façades, and interiors to furniture, collections, intangible heritage, and public spaces.

Hoppiness Brussels and Hoppyz have together worked out a workshop and presentation that will be hosted in both our tasting rooms. Hoppiness in Jette (NL / ENG) en Hoppyz in Forest (FR/ENG).

The subject will be:

How the Interwar Period Shaped Belgian Beer Culture

The events of the period between the two world wars had a big influence on daily life and on the Belgian Beer culture. From the roaring twenties to the popular World Exhibitions, from the American prohibition to the Great Depression: breweries were impacted immensely and had to adjust.
Local beer experts Helene and Carien will be your hosts during these special workshops at their tasting rooms and take the participants through the changes of this time and the impact on Belgian beer culture. You will learn about a few beer styles that were popular then and see what happened to those styles and to the Belgian of those times.

You can sign up in September on the website of Heritage days. Limited spots so mark your calendars!

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Brussels Spring Beer Tasting

Brussels Spring Beer Tasting

Brussels in the sun, there is nothing like it! Good vibes and good local craft beers in abundancy.

During this Spring Beer Tasting you’ll taste four thirst quenching beers. Each one of them perfect to enjoy on a sunny terrace. Discover your new favourite local beers, chosen carefully and introduced by beer sommelier Carien. As always at Hoppiness Brussels, you will get a tasty fingerfood pairing with the beers and hear more about beer, breweries and local beer events and culture.

Let’s get some sun and fun in our beer glass! 

And for those that can’t or won’t have alcohol, we’ll have a nice selection of alcoholfree beers! Just make sure to take the right ticket 😉

Tickets on sale now on Billetweb

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Belgian Beer World – discountcode

Did you know that the Bourse building in the centre of Brussels (the former stock exchange) is built on top of the remains of a 13th century convent? The bourse building was recently completely restored and inside you can find a beautiful walk way, a café, restaurant and Belgian Beer World, an interactive museum experience about beer.

A ticket to Belgian Beer World will also include entry to Bruxella 1238, the museum underneath the building. Inside is allegedly the tomb of Duke John 1st of Brabant, known as Gambrinus, the legendary king of beer.
We have a collaboration with the museum and you will get 10% discount on tickets bought online using the code: HOPPINESS10

It’s also possible to hire me as a guide for your visit of Belgian Beer World. (ENG/NL). You can contact me directly by email for this or contact BBW for a package deal and ask for me.

discount Belgian Beer World
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Visit Brussels Awards nomination

Visit Brussels Awards nomination

We are extremely proud to be nominated for the Brussels Treasure Award at the Visit Brussels Awards 2025.

Brussels’ roots are the essence of this award. The winning project tells an authentic Brussels story.

Our introduction on Visit Brussels: Hoppiness Brussels, led by sommelier Carien Touwen, offers immersive experiences that explore the richness of Belgian and Brussels beer culture. In the cozy ambiance of a traditional Belgian café, every tasting session combines storytelling about the history of beer, discovery of local brews and gourmet pairings tailored to participants’ expectations. Since 2024, these tastings have also been offered in corporate settings, transforming offices into convivial spaces for initiations into beer culture. It’s an original and enriching way to share Belgian beer heritage, ideal for employees and (inter)national visitors alike.

Hoppiness can really use your help, so please vote for us by clicking here!

And when you vote, don’t forget to vote for CoHop in the category Co-Creation. We are big fans of this Brewery! CoHop is an innovative cooperative brewery that brings together four Brussels microbreweries at the heart of the Etterbeek Arsenal.