An Evening with Pete Brown + Closing Party

Talking beer, books, and Belgian beer with legendary writer

The Details

What? To wrap up the BierCult weekend, we’ve teamed up with Schaarbeek’s Brasserie de la Mule and British author, journalist, broadcaster, and award-winning legend Pete Brown for an informal conversation and Q&A.
Over an engaging hour-long chat, we’ll cover:

• Pete’s journey from Stella Artois adman to beer evangelist

• How he ended up on sailing beer barrels halfway around the world

• The unexpected joys of pairing beer and music

• His abiding love of Belgian beer

• His quixotic efforts to define craft beer

• And his advice about making it in beer writing

Absolutely not to be missed!

Pete is a four-time Beer Writer of the Year, and his writing has won him three Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards, among many other accolades. Pete’s first book, Man Walks Into A Pub: A Sociable History of Beer, was published in 2003 and since then he has gone on to write 11 more books about beer, pubs, brewing, cider, and British cuisine. His latest book - Clubland, about British working men’s clubs - was published in June 2022 and has already received rave reviews.

When? Sunday 17 July 2022, 7.30pm 

Where? Brasserie de la Mule, 95 rue Rubens 1030 Schaerbeek

Why? Part of the Biercult weekend of tastings, talks, and tours in locations across Brussels.

How? No tickets required!

Compound Drinking: the wide (and wild) world of fermentation

Tasting workshop exploring the spectrum of fermented beverages

The Details

What? 

BierCult may be a festival celebrating beer, but there is so much to discover in the world of fermentation beyond beer. In this intimate and informal tasting session featuring beer, wine, cider and more - and led by industry experts - we will dive into to the discrete worlds of different kinds of fermentation - how they are made, what flavours, they can offer, and how increasingly the line is being blurred between these rigid categories as adventurous producers seek to harness with wide (and wild) world of fermentation.

When? 

Sunday 17 July 2022, 4pm — 6pm

Where? 

Brasserie En Stoemelings, Rue Dieudonné Lefèvre 37, 1020 Bruxelles

Who? 

A distinguished panel of industry experts from Brussels and further afield, each championing a particular fermented drink:

• Samuel Languy, Brasserie En Stoemelings

• Yannick Schandené, Fermenthings

• Katie Mather, Associate Editor at Pellicle and Commissioning Editor of Glug Magazine

• Joran Le Stradic, Cidrothèque Joran

Why? 

Part of the Biercult weekend of tastings, talks, and tours in locations across Brussels.

How? 

Book your spot by buying a ticket here

Cost? 

€25 plus booking fee (includes four drinks, some snacks, and a refill or two if you are lucky - and the chance to ask questions, and engage with the expertise, of our panel)

Numbers? 

The venue is small and intimate and for health and safety reasons, numbers are strictly limited to a max of 20 participants (we’ll operate on a first come, first served basis for tickets).

BierCult beer garden Brunch at BBP Port Sud

A South Asian-flavoured beer and food brunch with Rasoi and Brussels Beer Project

The Details

What? 

The BierCult festival has teamed up with Brussels Beer Project and Rasoi for a beer and food brunch at Brussels Beer Project’s new beer garden at their recently-opened Port Sud brewery. Rasoi, who specialise in North Indian recipes and the Moghul cuisine of their home region while also serving combinations of South Asian and European tastes, will be on-site with their food truck. And Brussels Beer Project will be serving a mixture of classics and unexpected surprises from their Dansaert brewery, and there will be an opportunity to tour the new brewery too.

More details on the menu to follow!

When? 

Sunday 17 July 2022, 1pm 

Where? 

Brussels Beer Project Port Sud, Quai de Biestebroeck 23, 1070 Anderlecht

Why? 

Part of the Biercult weekend of tastings, talks, and tours in locations across Brussels.

How? 

Just turn up, buy your food and beer, and tuck in!

Brewery Architecture Bike Tour

A bike ride through Brussels’ brewing story - past and present

Brussels brewing has experienced its ups and downs in the past two centuries - with booms following busts, and vice versa. But each generation of brewers has left their own mark on Brussels’ urban fabric. From the rural farm breweries on the city’s periphery, to the streetside neighbourhood breweries and industrial mastodons of the 19th century, and right up to the new generation of 21st century breweries - the history of Brussels beer is told by the buildings it has left behind. 

In this bike tour through Brussels’ brewing past, we will dive into the city’s brewing history, charting its path from agricultural village to powerhouse of the industrial revolution, and through to the centre of Belgium’s thriving modern-day brewing revival. 

We will explore the different brewery building typologies, discover the great brewing houses that built modern Brussels - and we might even have a couple of beers along the way. 

When? 

Sunday 17 July 2022, 10am — 1pm

Where? 

The tour will start at the old Brasserie Belle-Vue building, at Quai du Hainaut 41, 1080 Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. We will conclude at Brussels Beer Project’s Port Sud brewery in Anderlecht - Quai de Biestebroeck 23.

How?

The tour will take place by bike. If you do not have your own, you can rent a Villo! or the NMBS Blue Bike scheme at Brussels’ main train stations.

Tickets?

Tickets will be €5 per person - which includes the tour and complementary drinks along the way. Buy yours here.

Numbers?

To keep the tour manageable, the tour will be limited to 10 participants.

British Beer Evening

Celebrating the beers and brewing of Belgium’s neighbour - and biggest influence

What? 

Is there any other country whose brewing industry has had such a consequential influence in Belgian - and Brussels - brewing than Britain? From the pre-WWI Pale Ales, Stouts, and Scotch Ales, to the impact of Michael Jackson’s late-20th century proselytising, and on to the modern-day influence of London’s thriving beer scene on their Brussels contemporaries - Belgian beer has often looked across the channel for inspiration.

To celebrate this cross-channel connection, Brussels Beer City, Brasserie la Jungle, and Dynamo Bar de Soif have teamed up for a night of British beer, featuring:

• A conversation and Q&A with Adrian Tierney-Jones, award-winning writer and newspaper columnist, and author of the recently-published United Kingdom of Beer

• A short screening of the “Best of British” episode from Michael Jackson’s 1989 The Beer Hunter TV series

• A stellar tap line-up featuring locally-brewed English inspired beers from La Jungle alongside stand-out UK beers - and who knows, there might even be some cask ale too!

• Special guests, and more…

When? 

Saturday 16 July 2022, 7.30pm — 11pm

Where? 

Dynamo - Bar de Soif, Chaussée d'Alsemberg 130, 1060 Saint-Gilles

Why? 

Part of the Biercult weekend of tastings, talks, and tours in locations across Brussels.

How? 

No tickets needed - just turn up on the night and enjoy the show!

The Brussels beer café is an institution that has enjoyed as much acclaim as it has suffered fatigue. Join us for an afternoon of discussion in the cosy Goudblommeke café, recorded and photographed for The Belgian Smaak Podcast, during which Breandán Kearney of Belgian Smaak hosts a distinguished panel of guests to chat about the romantic power, complex business, and cultural significance of the Brussels café, and what might be in store for its future. 

The Details

What? 

An intimate panel discussion about Brussels beer café culture with audience participation

When? 

Saturday 16 July 2022 (3pm — 4pm)

Where? 

Café La Fleur en Papier Doré (Het Goudblommeke in Papier), Rue des Alexiens 55, 1000 Brussels

Who? 

A distinguished panel of guests and a small audience who’ll be able to ask questions - details coming soon!

Why? 

Part of the Biercult weekend of tastings, talks, and tours in locations across Brussels.

How? 

Tickets on sale shortly

Cost? 

€6.00 (includes a beer on entry, admission to this intimate event, and the chance to ask questions of our panel)

Numbers? 

The venue is small and intimate and for health and safety reasons, numbers are strictly limited to a max of 40 people (we’ll operate on a first come, first served basis for tickets).

A expert-led exploration into the exciting world of cheese and beer pairings, with Léo Begin of the renowned La Fruitière - Fromagerie in Brussels

The Details

What? 

Brussels Beer City is not the only one celebrating a birthday in 2022. In July, the renowned La Fruitière - Fromagerie cheese shop and restaurant in Brussels will mark five years since mother and son pair Veronique and Léo opened the shop in 2017. To celebrate this moment, and as part of the BierCult festival, Léo is hosting an intimate and informal tasting session featuring several of the festival beers and personally chosen selection of cheeses from the shop.

When? 

Saturday 16 July 2022, 13.00 — 2.30pm

Where? 

La Fruitière - Fromagerie, Rue du marché au charbon 99-103 1000 Brussels

Why? 

Part of the Biercult weekend of tastings, talks, and tours in locations across Brussels.

How? 

Book your spot by buying a ticket here

Cost? 

€35.00 plus booking fee (includes a tasting of three limited edition beers and three specially-selected cheeses, under the guidance of an expert fromager)

How many? 

The venue is small and intimate and for health and safety reasons, numbers are strictly limited to a max of 16 people (we’ll operate on a first come, first served basis for tickets).

FERMENT GRAFIEK

Exhibition of iconic artwork from Brussels’ beer and wine labels

The Details

What? 

As much as the brewers and bar owners that have emerged in recent years, iconic label artwork has been central to the beer revival that Brussels has experienced in recent years. For the first time ever, FERMENT GRAFIEK brings together in one exhibition work from some of the city’s leading illustrators and designers.

To coincide with the exhibition opening, six Brussels-based illustrators have joined together to collaborate on a one-off publication/artwork: FERMENT GRAFIEK - Een Brusselse Éphémère Publicatie Around Beers & Other Brol. Launching at the exhibition opening, only 500 copies have been printed of this exclusive production, and a number of limited edition prints will also be available to buy.

When? 

Friday 17 July 2022, 7.30pm 

Where? 

Be-Here, Rue Dieudonné Lefèvre 4, 1020 Brussels

Who? 

The exhibition will feature a stellar line-up of artwork from:

• Ammo (Brasserie de la Mule, No Science, Brasserie Cantillon, Brouwerij De Ranke)

• Camille Toussaint (Gudule)

• Jean Goovaerts (Brasserie de la Senne)

• Julien Kremer a.k.a Krump (Nanobrasserie L’Ermitage)

• Marie Theurier (Brasserie La Jungle)

• Nina Carleer (La Source Beer Co.)

Why? 

Part of the Biercult weekend of tastings, talks, and tours in locations across Brussels.

Join us at Brasserie En Stoemelings for the launch of the paperback edition of the highly-rated blog series from Brussels Beer City.

“One of the most consistently fascinating projects in beer writing. Transports you through time and brings a complex beer culture to life.” -  Jessica Boak and Ray Bailey, authors of 20th Century Pub

A mythical beer king’s grave. A medieval brewers’ oath. A Schaarbeek cherry. A can of Hefeweizen. Each has a different story. But together, these and the other objects featured in A History of Brussels Beer in 50 Objects tell the fascinating history of Brussels and its beers.

From Brussels’ origins on the marshy banks of the Zenne, to its emergence as an industrial powerhouse, and on to the calamitous fall and stunning 21st century revival of its rich brewing heritage - this book is an enthralling account of 1,000 years of urban and brewing history.

“This original beer book leads us to the many bigger and smaller crossroads towards the making of Brussels as a beer capital.” - Sven Gatz, Brussels politician and Belgian beer lover

When? 

Friday 15 July 2022, 5 — 6.30pm

Where? 

Brasserie En Stoemelings, Rue Dieudonné Lefèvre 37, 1020 Brussels

BierCult Opening + Birthday Beers Release

An opening night party at Mazette to launch a weekend of BierCult events and activities. 

To mark the opening of the festival, and to celebrate five years of Brussels Beer City, we’ve joined forces with five local breweries to make five, one-off, limited birthday beers! 

Find out more about the beers here.

The beers will be tapped for the first time during the launch event - so join us at Brussels’ newest brewpub and help us kick off the BierCult weekend with a bang!

When? 

Thursday 14 July 2022, 7.30 — 11pm

Where? 

Mazette, Place du Jeu de Balle 50, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

About Mazette 

Mazette is a cooperative café-brasserie in Brussels. Their beers are brewed on site, by them, and only available at the bar. They also bake their own bread, sourdough, homemade and baked over a wood fire.
https://mazette.brussels/

Lockdown 1.0 gave us the Cabin Fever Podcast.

Lockdown 2.0 is going one better and giving us the Cabin Fever Belgian Christmas Bonanza - a livestreamed evening remote celebrating the holidays and a drink-along of a selection of Belgian Christmas beers!

In the company of some of the world's beer beer writers (and drinkers), we'll drink 4 beers, play Christmas-themed quizzes, sing carols, maybe some prize giveaways, and whatever else happens on an evening spent drinking 10%+ beers.

Get your tasting box now!

We’re delighted to team up with London’s Hop Burns and Black, and Belgium’s Etre Gourmet on tasting packs for the event.

If you’re in the UK, you can order from HBB here, and if you’re in Belgium, Etre Gourmet’s box is here!

Inside each one you'll get these 3 guaranteed:

• St.Bernardus Christmas Ale

• De Dolle Brouwers Stille Nacht

• Brouwerij De Ranke Pere Noel

If you order with Etre Gourmet your 4th beer will be Brasserie de la Senne's Winter Mess

And if you order from Hop Burns and Black your 4th beer will be Anspach & Hobday's The Pfeffernüsse Stout

And if you can't get hold of them, get something local and independently-brewed wherever you find yourself!

We’ll be live on YouTube on December 3, so be sure to join: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LddGvzbexLg