On the lash with Baudelaire // A literary pub crawl through Brussels, Act One
On the lash with Baudelaire // A literary pub crawl through Brussels, Act One

I set off on a tour, in Baudelaire’s and others footsteps, of what remains of Brussels’ literary haunts.

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Cuisine and CultureEoghan Walshhistory, literature, victor hugo, Charles baudelaire, vincent van gogh, a la mort subite, Muntpunt, Cafe les trois suisses, John Dos Passos, Karl Marx, Grand Place, L'Imaige de Notre Dame, Theatre Royal de Toone, Boon, La Chaloupe d'Or, Maison de Cygnes, WH Auden, Place de la Monnaie
Beerstorming x Jameson Caskmates // Brussels beer in Irish barrels
Beerstorming x Jameson Caskmates // Brussels beer in Irish barrels

How one of the world’s largest drinks brands ended up working with one of the smallest breweries in Belgium.

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Breweries and BarsEoghan WalshIrish, ireland, Brussels Irish, foreign extra stout, Beerstorming, Jameson, caskmates, sint gillis, brewery, collaboration, barrel-aged, barrel-aging, brett IPA, sourdough beer, Arthur Ries, Sean Deane, Jameson Ambassador Belgium, St Gilles, Cork, Franciscan Well, beavertown, Het Uiltje
Belgian beer labels and sexism // #TimesUp for turning a blind eye
Belgian beer labels and sexism // #TimesUp for turning a blind eye

Belgian beer culture is the only one in the world that is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. With that recognition comes a responsibility to make sure that this culture is open and inclusive. The consequences of movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp are bringing up hard questions about sexism, misogyny and gender equality in beer. Is Belgian beer culture and the beer community ready and willing to answer them?

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Criticism and CommentEoghan Walsh
A European Craft Brewers Conference? // The Brewers of Europe Forum and unity in European brewing
A European Craft Brewers Conference? // The Brewers of Europe Forum and unity in European brewing

“[To] connect the European brewing scene and try to put a counterweight against the Americans. To shout out the message to the world: Europe is the cradle of beer!” That, according to Luc de Raedemaeker, founder of the Brussels Beer Challenge and now one of the organisers of the inaugural Brewers of Europe Forum, taking place in Brussels in June this year.

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Eoghan WalshBrewers of Europe Forum, luc de raedemaeker
Beer and the City // When beer was brewed at the European Parliament: Brasserie Leopold and the "Whim of the Gods"
Beer and the City // When beer was brewed at the European Parliament: Brasserie Leopold and the "Whim of the Gods"

Rue Wiertz, in Brussels’ European district, is a nothing street. Bound at both ends by slate-grey security barriers to protect the European Parliament, it is an unremarkable street in an unremarkable part of town. But, underneath the glass and stone towers that line the street, is some remarkable history. This spot, at the confluence of Rue Wiertz, Rue Vautier, and Parc Leopold, is where brewing in Brussels died. More specifically, it is where Brasserie Leopold – the last commercial brewery operating in Brussels city soil – shut its doors in June 1981.

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History and HeritageEoghan Walshbrasserie leopold, Parc leopold, white star, history, european parliament, rue wiertz, espace leopold, three star, brewery, european union, cafe marnix, rue vauter, place luxembourg