Discover the best places to enjoy beer in Antwerpen

Saturday, January 8, 2022 I had spontaneously booked (in an hour) a few days in Antwerp, and since none of my friends had time or desire (or permission of the beloved) I had complete freedom as to the program. I searched on ‘activities Antwerp’ and my eye fell on this trip: Discover the best places to enjoy beer in Antwerp. I've been coming to Antwerp regularly for over 30 years, so I was curious if the guide would be able to surprise me. Both in terms of beer selection and the fulfillment of the CTA: The Best Places in Antwerp. But first I had a problem, because the tour would already take place the next day. Canceling would not be possible, but more important was whether I would be able to participate in the tour, given the short time until the tour. I signed up and waited quietly... or no, because within 30 minutes I already had a response from the guide, Jorge. He indicated that it would be a solo tour, but that he wanted to do it anyway, partly because he saw it as a challenge to provide a successful beer tour for a spoiled solo traveler. He asked: what exactly do you want and what beer do you normally drink? I told him I wanted to visit places I hadn't been in Antwerp yet and taste beer brands I didn't know yet. We agreed to meet for the next day and Jorge had come up with a very alternative program, starting at a micro-brewery Cabardouche. Just because we were with 2 people, a corona time "tour" of a tiny brewery was possible. Jorge told us about the neighborhood where the brewery was located and about the many microbreweries in Antwerp. Of course we were also given a super unique beer to try, unique because it is only brewed once and then never again. That's fine when the beer doesn't taste good, but a disaster when the beer is delicious. I would love to taste that beer again in Antwerp, but unfortunately that will not happen. One of the four owners was present, but she was quite busy with takeout customers and administration and apparently trusted Jorge to provide me with all the relevant information. However, she promised at our parting to tell an exciting story about her baby, Cabardouche, next time. For fans, this beer is for sale at Prik and Tik. After this, we took the tram back towards the station and as per our agreement, Jorge would show me three special beer locations during the 3 hour beer tour. However, I had resolved to stick to two if I liked the location and atmosphere. He took me to a bar whose name suggested they would have several beers: the Beer Lovers Bar. What I find important about a bar is that you can sit quietly, atmosphere, hospitality, nice crowd and good music. And good beer of course, but somehow I had the idea that was all okay with Jorge as my guide. Well, the Beer Lovers Bar exceeded my expectations. They have about ten beers on tap, and many more varieties of beer in bottles and cans. We were able to chat quietly and sample and drink all kinds of delicious beers. The bar staff was quick, knowledgeable and friendly. The crowd was quite young, I estimate around 25, and the music perfectly matched the relaxed atmosphere. When Jorge suggested we visit the third location, I asked if we could stay (we were running out of time anyway), because I was perfectly comfortable in the Beer Lovers Bar, and so was Jorge. He explained to me how the color difference between dark beer and the blond varieties arises. He showed me two jars with malt: for blond beer a pale type of malt is used and for dark beer a dark type of malt. Well, the beer tour was successful and I am sure that Jorge can organize not only solo tours but also exclusive beer tours for groups. This guy knows Antwerp, knows the beers and bars and has a very service-oriented attitude! So a serious recommendation to discover the best places in Antwerp to enjoy beer!!!