Leuven brewer Bart from brewery De Coureur showed Jonas from Germany around Leuven. Naturally, brewing stories quickly came to the table, and plenty of local beers were tasted. A true match made in the brewery. Jonas Anders Moll spent two nights in Leuven and discovered that, in addition to being a beer city, Leuven has so much more to offer.
Leuven local Ine took Eke, the snack expert from the Netherlands, to her favorite spots, including her own neighborhood brewery, De Coureur, where Ine and her partner Bart (yes, the one mentioned above) brew bold, energetic, and powerful beers. Two of Eke's favorites from his trip: Frituur Bim Bam, ‘a genius owner with great fries and snacks,’ and Pepas Frituur, which Eke called ‘apparently the best VEGAN frituur in Belgium.’
After a 2.5-hour train ride from Paris, Frenchman Alexis Thiebaut arrived in Leuven, a city off the beaten path. Alexis calls Leuven the beer city of Belgium, and we couldn’t agree more. Local Thijs, a musician and bartender at neighborhood bar Bar Stan, took Alexis to two local favorites: Restaurant Alfalfa, tucked just outside Leuven’s city center, and Café Commerce, a pub loved by all ages. Alexis’ favorite restaurants after his city trip? The Italian spot Baracca, the brand-new brunch bar Eclèktic, and MALZ, crowned Belgium’s best beer bar in 2022.
Joren from craft beer bar MALZ told us a secret: “Did you know that some places in Leuven will make you feel like you’re in southern Spain? Indeed, many palm trees adorn the streets and squares in summer.” Soon, Joren will go out with someone else who doesn’t know the city yet… Who knows? Maybe they’ll start counting palm trees after those beers. 😉
In short, toasting with a ‘pintje’, we proudly tout Leuven as the destination yet to be discovered. This city, steeped in authentic character, offers a wealth of unknown and remarkable stories about beer and its rich brewing tradition.
Read more delicious beer stories on social media via #UntoldStoriesLeuven.
