Every so often, luck is really on our side. We arrived in Brussels during the annual Belgium Beer Weekend… We did not plan this, and we were both a little surprised that I did not find this out before during all of my pre-trip research.

 

We started Saturday morning with a plan to visit the famous Manneken Pis statue and then check out his lesser-known counter-parts, Jeanneke Pis (girl peeing) and Zinneke Pis (dog peeing – FYI not a fountain) and then maybe have some lunch. This beloved little statue was an easy 10-15 minute stroll from our Airbnb and dressed to honour Costa Rica – there was even a band playing. We snapped a few pictures through the chaos and decided that we should go check out the Grand-Place.

 

 

Unfortunately, we are in an age where security checkpoints at major tourist sites are all too commonplace. So when we arrived at the Grand-Place and saw long queues and security personnel we still had no idea that something wonderful was happening. It was not until we saw the large billboard with “Beer Menu” plastered across the top and a list of 400 beers available that the shoe dropped. We had literally stumbled upon the Belgium Beer Weekend…
Oh Happy Day!

 

Our plans for the rest of Saturday and now Sunday were set. We joined the queue and bought our glass tokens and beer tickets and became kids in a candy shop. With over 47 breweries and 400 beers we knew that we would only scratch the surface. Luckily we had almost 2 full days to explore. There was also roaming bands and cocktail tables set up so it was a really great atmosphere and the weather was spectacular.

 

We knew we had to pace ourselves, as the beers were on average 8-12% and these were no measly tasting glasses. Most of them were around 15-25 centilitres and the wonderful folks at the taps always seemed to pour over the line.