De Biertempel

Jeffo

Netherlands

2.86/5  rDev -35.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2 | $$$

Stopped in here on our trip to Bruges. It's just off the main square, and a good six iron from The Bottle Shop.

The guy was nice enough. He explained a bit about Kriek that I wasn't aware of. That's not hard to do, as I know very little about Kriek. I usually try to keep it that way, but he seemed intent on teaching me something, which I appreciated. Seems to like chatting too, so chat him up if you get the chance.

As for the shop itself, this is a tiny place with not much available. I'm not quite sure why this one gets such high scores to be honest. The back wall has a decent selection of beer, but the sides and front are filled with gift packs and kitchy swag. I guess the tourists like that kind of stuff though, so I can't really blame him. I did think it was a bit of a shame, especially since they have to put different brews from the same brewery behind each other because they have so little shelf space at the back.

Anyways, the selection was standard. The only thing I found there that I didn't find anywhere else in the city was a few bottles of Black Damnation. I picked those up because they rule the world and all of mankind. Other than that, a decent gueuze selection and all of the usual Belgian suspects were there. Nothing overly rare, and even some not-so-rare brews weren't to be found.

Prices were a little higher than they had to be. Brews were slightly more expensive than The Bottle Shop down the road, and the selection wasn't as good. The Black Damnations were €5 each, which wasn't bad compared to insane Amsterdam prices, but it was slightly higher than they needed to be. The other prices were also a touch higher than The Bottle Shop.

All in all, a decent place to check out and to see if they've got anything sitting around that you might not find elsewhere, but don't drop cash here until you've checked out the competition down the road. In general, there are better prices and selection to be found elsewhere.

07-06-2010 15:07:51 | More by Jeffo

kingcrowing

Vermont

4.35/5  rDev -2.5%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I came in here looking for a Westy blonde and sadly didn't find it however they did have Westy 8 which I love so I picked up a bottle for only 8 or 9 euro. If you want a specific westy I'd say go to 400 beers because they mark up their westy beers so much that they always have some of each.

Other than that this was a pretty decent place, they had all your standard Cantillon and 3 Fonteinen beers, not too much out of the ordinary though but it seems like the place that you could stumble upon some great stuff while you're there.

Pricing seemed pretty fair for everything that I got, and their selection was one of the largest I saw in Belgium outside of the Delirium Cafe.

06-17-2010 12:35:28 | More by kingcrowing

jgasparine

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev -11.4%
quality: 5 | service: 2 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Visited this place a couple of times on our last trip to Bruges. The selection of beer is quite good here. Virtually all beer in the shop was high-quality Belgian craft brew, and it was all displayed cleanly. Plenty of breweriana here too.

The service was virtually non-existent. They could have had a robot handling the transactions at the cash register, with pre-programmed responses to standard questions. But hey, you're here for good beer, not 1st class service, right?

While the selection here was excellent, I found that it lacked a number of rare Belgian brews, and tended to focus more on a solid range of staple offerings from the breweries.

I only saw one variety of Fantome, only a couple Cantillons, and no Westvleteren this time. The Christmas beers were virtually all gone by the time of our visit as well (Mid March). Don't get me wrong, the selection is incredible, but I wanted to explain what kept me from giving it a perfect '5' in the Selection department.

03-23-2010 01:38:12 | More by jgasparine

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -8.1%
quality: 5 | service: 2 | selection: 5 | $$$

Neat beer store just down the road from Cambrinus, with a damn fine selection of Belgians. If you're after a Belgian beer you'd be unlucky not to find it here. There was even some Westy 8 in the cooler, though I decided not to partake. Prices seemed reasonable for a tourist area, although I'm sure some of these bottles could be found cheaper elsewhere.

My one complaint is that the service was actually pretty crap. The guy was slow and distracted, looking off into the distance. This was in stark contrast to the friendly lady at Bier Tempel in Brussels. Nonetheless, this is probably the place to go in Brugges.

09-16-2009 18:33:10 | More by bobsy

adamette

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +0.9%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $

Visited there just before the Cambrinus Restaurant in Brugge, Belgium. They are down the street from one another and are apparently owned by the same people or persons.

Quality: Excellent. With a nice display for such a small space and care taken to display bottles, glasses and other items carefully, really nice quality.

Service: Just fine as we were helped by the proprieter there. She came out from behind the counter to help me find the De Struise brothers beers that I was looking for.

Selection: Could not be better. Maybe 400 bottles, almost all Belgians...this place has one of the best selections that I have ever seen.

Value: 4 11.2 ounce (330ml) rare Belgians for $12. Not bad at all!

06-30-2009 17:29:40 | More by adamette

Hornet2003

British Columbia (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev -2.5%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Review from July 2007.

Service was cordial but not warming. The girl at the counter was pounding a red bull-not unfriendly but definitely not welcoming.

Selection: What can you say. Amazing variety of European beers. Belgian beers were obviously very well represented here. All of the Westvleteren's were out of stock, however. I picked up a Westy 8 in Brussels in Grand Place instead. I've been informed that this is irregular at best and that Westvleteren is usually very accessible. The rest of the selection was second to none.

Value: €5 was about the maximum price for any of the 33cL bottles. Most expensive beer was maybe €12. Great value for travelers who would otherwise have to trade for these beers.

05-20-2009 01:42:18 | More by Hornet2003

sterstar1

Colorado

5/5  rDev +12.1%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

What a place. It was a beer lover's heaven. Man, I wish I could somehow teleport myself back there at will. The lady behind the counter was so kind and knowledgeable and they stocked the best beers on the planet. Will definitely shop there again as soon as possible. This is the shop where I purchased my beloved Westy 12. Although I still haven't opened it up. I am looking forward to the day when I do. But I purchased many other great Belgian brews from the Tempel. What a great shop. Lots of fun shirts and beer glasses as well. If you haven't been, you should go. Plus, bruges is such a great little town with such friendly people.

05-16-2009 22:04:18 | More by sterstar1

atis

Finland

4.85/5  rDev +8.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Perfect. I peeked in other stores while in Brugge, but this one was the best. Reasonably priced (not for glassware though) with excellent selection of some of the best Belgium beers - trappists, lambics, blond ales. They had Westy for 6.2 to 6.7 euros. Nicely priced sales of some of my favorite Christmas beers.

I did not know many of the beers available there and picked them by label, but it turned out that all of them were good. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. One of the best beer shops I have ever visited.

02-13-2009 10:28:01 | More by atis

NCSUdo

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +12.1%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

1 word: Great.

Beer from wall to wall and the lady working on the day I was in was superb. Great help, spoke excellent English. Recommended a few beers and knew everything there was to know about what the store sold. Even got some free beer coupons for Cambrinus right down the street. Couldn't ask for more, much better then the Brussels location.

Westies were 3.50 euros for 8 and 10, 3.75 for 12 (like 3 euros cheaper then Brussels). Also were displayed but were very inconspicuous. Picked up some of those, plus a couple of Rochefort 10's, Pannepots and Lou Pepe (Kriek and Framboise, 12-13 a piece for 750 mL).

12-08-2008 00:46:13 | More by NCSUdo

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +8.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This is probably the best bottle shop that I was in during my visit to Belgium. The place is just jam packed with an amazing selection of bottles and glassware including some vintage collectors pieces. They had some extremely rare beers that I couldn't find anywhere else in Brugges or Brussels for that matter. They also offered a large selection of beer literature, and the racks of glasses behind the counter were beyond compare. The gentleman working beyond the counter was very knowledgeable and helpful and carefully packages the glassware and bottles that I purchased. I spent a fortune in here but nothing was too overpriced. You will find what you are looking for when you come here. A must while in Brugges.

12-02-2008 09:21:17 | More by corby112