Les Brasseurs De La Grand'Place

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.06/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3

Belgium is officially supposed to be bi-lingual, and the cardboard Beer Drip Mat that I picked up from here reflects this, as it states “Les Brasseurs, Grand-Pace de Bruxelles” and “De Brouwers, Grote Markt van Brussel”. I listed it under its French name, as this is the more popular of the two languages and the one that I find is most used in Brussels.
“The Brewers”, opened in the Summer of 2001, and is situated right in one of the corners of the Grand’Place, and is housed in a historic building with a rather splendid looking frontage whose appearance is only spoiled by the newly installed bright red luminous signs in the windows. As you enter there is a long bar to your right, and the interior is well decorated with lots of brewery paraphernalia. There are several interlinked floors with tables and chairs that offer views over the Bar and the Brewery equipment which is quite literally all over the bar and is all inter-linked with more pipework than I have seen from my work on Power Stations. The high ceiling makes this a good bar for non-smokers as well.
Beer range is currently; Ale, Special, Triple, a Wheat and 4 Seasonals. The usual offerings are all ‘middle-of-the-road’ beers, but I was lucky enough to try the remnants of the dark Xmas Beer 2001 at Easter last year, and this was a very good brew indeed.
This place obviously caters for Tourists though. I have been twice now, and on my last visit I waited here to meet up with my friend from England on a Sunday night in November 2002 for our weeks beer vacation. The Bar was only frequented by a bunch of loud English drunks. And they were tolerated !! – which says a lot about this place. Anything goes, and I fear the beer is secondary somewhat. Still, when there are no idiots, it is definitely a nice place, which is well fitted-out and worth a visit if you are here to try the beers for the first time (at present they are only available here on tap). But the beers are all very “average” for me, and nothing to write to home about, maybe I am being a bit harsh – I am comparing them to some of the very beers in the World after all.
Just remember - 3 minutes walk from here is the marvellous Toone Bar, neatly hidden away down an alley, with a much better beer range and hopefully not full of pissed-up English Tourists!

01-03-2003 19:31:11 | More by TheLongBeachBum

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.41/5  rDev -20.7%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | $$$

Like all the other reviewers, I was unimpressed.

I tried a tray of samples, there was nothing I could write about which would do the brewer any good. So I will just say they did not worry my tastebuds a great deal, the word bland comes to mind, which is unusual for Belgium beers.

It is in a very good (for tourists) position, but as has been said already, there are plenty of other places close which are much better. The place is clean, tidy and looks interesting for a while, but they have failed to really do anything with the bar or beers.

08-14-2006 12:15:33 | More by BlackHaddock

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

2.83/5  rDev -6.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | $$$

Large copper kettles rest behind every turn. Steel tubing crawls everywhere turning the walls into spider webs. Catwalks, glass walls, different levels, etc...all give off the feeling that this is a much larger establishment than it is yet intimacy is maintained. A sign boasts four 2,000 liter fermentors. Another reads, "Proef Onze Ambachtelijke Bieren." Radiohead and Jeff Buckley are playing loudly over the jubilant conversation of expats. I order two reasonably good tripels and take a seat at the bar. A fellow BA who I have never met, MuskegonBrewing, sits down next to me with his wife and we're quickly off to a good conversation. I order an Amber and this time, I am not so lucky. The beer is less than stellar. In fact, it is nearly undrinkable. The music changes to Freddie Goes to Hollywood and tracks from the Breakfast Club soundtrack. Despite my love for the 80s, the vibe seems as ruined as the beer I'm drinking so we take our leave.

11-12-2009 01:39:31 | More by DaPeculierDane

Globetrotter

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | $$

Couldn't spend a few days in Brussels without trying the one and only brewpub in town, particularly as its location practically jumps up and slaps you on the face just off the Grand Place. Wish I'd skipped it. The place was empty, when everything else is full. The brewkettles stand on the left immediately after the door, while the long dark wood bar runs along the right side after a little alcove to sit and/or stand. Total seating downstairs was for 25. Stairs on the left opposite the bar go up to more on a second level. There is also more seating in the back area. Black tile floors, cream plaster walls, very high dark heavy wood ceilings. Etchings adorned the walls.

Only three tapes: blonde, amber and white. The glassware was plain but appropriate. The quality was OK, although stunningly unimaginative. The beers were fresh and served properly. This place could and should be so much better.

02-20-2007 16:16:15 | More by Globetrotter

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.56/5  rDev +17.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

Been to this brewpub for several times during my three-month stay in Belgium last year. The major reason for my repeated visits to this not incredibly impressive place (summing up the previous three reviewers' points of view), is its relative proximity to the train station and I could kill some time while waiting for a train back to Leuven after work. Believe it or not, although it is situated right at a corner of the Grote Markt, there were few people and tourists drinking inside before 5pm, so the relative quietness was also welcome, for me to read some materials at a corner seat. Not a bad place at all for a quiet drink, especially compared to a lot of pompous-looking, crowded, and incredibly expensive cafes in the Grote Markt area.

Nothing to add about the interior as described in great detail by LongBeachBum's review. For beers, there were only four kinds available during my visits: on tap were white/wit, lager, amber, plus a bottle-conditioned Tripel, whereas brune was ju...st out of season. The Tripel stands out of the whole range as a truly quality brew which is both flavoursome and complex in terms of structure, and I responsibly brought one bottle with me back to London and waiting to savour it in maybe one year's time.

As regards service, a regular barman (who was there at each of my visits) provided me with table service in a friendly, efficient but not intrusive manner, which greatly compensates for the bar's otherwise slightly neglecting features. For example, there was no mentioning of any guided walk in the brewery, as all informaiton they are prepared to share about their brewing techniques is provided inside the menu and it seems they presume anyone interested should care to explore and read the whole lot by him/herself. The same applies to different kinds of "sample trays" for their whole range of beers which could have been very good even for the sake of marketing; the options are written in the menu and the barman simply didn't bother to mention them at all, not to anyone as far as I noticed.

On balance it is an above-average brewpub, with at least one delicious beer deserving wider attention.

05-09-2005 10:40:56 | More by wl0307

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

1.86/5  rDev -38.8%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 2.5 | selection: 1 | $$

Ok, so this appears to be the definition of a tourist trap. The location is intruiging, but that doesn't come close to making this place worth a visit.

I waltzed over here while the wife and kids rested prior to dinner. This place was listed on the list "Top 125 places to have a beer". Pretty cool list but this really diminishes its credibility.

Place is a little micro-brewery that produces nothing you should waste your time drinking. It's Brussels for God's sake. Hit any other local bar serving Belgium's finest. The atmoshpere seemed dark/sad and almost desparate. Not kidding.

It appears that this place preys on tourists who have heard of Belgian beer, but don't know what to expect. AVOID!

04-20-2012 03:41:41 | More by Reagan1984

DaveFL1976

Florida

3.63/5  rDev +19.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

One thing this bar has going for it is the location. The inside isn't much to write home about, but there's the fantastic option to pull up a table and chair outside and have a beer while you overlook the sun setting on some of the most captivating architecture in the world. Excellent.
Unfortunately, the beer doesn't live up to the view, and I wasn't that impressed. It's worth it to stop by for a brew if you're in the square, but don't make a special trip just for Les Brasseurs. There's plenty of other sights to take in.

08-21-2006 18:13:42 | More by DaveFL1976

objectivemonkey

Minnesota

2.75/5  rDev -9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 2.5 | $$$

I have several reviews to write, but I"m getting this one out of the way first because, quite frankly, I want to stop thinking about it. It haunts me in my dreams. Every beer I drink, a shadow of the collective world's lifeless beers flits across the rear of my tongue, paining me to no end. Why, oh why, can I not forget this awful place.

It began simply enough; starstruck wanderers wander into the center of all that is beerily holy. Brussels, central location of the worlds oddest beer, the gravitational center of all Belgian beers, the place where explorers from every country from every continent come to find the best beer... in Europe, and perhaps.... the world. But then, a terrible thing befell these wanderers.

Lapsing into their oh-so-American habit of convenience, their utter assurance that pretty things with high prices are a mark of quality, they enter... the place which shall not be named.

It looks pretty enough. The staff seem friendly. We sit, pleasantly surprised by our luck. Who knew?! a brewpub, in Belgium, overlooking the central square of Brussels. It HAS to be good. Oh, if only I knew then what I know now, what I take pain to forget.

Because, whilst several friendly smiles greeted us, we knew of no service for half an hour. For half an hour, these wanderers sat, in the middle of beer heaven, without beer. Hungry. Confused. Perhaps a bit constipated.

Oh, but service at last! Why, so excited was I, the sampler was the only course of action. 'Everything! I must have everything," I said. If only.... I had known...

Drink came, and parched I was. Deeply I drank of their elixirs. But this was no invigorating tonic. Neither was it the sulfuric intoxicant of Hades. No, worst of all, it was Purgatory... neither good, nor bad, just decent enough to keep drinking. One after the other, the same result. To sit and sip in mild misery was my fate that afternoon, and it left lasting impressions. Oh... the horror...

The food, too, was without soul, without pain or good. There was nothing left for us to do but swallow all pride, pour our wallets to the table, and leave, heads hung low, all illusions of Belgium's infallibility quashed.

So, good reader, make not the mistake we made. Find the smallest hole in the wall, tucked deep in the recesses of the city. Or better yet, just skip Brussels all together, for fear of wandering into the tentacles of this shoddy sham, this fraud of a brewpub.

.... Ok. So for reals, the only beer worth drinking (read: that didn't taste like a bad batch of Bud Select) were the guest beers. The food was unremarkable and expensive, the fries were crap. It was a wholly un-enjoyable and expensive experience.

07-13-2010 03:52:22 | More by objectivemonkey

scoobybrew

Iowa

3.45/5  rDev +13.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 2 | food: 3.5 | $$

My wife and I stopped in here on our recent European vacation. It was interesting to see a Belgian brewpub after frequenting so many in the US. The atmosphere is pretty cool with the brewpots and fermenters on display. Unfortunately, they only had the amber available at the time, which the barkeep was upfront right away about. This was disappointing, but nonetheless the amber was tasty. Upstairs there's lots of little displays on historical brewing tools, containers and various brewhouse devices - this was pretty interesting.

Overall, this was a nice stop. I would stop here again if I find myself in Brussels, but if I was short on time I don't think I'd be too concerned about it. (I thought spending time in the Belgian countryside visiting the Trappist cafes to be much more exciting!)

07-25-2007 23:43:52 | More by scoobybrew

jasonm

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -9.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 3 | $$

Yeah I read the reviews and still came. Ended up here for a social event for the conference I was attending.

Located on the NE corner of the Grand'Place in a narrow building of traditional stone architecture. Ground floor has a small bar area. The rest of the restaurant is divided up into 3 floors. Decor is not unlike a typical american brewpub with the requisite vats.

The beer itself wasnt that great, especially for Belgium. Of the three they were offering (Blonde, Amber, Blanche), only the Amber was drinkable for me.

Food menu is pub fare, Belgian style (mussels, etc.). I had a Pove de Boeuf which was ok, but a bit on the dry side.

Service was slow but we did have a big party that arrived in bunches. They were making an effort to accomodate us however.

Overall, when in Brussels, there are better options.

06-28-2006 16:47:39 | More by jasonm