I’m a snob about a lot of things – bourbon, coffee, Mexican food (get out of here with that Tex-Mex garbage), etc. – but beer has never been one of them. I’m the kind of person who has a few beers they like, and those are my go-tos. So when we decided visit Belgium, I thought “Oh great! I’m going to eat so much chocolate, fries, and waffles! Oh, right, and beer too. We’ll have a bunch of Stella and Hoegaarden, I guess.” Feel free to judge me, hard. If my basic AF beer choices weren’t evidence enough, I was not knowledgeable of the Belgian beer scene. I’m happy to report that after 2 weeks in Belgium, including two Belgian food tours (one of which focused solely on beer & chocolate), I am officially knowledgeable enough about Belgian beer to be somewhat of a snob. So I wrote up a beginner’s guide to Belgian beers & where to drink beer in Belgium.
What You’ll Find in this Beginner’s Guide to Belgian Beer
Like any good beginner’s guide, this is a long and detailed post. (In fact, the estimated reading time is 18 minutes.) Here’s what you’ll find below.
Table of Contents
Well, let’s get started!
Belgian beers lined up in a Belgian Beer Store. Belgian beer stores are a bit like like beer libraries.
Trappist Beer: the Classic Belgian Beer
Trappist beers are brewed in a traditional method developed by Monks. A brief history of Trappist beer in Belgium: many, many years ago, Monks fled to Belgium along with other refugees persecuted in their homelands, all searching for religious freedom. The difference was that the Monks were literate, and brought their beer recipes with them. Beer brewing flourished in Belgium because the water was unsafe to drink, and beer was both safe and cheaper than water. Low alcohol content beer was even drank by Belgian children (you can tell that to the next person you see drinking a Miller Lite). Unsurprisingly, many ancient Belgians made the link between Monks, the safety of drinking beer vs. water, and divinity. Beer really IS holy!
There are 11 Trappist breweries in operation in the entire world; Belgium has six of them. Trappist rule #1 is that a beer is not a Trappist beer unless it is brewed INSIDE a working monastery. Sorry hipsters. No pop up bars serving small batch Tripels fermented in re-purposed materials and served in Mason jars while some dude with an accordion talks about his preferred mustache wax.
Rules #2-4 about Trappist beers are very specific that Monks must be the ones actually brewing the beer, and furthermore, any profits must be used within the monastery or donated to charity. Beer and social responsibility, our favorite combination!
Trappist beer all started with the monks’ first beer type: the Trappist Blonde, which is a relatively weak beer (3-4% ABV usually, so like, for kids). Later on, they invented the Dubbel (which is double the ABV), the Tripel (you guessed it…triple the ABV), and the Quadrupel. There are some people who say those names are because there’s three times the hops, or three times the aging, or whatever. It’s not. It is simply a naming convention the monks came up with. It is, however, a good indicator of the color of the beer.
Oud Kriek Beersel is a traditional Belgian Lambic beer, made with sour cherries and wild yeast. It’s classic, unique, and yummy – and one of the best beers to drink in Belgium!
Lambic Beer: Traditional Belgian Fruit Beer
Lambics by definition have to come from Belgium. Think champagne to France. Lambics use spontaneous fermentation. Essentially what that means is they’re fermented in open air vats. And I mean open air! The brewery throws open their windows and doors and lets nature do her thing. Even when they’re in the barrels, they cut a big hole at the top and leave the windows open. The result is a sour and earthy taste with a bit of skunky smell, but compex notes. Breweries will also make Kriek or Framboise Lambics by throwing cherries or raspberries (respectively) into the barrels. Depending on the quality of maker, this can be anything from a slight fruity sourness to basically cough syrup (if they add syrup to punch up the fruit flavor). If anyone has had Lindeman’s Kriek or Framboise, you know what I mean about the beers being pretty much juice.
Westvleteren is the most famous Trappist beer in the world. It’s also been ranked as the best beer in the world for decades! It’s unlabeled and super difficult to get unless you’re in Belgium. Oh, and it’s INSANELY delicious.
How to Drink Belgian Beer in Belgium
Belgium takes its beer very seriously. There is actually a 9-step pouring process, called The Belgian Pouring Ritual, that occurs from the moment you order your desired beer until the moment it is placed in front of you. The least you can do, after all that, is to drink your beer properly. And that’s not the easiest task: just about everything you’ve ever learned about drinking beer is wrong when it comes to Belgian beers. Here are some guidelines for how to drink Belgian beer in Belgium without making yourself look like an idiot.
First of all, a well-poured Belgian beer is all about the head: a good pour has a solid 2 fingers of foam on top. This protects the beer from the air and keeps it from going flat and stale. If you don’t want a beer with a foamy head, you’re probably in the wrong country. Have you tried wine? France is nearby…
At some point in my life, I was told beer is always better from the tap. That is not the case with Belgian beers. Belgian beers (Lambics and wheats especially) utilize on the beer in its entirety for the best and most complex flavor. As such, they are unfiltered when they’re in the bottle. Draft beers get slightly filtered, so you sacrifice taste. Many Belgian beers are actually still fermenting in the bottle, and are greatly improved from a bit of shelf life in a cool dark place (it also makes them EXTRA bubbly!) And don’t forget that tap rooms don’t clean the pipes as often as they should, and stuff gets built up in them, ruining your appetite and the taste of your beer. Gross! What this means is that most Belgian beers are best served from the bottle. There are a few notable exceptions to this rule, and any good bar in Belgium will know what those exceptions are.
The other startling difference between the beer you’re used to and the proper way to drink Belgian beer is the temperature. You’re probably used to beers served cold. “Beer” and “Ice Cold” seem to go together like “cooler full of Coronas” and “some chick in a bikini on an island somewhere.” Throw that entire image away. You’re not on an island, you’re in freezing cold, probably raining Belgium, and that kind of marketing is for American schlubs. Good beer flavor is complex, and it’s actually best to enjoy a Belgian beer only slightly below room temperature. When in doubt, check the bottle: Belgian beer bottles contain specific temperature instructions.
Two Belgian beers at Halve Man Brewery, in Bruges, Belgium. The proper way to drink a Belgian beer is with from the bottle, with 2 fingers of foam, in the glass that matches with the beer. And of course, it’s always better to drink beer in Belgium itself.
What’s With the Belgian Beer Glasses?
One of the first things I noticed when I entered my first Belgian bar was the variety of glassware. Maybe you’ve noticed Hoegaarden has their hexagonal glass, or the Chimay chalice. Belgian breweries do this for a few reasons. The first is aeration; each Belgian beer has its own traditional glass shape that is supposed to best air out the beer as you sip it. Chalice shaped glasses are fairly popular for Trappist beers for this reason. There’s also a tradition associated with the correct Belgian beer glass. Lambics, for instance, traditionally use a range of champagne flute to wine glass shaped glasses.
Finally, and most interestingly, it is for advertisement. Outside of the usual signage at a bar, you won’t see Belgian beers advertised on billboards like you do in the USA. Belgian beers are seen on the glasses they’re being drunk from. Two of the best examples we saw were Corne and Kwak beer. Corne is served in a big glass horn (the rhyming is cute). Kwak beer, on the other hand, is served in a super weird almost chemistry lab looking glass. Turns out, the Kwak beer glass was invented so that the brewer could drive his carriage drunk without spilling his beer. Oh, Belgium.
With both Corne and Kwak beer, the glasses are served in a big wooden frame so they can be set down easily. So imagine you walk into a bar and you see someone drinking out of a horn attached to a giant wooden structure. Are you NOT going to want to have what they’re having? (I wanted to make a “When Harry Met Sally” joke here but gave up.)
Drinking a tasty Belgian beer with cheese and bread. Not in a Belgian bar, mind you, this is actually in a Belgian beer store. Awesome, right?
Where to Drink Beer in Belgium
We went to so many bars in Belgium, plus a few breweries and beer shops. We unfortunately didn’t get to travel to Ghent, but we did make it to Antwerp and Brugges. After 2 weeks of drinking a lot of beer in Belgium feverish researching, here are our top picks for where to drink beer in Belgium!
Where to Drink Beer in Bruges
- Cambrinus: A cozy Belgian pub located slightly off of the Markt. They have an impressive beer list and serve classic Belgian food. Can’t decide? They have a few styles of beer flight.
- Website: Link | Address: Philipstockstraat 19, 8000 Bruges
- De Haalve Mann Brewery: This is home to Straffe Hendik and Brugse Zot beers. Take the tour and find out all about one of the most popular beers in Belgium. Then finish it off with a beer and Flemish stew in the Brasserie.
- Website: Link | Address: Walplein 26, 8000 Bruges
Where to Drink Beer in Antwerp
- Billie’s Bier Kafétaria: My biggest regret in
lifeBelgium is that we only went here once. First of all, the bar is apparently owned by a French Bulldog, which is a huge selling point for me. Secondly, we had three of our favorite beers here – and all we did was ask our waitress to randomly pick a flight for us. Thirdly, we enjoyed one of the best meals we have had in ALL of Europe at Billie’s Bier Kafétaria. Belgian Food Tip: Get the meatball and cherry casserole and the Flemish Stew. Just do it, you’ll thank us later.
- Cafe Kulminator: “I’d like a (insert obscure beer) from (whatever year you want).” They’ll have it. The owner has a stockpile of beers from all over time and space down in the basement. So if the Bible thick beer list isn’t enough for you, try getting weird with it.
- Beer Advocate: Link | Address: Vleminckveld 32, 2000 Antwerpen
Where to Drink Beer in Brussels
- Toone: Interesting historical fact about Brussels: long ago, some insecure king forbade theater during his reign because actors used it to criticize him. “But think of the children!” “Okay fine, the kids can have puppet theater!” So puppet theaters became the new political forum in Brussels. Toone is the last remaining active puppet theater, and they serve up some great beers. You don’t have to go here just for shows, either. This is where you can find a cheap(ish) glass of Westvleteren…more on that later.
- Website: Link | Address: Rue du Marché aux Herbes 66, 1000 Brussels
- Au Bon Vieux Temps: The oldest bar in Brussels, complete with chandeliers, stained glass windows, ancient wood benches, and a crowd of locals. But hey, if it’s packed with locals, you know it’s worth a visit. It looks like you have to risk your life to enter, because it’s down a sketchy alley, but fear not, a lot of Brussels bars are like this. In fact, the sketchier the alley, the better the bar: this was another way that Brussels historically hid their drinking from the lame, restrictive monarchies.
- Beer Advocate: Link | Address: Impasse Saint-Nicolas 4, 1000 Brussels
- Delirium Cafe: This is another incredibly packed house, but it’s mostly due to tourists. This is where that group of pink elephants you’ve seen at bars come from. They boast a beer list of almost 3000 beers. Upstairs is the taproom. Outside is one of the 3 peeing statues in Brussels (er, the slightly less famous female one).
- Website: Link | Address: Impasse de la Fidélité 4, 1000 Brussels
- Moedic Lambic: A casual, modern bar that offers a ton of Lambic options at great prices. Unlike the cozy historic bars in Brussels, Moedic Lambic has plenty of space and seating. Come with your Brussels Card and get a free plate of charcuterie with the purchase of two beers!
- Website: Link | Address: 68 rue de Savoie 1060 and also 8 place Fontainas 1000 Brussels
- Der Biertemple: This isn’t a bar, it’s a beer market. And calling it a temple is right. Holy crap, this store is STOCKED. This is your one stop shop to grab all of those beers you loved and wanted to take home. And guess what? You get a 25% discount with a Brussels Card! Note: there is also a location in Bruges.
- Website: Link | Address: Grasmarkt 56b, 1000 Brussels
You can find some more helpful suggestions for where to drink beer in Brussels at The Ale in Kaleigh!
Drinking a delicious Kriek Lambic beer off of a Trappistes Rochefort tray. 2 famous Belgian Beers at once!
The Best Belgian Beers to Drink in Belgium
There are over 3000 kind of Belgian beers, spread out over 200 breweries. We drank only 17 of them. This was not for lack of trying. There are just so many. Here are our top 5 picks: the 5 best Belgian beers we strongly encourage you to drink in Belgium.
-
Westvleteren 12
This unlabeled Trappist Quadrupel beer is a legend in the beer world. It has been rated as the best beer in the world since 1996! (RateBeer page here.) To get your hands on a Westvleteren, you need to pay big OR make a reservation at the monastery months in advance and get either two cases or none (read more at the Westvleteren website). We chose the easier option. And you know what? It absolutely deserves the hype! It’s a dark beer that smells like fig and raisins. It tastes like wine soaked figs, wood, and earthy yeast, with a marshmallow finish. And you don’t have to be well versed in tasting to enjoy its complex flavors: it’s bold! The very last sip I could have sworn tasted like bourbon. You’ll usually find Westvletern for around 20 Euro in Brussels, but it’s only 12 at Toone. We also found a bottle for 14 euro at Der Bier Temple, and minus the 25% discount you’ll get with your Brussels Card, it’s a bargain. Make sure to buy the unlabeled bottle with the YELLOW cap.
-
Rodenbach Vintage 2014
An absolutely heavenly sour beer. This one was so good we went on a hunt to find it again! If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were drinking Kombucha. Tastes like fruit, vinegar, and honey.
-
Kasteel Rouge
This is a fruit beer, but it’s not a Lambic. Its smell and taste are the same: sour cherries up front then a cinnamon and spice finish. Not too sweet but definitely a fruit beer.
-
Straff Hendrik Tripel
This is a Tripel that drinks like a Dubbel. It quickly became my standard for how Tripels were supposed to be. It has the hop and malt taste you’d expect with some nice notes of pear, honey, and spice.
-
Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Lambic
This is THE Lambic to have, if you were only to have one. It’s not too sour, but it isn’t sweet either. It has had no added sugar added so the sweetness is from the cherries, which are native to Belgium. Smells of cherry, vinegar, and oak. Taste is fairly similar, but less vinegar. If you want a true Kriek Lambic, this is it.
Here are even more Belgian beers we drank in Belgium. Some were hits, a few weren’t our personal favorite. But hey, if you’re in Belgium, why not drink everything you can? After all, everyone has different preferences!
- Gouden Carolus Tripel – 9% ABV; Bitter side of Tripel; Really enjoyed this one.
- Val-Dieu Tripel – 9% ABV; Tastes much lighter and spicier than most Tripels
- Brugse Zot Blonde – 4% ABV; Our lightest option for a trappist; smooth and not too sweet
- Brugse Zot Dubbel – 7.5% ABV; More body than it’s blonde counterpart, but still smooth
- Delirium Noel (Christmas Ale) – 10% ABV; The most forgettable one we tried honestly; lacked any of that spiciness you expect from holiday beers. Plus you can probably find it outside of Belgium.
- Tripel d’Anvers – 8% ABV; Very light for a Tripel; On the sweet side.
- Avec Les Bon Veux – 9.5% ABV; Very light and sour.
- Monk’s Stout DuPont – 5.2% ABV; Typical chocolate and coffee stout taste, but lacks the strength associated with Belgian beers; Good option for the less adventurous & those with lower tolerances.
- Lindeman’s Kriek – 2.5% ABV; We stepped away from cherry and tried the raspberry Lambic. This one is mass produced and artificially sweetened and tasted more like cough syrup than beer.
- Cantillon Kriek – 5% ABV; Another cherry Lambic done without sugar added; Very strong, funky vinegar and cherry taste, but as we drank on, the cherry overpowered the vinegar and it got easier to drink. It’s an acquired taste for sure, but Cantillon is one of the greats for Lambic.
- Cantillon Lambic – 5% ABV; Similar to its Kriek counterpart, this is a really funky vinegary beer, but this time with notes of citrus peel. This one also calmed down after some time.
Picturesque Bruges, Belgium is a fantastic medieval town that isn’t to be missed when visiting Belgium.
Why Drink Belgian Beer in Belgium?
Belgian Beer just tastes better in Belgium. First of all, you’re going to get better beer in general – the selection of excellent beer in Belgium cannot be beat and is difficult to find elsewhere in the country. Secondly, you’ll be treated to the Belgian beer pouring method which we talked about earlier: the way of pouring the beer, the foam, the temperature, and even the glass it’s served in all make your beer drinking experiencing better when visiting Belgium. Even Lia (who straight up does not like beer) still daydreams about some of the great beers we drank there. But it isn’t just the beer we fell in love with in Belgium!
As all of our readers probably know, Lia and I often base our trips around the food and drink. Before the trip, most of what I knew about Belgium was that they were famous for chocolate, beer, fries, and waffles, and one of my favorite movies, In Bruges, takes place there. Oh, and something about a statue of a peeing boy? But Belgium has quickly become one of my favorite countries in our entire time abroad. The food is truly fantastic, and not just the well-known food, either. We also added Flemish Stew and Speculoos to our favorite foods list thanks to Belgium. Even if amazing food, chocolate, and beer can’t convince you to visit Belgium (but like … why not?) the country has plenty of other allure. From charming medieval towns, fascinating history, a plethora of cultural influences (4 languages, y’all. 4!!), incredibly kind and well-humored people, and gorgeous architecture in every style imaginable, Belgium is chock full of fantastic experiences to offer travelers. Don’t skip out on visiting Belgium the next time you’re traveling in Europe!
FOLLOW US!
Did this post make you want a glass of Belgian beer? Save it for later on Pinterest! (For full sized images, please click the Pin It button on the share menu!)
Disclaimer: We recieved complimentary Brussels Cards thanks to the Visit Brussels tourism office. All opinions and recommendations are entirely our own.
Get the FREE Travel Planning Guide
Need some help planning your next adventure? Subscribe and we'll send you our FREE 22-page Travel Planning Guide. The guide includes everything from the hacks we use to save money on travel to 3 printable packing lists. We'll also send our favorite travel tips straight to your inbox!
![[SAN FRANCISCO] The Gold Rush. The Summer of Love. Silicon Valley. San Francisco is a chameleon city: every few decades it changes, morphing into whatever the next Big Thing is and attracting idealists, inventors, and forward-thinkers. It's a city of beauty, joy, art, and innovation.
.
The story of San Francisco is written up and down its steep, winding streets. You'll feel the history of San Francisco as you're climbing Coit Tower for sweeping views of Alcatraz and the Bay, or taking Golden Gate Bridge selfies at Baker Beach (just watch out for nude photo-bombers in the background). You'll feel it as you're warming up with a steaming bread bowl full of clam chowder at Fisherman's Wharf, or kickin' it with the hippies in Haight-Ashbury who came in 1969 and never left. Reading beat poetry in Jack Kerouac Alley. Enjoying a sweet, soft coconut bun from a tiny bakery in Chinatown. Admiring the beautiful, powerful street art in the Mission district. Celebrating marriage and gender equality in the Castro. Trying to figure out if that's Mark Zuckerberg or just some other techie dude in a Facebook hoodie in the Financial District (I guess that's not history... yet). Each neighborhood in the city tells its own story.
.
San Francisco also has its problems: rampant homelessness. Gentrification. Diminishing diversity. Corporate interests pushing the city forward without enough consideration of its long-term residents. Insane rent prices.
.
It is a city that reflects America's extremes: you can feel the divide between the wealthy, zipping around on hoverboards or private cars and ordering everything from dinner to housekeeping on their smartphones; and those who are struggling to make ends meet - or struggling to survive on the streets.
.
Although we live in Oakland, we have a lot of love for San Francisco and its complex past & present. You should visit and decide what you think of it yourself! We've got a post about where to stay when you visit, built on Jeremy's decade of experience as a local and a mindful approach to San Francisco's many complexities - link in bio.
.
What do you associate with San Francisco? Have you ever been? Drop us a comment below!](http://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/8a9baaae44a32f2d3eeab63cfe008980/5DDFA537/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.135.1080.1080a/s640x640/67936545_442033469734625_6728412070039651574_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com "[SAN FRANCISCO] The Gold Rush. The Summer of Love. Silicon Valley. San Francisco is a chameleon city: every few decades it changes, morphing into whatever the next Big Thing is and attracting idealists, inventors, and forward-thinkers. It's a city of beauty, joy, art, and innovation.
.
The story of San Francisco is written up and down its steep, winding streets. You'll feel the history of San Francisco as you're climbing Coit Tower for sweeping views of Alcatraz and the Bay, or taking Golden Gate Bridge selfies at Baker Beach (just watch out for nude photo-bombers in the background). You'll feel it as you're warming up with a steaming bread bowl full of clam chowder at Fisherman's Wharf, or kickin' it with the hippies in Haight-Ashbury who came in 1969 and never left. Reading beat poetry in Jack Kerouac Alley. Enjoying a sweet, soft coconut bun from a tiny bakery in Chinatown. Admiring the beautiful, powerful street art in the Mission district. Celebrating marriage and gender equality in the Castro. Trying to figure out if that's Mark Zuckerberg or just some other techie dude in a Facebook hoodie in the Financial District (I guess that's not history... yet). Each neighborhood in the city tells its own story.
.
San Francisco also has its problems: rampant homelessness. Gentrification. Diminishing diversity. Corporate interests pushing the city forward without enough consideration of its long-term residents. Insane rent prices.
.
It is a city that reflects America's extremes: you can feel the divide between the wealthy, zipping around on hoverboards or private cars and ordering everything from dinner to housekeeping on their smartphones; and those who are struggling to make ends meet - or struggling to survive on the streets.
.
Although we live in Oakland, we have a lot of love for San Francisco and its complex past & present. You should visit and decide what you think of it yourself! We've got a post about where to stay when you visit, built on Jeremy's decade of experience as a local and a mindful approach to San Francisco's many complexities - link in bio.
.
What do you associate with San Francisco? Have you ever been? Drop us a comment below!")
![[BEACH PEOPLE] Some people are born to be on the beach. All year long, they dream about dipping their toes in bright blue water and frolicking on soft white sand, and they return from their beach vacation with sun-kissed skin, positively glowing with beachy bliss.
.
I envy those people.
.
While they’re happily soaking up the sun, I’m busy being burned to a crisp, accidentally inhaling mouthfuls of sand, swallowing saltwater, freaking out because I saw one single jellyfish, yanking tangles out of my hair, and trying to get sand un-stuck from places that sand should never, ever be.
.
I am truly the least graceful person who has ever been on a beach. And it doesn’t help that finding a decent swimsuit as a size 16, almost 6-foot tall Amazonian woman is an exercise in torture and frustration (what is this, a bikini bottom for ANTS?!). Honestly, somehow I find it easier to pack for a trip to the literal Arctic Tundra than a day at the beach.
.
Which is why I began my 3 days of beachy bliss in the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama by complaining. It was hot. It was sticky. There was sand EVERYWHERE. There weren't enough hammocks. There was too much sun. There were crabs (aka giant armored spiders) leaping around doing little crab waltzes or whatever. There was only electricity for an hour or so a day. There was no WiFi at all. I was convinced that this was hell.
.
Clearly, it was not hell. But it took me a bit to adjust to being constantly covered in sunscreen and saltwater. By the end of our 3rd day in San Blas, I was in full relaxation mode: I hadn't worn shoes in 3 days, my hair was in goddess-mode, and I'd sent off at least 53 emails via my crappy Panamanian SIM card that said "I'm on an island with no electricity or WiFi, so I'll have to get back to you later." I was officially in Island Mode, and for one glorious, shining moment, I finally understood Beach People. (I will never be able to accept crabs, though. Crabs are horrifying.)
.
Are you Beach People or would you prefer to cozy up to the fireplace in a mountain lodge with me?](http://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/5d9a4e126269bdfe72039acf23933817/5DE2F442/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.135.1080.1080a/s640x640/65644919_2534245056640344_7143638401448131207_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com "[BEACH PEOPLE] Some people are born to be on the beach. All year long, they dream about dipping their toes in bright blue water and frolicking on soft white sand, and they return from their beach vacation with sun-kissed skin, positively glowing with beachy bliss.
.
I envy those people.
.
While they’re happily soaking up the sun, I’m busy being burned to a crisp, accidentally inhaling mouthfuls of sand, swallowing saltwater, freaking out because I saw one single jellyfish, yanking tangles out of my hair, and trying to get sand un-stuck from places that sand should never, ever be.
.
I am truly the least graceful person who has ever been on a beach. And it doesn’t help that finding a decent swimsuit as a size 16, almost 6-foot tall Amazonian woman is an exercise in torture and frustration (what is this, a bikini bottom for ANTS?!). Honestly, somehow I find it easier to pack for a trip to the literal Arctic Tundra than a day at the beach.
.
Which is why I began my 3 days of beachy bliss in the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama by complaining. It was hot. It was sticky. There was sand EVERYWHERE. There weren't enough hammocks. There was too much sun. There were crabs (aka giant armored spiders) leaping around doing little crab waltzes or whatever. There was only electricity for an hour or so a day. There was no WiFi at all. I was convinced that this was hell.
.
Clearly, it was not hell. But it took me a bit to adjust to being constantly covered in sunscreen and saltwater. By the end of our 3rd day in San Blas, I was in full relaxation mode: I hadn't worn shoes in 3 days, my hair was in goddess-mode, and I'd sent off at least 53 emails via my crappy Panamanian SIM card that said \"I'm on an island with no electricity or WiFi, so I'll have to get back to you later.\" I was officially in Island Mode, and for one glorious, shining moment, I finally understood Beach People. (I will never be able to accept crabs, though. Crabs are horrifying.)
.
Are you Beach People or would you prefer to cozy up to the fireplace in a mountain lodge with me?")
![#ad [Trigger Warning: Eating Disorder] It took me a long time and a lot of hard work to love my body. Before my body and I loved each other, we were at war. I denied my body food. I mutilated my beautiful skin. And I attacked my own mind, verbally abusing myself from within in a torrent of vitriol, hate, and anger.
.
In turn, my body rebelled. It ceased all non-vital functions, like growing my hair and nails, or menstruating. It denied me control of my own emotions, debilitating me with unpredictable fits of panic and terror. It focused my mind so intently on food that I had difficulty concentrating on anything else. And when the battle was at its worst, when I had denied my body even a single bite of food for over a week, my body retaliated by shutting down the functions of my heart.
.
I was only 16 years old when my heart rate plummeted to 30 beats per minute. A doctor told me to start eating again, or I would die. I was dangerously underweight. But I made the decision to live.
.
I don't talk too much about my ED because it makes me so incredibly sad. Because today, my body and I have a beautiful relationship. I worship my body, and it loves me right back. I treat my body with respect and it repays me with strength, endurance, and resilience. Together, we are an incredible team, capable of achieving any challenges or goals we dream up. And it makes me so sad to think back to the time when we weren't.
.
But it's important for me to talk about it, openly and publicly, because I know some of y'all out there are struggling too. And I want to let you know that it's OK, I've been there - and it doesn't always have to be this way.
.
No matter where you are in your journey to self-love, I want to challenge you to make peace with your body today. If you two are at war, call a truce. If you are reconciling, show yourself a little extra love today. One thing that helped me immensely during my recovery was to look at beautiful, positive images of women whose bodies looked like mine. So today, I'm following body-positive Instagrammers (got any faves?) and browsing @CaciqueIntimates!
.
Tell me what you'll be doing to make peace with your body today!
.
#FortheLoveofCurves](http://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/e447022c2d01bd83a732a7bc2cc5270f/5DE4AEC0/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.134.1080.1080/s640x640/67688744_1118377025017476_7306756110191464725_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com "#ad [Trigger Warning: Eating Disorder] It took me a long time and a lot of hard work to love my body. Before my body and I loved each other, we were at war. I denied my body food. I mutilated my beautiful skin. And I attacked my own mind, verbally abusing myself from within in a torrent of vitriol, hate, and anger.
.
In turn, my body rebelled. It ceased all non-vital functions, like growing my hair and nails, or menstruating. It denied me control of my own emotions, debilitating me with unpredictable fits of panic and terror. It focused my mind so intently on food that I had difficulty concentrating on anything else. And when the battle was at its worst, when I had denied my body even a single bite of food for over a week, my body retaliated by shutting down the functions of my heart.
.
I was only 16 years old when my heart rate plummeted to 30 beats per minute. A doctor told me to start eating again, or I would die. I was dangerously underweight. But I made the decision to live.
.
I don't talk too much about my ED because it makes me so incredibly sad. Because today, my body and I have a beautiful relationship. I worship my body, and it loves me right back. I treat my body with respect and it repays me with strength, endurance, and resilience. Together, we are an incredible team, capable of achieving any challenges or goals we dream up. And it makes me so sad to think back to the time when we weren't.
.
But it's important for me to talk about it, openly and publicly, because I know some of y'all out there are struggling too. And I want to let you know that it's OK, I've been there - and it doesn't always have to be this way.
.
No matter where you are in your journey to self-love, I want to challenge you to make peace with your body today. If you two are at war, call a truce. If you are reconciling, show yourself a little extra love today. One thing that helped me immensely during my recovery was to look at beautiful, positive images of women whose bodies looked like mine. So today, I'm following body-positive Instagrammers (got any faves?) and browsing @CaciqueIntimates!
.
Tell me what you'll be doing to make peace with your body today!
.
#FortheLoveofCurves")
![[FLASHBACK] We landed in Cartagena, Colombia for the first time ever on July 11th, 2016. The day before, we packed up what was left of of our belongings, said a tearful goodbye to our neighborhood cat friend Jasper, and boarded a plane to Cartagena, with no idea what to expect from the next year of travel.
.
When we stepped onto the tarmac the Cartagena heat smacked us full on in the face. We were ill prepared for it. We were also ill prepared for the water we couldn't drink, the food we weren't quite sure how to order, the language we were struggling to speak, the culture that felt so unfamiliar to us, and the utter overwhelm of changing everything about our lives and giving up the comforts of a home we'd made for ourselves just to chase a crazy dream I'd been holding onto for a few years.
.
We spent that first night in Cartagena cuddled up in one uncomfortable bed in our hostel dorm, crying. (We also tearfully sent an email to our cat friend's owners to ask if we could Skype with Jasper. They did not respond.)
.
This trip, our 3rd visit back to Cartagena, felt like a world apart from that first miserable night. We were joined by a group of 16 high school students and 3 of Jeremy's amazing co-educators on our @take_flyte_org trip. We brought the group to dinner at our favorite local restaurant (La Casa de Socorro) and insisted they order our favorite dish (seafood soup). As we explored Cartagena together we pointed out murals on the walls that had changed over the years, new developments being built, restaurants we loved, our favorite picturesque alleys in Getsemani, even the hostel dog we'd played with at that very first hostel so many years ago (he didn't remember us). We greeted Cartagena like an old friend and lovingly introduced her to Jeremy's students.
.
3 years ago, we were afraid that we'd ruined our lives by quitting our jobs and giving up perfectly good lives to seek out adventure on a whim. Little did we know that our paths - both personal and professional - would take us back to Cartagena again and again. Cartagena is our lucky city!
.
Have you returned to a place years later? How had you & the place you visited changed? Drop us a comment!](http://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/8510a401e0dde9bef0f0dc8efd38f7bd/5DE32002/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.135.1080.1080a/s640x640/66217194_2311686425735958_7775172171184034345_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com "[FLASHBACK] We landed in Cartagena, Colombia for the first time ever on July 11th, 2016. The day before, we packed up what was left of of our belongings, said a tearful goodbye to our neighborhood cat friend Jasper, and boarded a plane to Cartagena, with no idea what to expect from the next year of travel.
.
When we stepped onto the tarmac the Cartagena heat smacked us full on in the face. We were ill prepared for it. We were also ill prepared for the water we couldn't drink, the food we weren't quite sure how to order, the language we were struggling to speak, the culture that felt so unfamiliar to us, and the utter overwhelm of changing everything about our lives and giving up the comforts of a home we'd made for ourselves just to chase a crazy dream I'd been holding onto for a few years.
.
We spent that first night in Cartagena cuddled up in one uncomfortable bed in our hostel dorm, crying. (We also tearfully sent an email to our cat friend's owners to ask if we could Skype with Jasper. They did not respond.)
.
This trip, our 3rd visit back to Cartagena, felt like a world apart from that first miserable night. We were joined by a group of 16 high school students and 3 of Jeremy's amazing co-educators on our @take_flyte_org trip. We brought the group to dinner at our favorite local restaurant (La Casa de Socorro) and insisted they order our favorite dish (seafood soup). As we explored Cartagena together we pointed out murals on the walls that had changed over the years, new developments being built, restaurants we loved, our favorite picturesque alleys in Getsemani, even the hostel dog we'd played with at that very first hostel so many years ago (he didn't remember us). We greeted Cartagena like an old friend and lovingly introduced her to Jeremy's students.
.
3 years ago, we were afraid that we'd ruined our lives by quitting our jobs and giving up perfectly good lives to seek out adventure on a whim. Little did we know that our paths - both personal and professional - would take us back to Cartagena again and again. Cartagena is our lucky city!
.
Have you returned to a place years later? How had you & the place you visited changed? Drop us a comment!")
This guide is really a necessity when it comes to Belgium! I am not much of a beer drinker but when it comes to traveling to new countries, I make some exceptions. Your pictures even make it look delicious lol Thanks for sharing!
Honestly I never choose to go out to a bar or drink much at all when I’m at home, but as soon as I’m abroad I’m all about trying whatever is the local specialty and visiting a brewery or distillery lol. I’m a total booze tourist!
I had my first beer tasting experience in Belgium. The variety is so amazing!
I don’t like beer, except for Belgian Beer!! Gouden carolus is my FAVORITE! I am pinning this!
I’m really not much of a beer fan but Belgian beers are unlike any I’ve tried before! They’re SO good. Thanks for the share 🙂
A fabulous post! I can see that a lot of beer drinking, I mean research went into this
I’m definitely going to drink a lot of Belgian beer the next time I visit!
*ahem* lots of research, yes, very difficult, etc. 😛
Great post, Belgium has some very interesting beer – I’d definitely recommend a visit to the Cantillon Brewery in Brussels too, it’s a great way to learn about the history of it too.
Good call! We had planned to visit Cantillon but didn’t make it. We’ve heard it’s one of the best Lambics in Belgium. Perhaps we should add it to the post.
I absolutely LOVED my beer experience in Bruges! Great suggestion on the brewery. I’d also recommend Staminee De Garre, an awesome bar hidden away from the main square…so good and so authentic!
Thanks so much for the suggestion! We’re definitely planning to return to Bruges so we will make sure to check it out.
So, so glad I found this post and your blog! Will definitely use it for my upcoming trip to Belgium in March. 🙂
Yesss have fun on your trip! If you drink nothing else, make sure to drink a Westvleteren while you’re there!!
Update: I DID drink a Westvleteren, and it tasted like wine to me! I just re-read your guide, and I understand it SO much better after visiting Belgium 😉 But you definitely prepared me well, my Beer Yoda! xx
Hahah yayyy! We mailed one to a friend of ours in the States and got to share it with him last week, which was rad. Except he kept trying to insist that it should be drunk cold … and none of the flavors came out until it was lukewarm! But yumm, all that marshmallow-fig-soaked-bourbon-raisin flavor. Mmmmm. I’m so glad you got to experience it!
Fun read but a few comments from a Belgian: It’s Brugge (in Dutch) or Bruges (in English), Brugges doesn’t exist. Also why would you call Ghent ‘the Vegas of Belgium’? Like really why? what’s the reasoning behind this? I find it very insulting to such a beautiful city, Vegas implies show, fakeness and everything over the top, why on earth would you make this comparison with a city like Ghent?
Hi Katrijn! We haven’t visited Ghent, so we were going off a description by a few locals. I’m sorry if describing it as Vegas is offensive 🙁 lots of people like Vegas (although we’re kinda with you – it’s not our fave place). I’ll be sure to add a note clarifying that this isn’t our own opinion!
Also another question: how can you make a list of best Belgian Beers if you haven’t tried them all or at least some of more different cities?
I definitely hope one day to try more Belgian beers! We tried a LOT of beers during our 2 weeks travelling through Brussels, Antwerp, and Bruges, and these were the ones that topped our list. We went on a couple different beer tours, drank flights created for us by bartenders, and generally relied on local tips and suggestions since we had no prior knowledge about Belgian beers before we visited Belgium! I’m not sure it’s possible to try ALL Belgian beers (although, what a fun goal to set, eh?) but we certainly did our best to experience as many as we could.
Loved your expertise on this subject! Belgian beer has always been a favorite of mine, but they have so many varieties! Thanks for breaking it all down for me!
Hi!
I love this article! It changed my perspective about Belgian Beer.
Could you please elaborate on the 9 Step Pouring Process? I could only find 4 things about it:
– The 2 finger head
– The pour from a bottle
– Slightly below room temperature
– A particular glass
I couldn’t find the remaining steps (5 steps). Any chance you could tell us about those? 🙂
Here’s a great breakdown: https://www.dailystarph.com/9-steps-to-belgian-beer-bliss/
And here’s a video of the process made by Stella Artois: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kOSAaTeG1c
Thank you so much for this! I cannot wait for my trip to Belgium this June!
OMG, have a blast, Anna!
A truly excellent guide, tried the Straffe Hendric at the Half Moon brewery in Bruges, a truly superlative beer, was intrigued that the Zot Bruges beer was available in 2x strengths at the time of writing (4% & 7.5%) as when I visited the brewery last month (June, 2019) it had changed to (0.4% & 6%) the former being Sport Zot, there new low alcohol beer, that doesn’t give me a headache like a lot of low alcohol beers as the alcohol is removed by the more expensive membrane method (which is only done at 3x sites in Europe). Next on my list of beers to try is Saison beers, a rustic farmhouse style that is defined by a yeasty taste, but all inspired by reading this guide.