Staminee De Garre (Bruges, Belgium)

First round and a small bowl of gouda cheese

8/15/12

Only spending a day in Bruges, we had a full schedule of sightseeing.  Being fans of In Bruges, we walked to the top of the tower and then did a canal boat ride.  Walking along the canal to the brewery, we tried but failed to make the tour at De Halve Maan; we still had a great time sampling their beers in their outdoor cafe.

My plan for the evening was to visit 't Brugs Beertje; however, I missed in my research that the bar is closed on Wednesdays, our only day in town.  Not knowing where to go, since the day was also a holiday, Assumption Day, we headed back to our room.  After some research on BeerAdvocate with the hotel WiFi, the desk clerk helped us make a call to confirm that Staminee de Garre was open.  With success finding a good beer bar, we headed back to the heart of Bruges.

A beautiful brick bar down an alley, hidden from the main road, we wiggled our way through the full bar, hawking a table near the bar.  The first round included the house tripel in their own glass, a bittersweet souvenir story in its own right.  Each draft comes with a small bowl of Gouda cheese.

In addition to a good draft list, the bottle selection is outstanding as well, and, more importantly, it was all served with exceptional detail and care.  They have an immense respect for beer.  The only drawback is that we should have eaten dinner beforehand since they didn't offer much besides appetizers.  However, sitting and chatting through great beers until we headed out into the dark to witness the fairy tale lighting of Bruges.