Belgium Beer Weekend

There always seems to be something going on in The Grand Place, which is located in the City Centre. The first weekend in September the Market Place of Brussels served as the setting for the 14th Belgian Beer Weekend.  The Beer Weekend is put on by the Belgian Brewers' association and the "Mashstaff of the Knights".  

Many small, medium-sized and large Belgian breweries participate.  Belgium offers a unique range of beers having the most contrasting tastes and flavors.  Nowhere else in the world can you find a larger choice of regional, authentic and colorful beers.  This year, 51 breweries participated.

Not sure if you know, but in Belgium, beer is KING.  Each beer has its own glass.  The glasses are very important and it is imperative that you DO NOT put the wrong beer in a glass.  Put a Leffe Blond in a Duval glass....NEVER!  A curse on you...lol.

The system of the Beer Weekend is a strange one!  Of course, what isn't around here, really!  You must first stand in a VERY LONG LINE to purchase your "beer caps".  The beer caps are 1 Euro each.  The beers ranged in price from 3 Euro to 5 Euro.  You also had to purchase a yellow token.  The yellow token was your "deposit" for the glass that you received.  Before you went home you could turn your token back in for your 2 Euro deposit.  Still with me?  Anyway...the place was packed.  You were elbow to elbow with people.  When you wanted a beer you would go up to a booth, give them your yellow chip and pay for your beer with your bottle caps.  The problem with the system...you had to turn your darn glass back into the same booth you purchase your beer from.  You couldn't take it to the next booth and turn it in when you wanted to try that beer.  Uggghhhhh.....it was a pain!  Note to self:  If you return next year....BUY MORE YELLOW CHIPS!!!!

All in all, we had a fun time...some more than others!