Good Beer Guide to Belgium and Holland: The Best Bars and All the Breweries

by Tim Webb

The ultimate travel guide for enthusiasts and those interested in learning more about these unique brewing cultures - whether or not they make the trip! This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1852491108
• ISBN13: 9781852491109
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Camra Books
• Length: 232 Pages

Customer Reviews

Best Guide to a Beer Paradise

For many reasons, the Benelux countries are absolutely unique in their variety and complexity of malt beverages. Not the least of these reasons is a demanding public that has supported traditional beers even in an age when small and quirky brewers face almost overwhleming pressure to brew bland beer or be acquired.Grab your copy of Webb's book then plan your travel to follow his recommendations. You will be challenged, thrilled, and probably moved by having savored what beer can be.

All You need to know about Belgian beers

This is The Book to buy if You ever plan on going to Belgium/have been to Belgium/like belgian beers/like beer at all etc...The book has a section on how to get there, how to act when You are there, how to get around etc. as well as some funny remarks about the differencies between Dutch and Belgians, and Belgians and Belgians(!).It also covers most pubs worth seeking out, although I'm eagerly awaiting the next edition with the latest additions.The most valuable part though, is the section with the beers. Tim Webb seem to have exactly the same preferences as I do, since the beers I had tried before and liked, received high ratings, and the beers I subsequently tried after reading this book has turned out to be absolutely wonderful. That is, the beers which received high ratings. ;-)All breweries and pubs covered in the book has full contact information enclosed. Something I have found very useful when trying to arrange visits/guided tours to different breweries.All in all, a damn good book!

An absolute must for traveling in the Benelux countries

I bought this shortly before a 6 day trip to Holland and Belgium, and it was perhaps the best travel-related purchase I ever made. The Guide is incredibly detailed about breweries and their individual beers, as well as brew pubs and beer cafes. Don't hesitated a second to patronize only the recommended beer cafes and pubs in the book, especially in the Netherlands - they have outstanding beers, rather than the typical Heineken-Amstel-Oranjeboom yellow beers. The only criticism I have of this book (and it is as minor as a criticism could be) is that the author gave ratings of 2 1/2 or 3 out of 5 to a number of beers I tried that were excellent and deserving a 4 or 5 star rating. If you enjoy fine beers, this book will pay for itself many times over in enjoyment and in avoiding less interesting brews. Buy it.

The Benelux beer "Red Book"

As a fancier of Belgian beers for only a few years I found this book delightful as a straight read or as a travel companion(which I believe it was meant to be). If you are a fan of Benelux beers or bars, this is an indispensible reference.

The lowdown on beer, breweries and bars in the Low Countries

Tim Webb bears more than a passing resemblance to motor racing driver Michael Schumacher. While he lacks "Schumi"'s arrogance - but not his self-belief - both are "driven" by the urge to win and both have visited Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Ardennes- but for quite differing reasons.Tim Webb's mission is to describe the world's fines ales and where to find them. He says, without a hint of modesty, that this book is the biggest and best guidebook in any language to these countries' beers. Having lived in Belgium eight years, I have to agree. (And, yes - I gave him some advice and went with him on several beer safaris.)The book lists more than 500 bars offering a range of beers: this may be 200 in a "temple of beer" in Flanders, or perhaps a "mere" 40 in Wallonia; choice is relative.The star rating system of bars has gone, but is retained in the improved breweries and beer section,which clearly explains the different styles ands gives examples of the best brews. The beers index is (thankfully) much-improved.Major improvements include details on hotel accommodation and local beer festivals, while the change in title reflects the inclusion of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. However, as he lists five breweries but only three bars, one can only say "Reports, please!"Webb's outspoken, racy style is in marked contrast to Michael Jackson's more patrician writings, but there is clearly room - and need - for both authors on any beer lover's bookshelves. He rightly highlights the burgeoning sales of Belgian beer in the UK, but is (for once) too modest to make the obvious connection with this excellent guide.Did you hear the one about the beer that tastes like "an industrial waste product" ... which beer is it? Go buy the book! (This review originally appeared in the October edition of "What's Brewing", newspaper of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA); reproduced with permission)