Moeder Lambic

Brussels, Belgium

Confident curators of taste in the capital of “Beer Paradise”

WHAT IT IS:

Brussels has an array of great cafés, but sometimes beer geeks pass through town, between trains, and have time for only one. Moeder Lambic is the one they choose. They arrive to find an ample terrace beneath a wrought-iron Art Deco awning. Inside is a long, modern space with simple wooden booths and a bar with forty shiny taps whose offerings are scrawled overhead in chalk. Behind the bar are an additional six cask hand-pulls, most dedicated to pumping authentic lambics; sparklers on the fonts add froth for presentation. Bottled beers are virtually all 75cl, carefully chosen, and meant for cellaring and eventually sharing.

WHY IT’S GREAT:

The staff knows its stuff and receives frequent training in the art of gentle education. Regular beers emphasize smaller Belgian breweries that make consistently characterful beers; local stars Cantillon and Senne get pride of place. Guest taps show the same choosiness but widen the map to feature Italy, Spain, Germany, and beyond. (U.S. beers are rare here because the staff can’t vouch for their freshness after the boat ride.) They are picky so that customers need not be. It is theoretically possible to order a bad beer here, but it’s difficult. It is even more difficult to leave—even when there’s a train to catch. —Joe Stange

Details Hours: 11 a.m.–2 a.m. Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.–1 a.m. Sunday–thursday Address: Place Fontainas 8, Brussels, Belgium Web: moederlambic.com