The brewers from the Brussels Beer Project (BBP) have officially opened their second bar in Brussels after months of hints posted on the company's social media platform.
The new Ixelles venue, located on the corner of Rue du Bailli and Avenue Louise, was perhaps better known to many expats as the former location of the Irish pub Michael Collins. It will be officially open as of 1 July.
"We've been looking for years for a bigger spot in Brussels, but with more of a neighbourhood feel," Dimitri Van Roy, Geek-In-Chief at BBP, told The Brussels Times. "There was definitely some frustration from people when we opened a second bar in Paris before we opened one here, but we wanted to take time to find the right location."
The bar will have around thirty beers on tap and will offer wood oven pizzas made in house from leftover products from the brewing process. Beers offered will include those made by the brewery alongside a selection from other brewers from close to home and further afield.
"I think this new location will attract a good mix of people. We'll have a very wide range, catering to the people who drink their Delta IPA and the people who maybe want to try something a little more experimental," Van Roy added.
The new location also brings with it new clientele, with the bar announcing that it will continue to play some of the football matches Michael Collins was known for showing.
Thanks to the terrace, the bar should be well equipped for any changes to Belgium's coronavirus fighting rules, allowing terraces to reopen from 8 May. "This will be the biggest spot we have, with a good-sized terrace which we thought was important in the current situation," Van Roy added.
However, the new bar isn't the only task ahead of the brewery, which just started work on a new brewery in Anderlecht.
Once up and running, visitors will be able to take the tram 81 from out the front of the new bar to the new brewery location, which aims to start brewing within 2021.
Update: This story was brought forward in line with the bar opening on 1 July.
