Brussels craft beer festival draws 6,000 visitors

The third edition of the BXLBeerFest, which came to a close on Sunday, drew 6,000 visitors, a 25% increase compared to the previous year.

Compared to other beer events, the BXLBeerFest stands out for its focus on independent breweries offering qualitative, artisanal beers. Held at Tour & Taxis, this edition of the two-day festival drew some 60 breweries from 10 countries, with half of them local breweries and the remaining mostly from European counties as well as the US and Canada. Visitors to the festival were able to sample 350 different beers.

Kevin Desmet, one of the BXLBeerFest organisers, told Bruzz that the festival’s foodpairing sessions with top chefs were among the festival’s highlights. “Our culinary sessions drew a lot of people, many of them weren’t beer lovers, so they maybe were less familiar with beer and the culinary combinations it allows for.”

With every new fest, the organisers try to ensure that visitors are exposed to new breweries and new craft beers. “Every year, we renew half of our line-up,” Desmet said. “The Belgian breweries tend to remain largely the same, but we look for new producers abroad. And we succeed in finding them every year; the offer continues to grow.”

Photo courtesy BXLBeerFest

Written by Linda A. Thompson