While I liberally sampled many beers to kick off my European trip last year in Amsterdam, it was in Antwerp that the real beer tastings started. As a beer nerd, I had long wanted to do a deep dive sort of trip in Belgium to learn about and appreciate one of the best and richest beer culture countries. Antwerp was a literal and metaphorical gateway. Arriving there from Amsterdam on a Thursday afternoon there was only one thing on my mind… a visit to maybe the most unique beer bar I have experienced…. and visiting it wasn’t a guarantee.

Kulminator in the centre of Antwerp is a quirky place. I was met at an obscure door that doesn’t reveal what is inside by an older gentleman who asks what your purpose is. If he doesn’t like the look of you or you answer incorrectly, he’ll simply shut the door in your face. I arrived, and in my best French said I was from Canada and I wanted to (and this is *very* important) “taste” some exceptional beer. In this bar, you don’t drink beer, you “taste” it. The gentleman nodded and motioned for me to come inside and that started a beautiful, sensual beer tasting experience. I looked over a large binder of all of their cellared beers and made my selection. The gentleman’s wife poured me a gorgeous Rocherfort 8 from 2014. It tasted of chocolate, candied fruit, spice and everything nice. I was in heaven.

I savoured that beer. Time slowed down. I could feel my heart beat, steady in my chest and everything relaxed. I was in the middle of a special experience and was completely in the moment enjoying every last sip of that beer.

When it was time to move on to beer number two I chose a very different beer – a Cantillon sour cherry lambic that had been cellared since 2010. This beer was spectacular – still so full of fruit flavour but with a rounded and softer profile from the aging. It was glorious and again I savoured this beer. Slowly and consciously enjoying every single sip as I looked out over the bar that looked like it was someone’s very cramped and slightly hoarder-like living room.

After leaving Kulminator on a beer high I made my way to Billie’s Bier Kafetaria, a place with a deep beer list. On arrival I had an unexpected and joyous surprise – they had a beer I was most hoping to try on my trip – Westvleteren 12, widely considered to be one of the very best beers in the entire world.

This Belgian quad clocks in at 10.2% alcohol and it was spectacular. Sitting outside on a patio I dug into this beer and loved the flavours of raisin, chocolate and nuts. Boozy and smooth, it was my third beer of the day to savour and take time with. As I was enjoying this I was giddy now having tasted three exceptional beers in three different traditional Belgian styles in a row. This beer lived up to the hype and a few hours into Antwerp I had already had the beer experience I hoped to find in Belgium. I mean, look at my face… beer nerd nirvana!

After those boozy beers it was time for dinner on my first night in Antwerp. I headed into the historic centre with my mind set on Fish a’Gogo. I wanted a seafood feast and this restaurant does outstanding dishes from a tiny kitchen served in an informal style. My first course was traditional Belgian mussels and frites washed down with a local tripel style beer.

And my second course, squeezed in just before the restaurant ran out of food for the evening was this amazing razor clam dish. Beer and seafood; eating outdoors in stunning surroundings… my first day in Antwerp was a rousing success.

My time in Antwerp was not exclusively dedicated to beer. The historic centre of the city made for a few lovely spells of wandering aimlessly, something I enjoy when I am traveling solo like I was on this visit.

Some of that aimless walking led me to a piece of public art that melted my heart. Nello and Patrasche, two characters in a story about a young boy and his dog that was set in Antwerp was the inspiration for this piece of clever art. Here the characters are, under the covers of the bed using the tiles of a public square to have them warmly tucked in.

That same public square is where I enjoyed a couple of drinks and people watching over my stay. The Cathedral of Our Lady (De Kathedraal) sets an imposing and gorgeous backdrop which pairs nicely with any variety of Belgian ales in my personal opinion.

Other than beer, the other main reason I selected Antwerp was to attend a soccer match on this trip. And to prepare myself for that experience, I started my Sunday at Oud Arsenaal which was a convenient 4 blocks from the apartment I had rented. They opened at the perfectly respectable hour of 7:30am and I was on their patio shortly after for a couple of beverages and a lot of people watching of those on their way to church. Maybe my favourite thing other than these delicious beers was watching an older man and his old dog enjoy some time with friends on the other side of the patio. In our broken French we chatted briefly and I told him how much I loved how he and his dog were enjoying the morning.

A short tram ride took me out to the Bosuilstadion, the home of Royal Antwerp F.C. I love the early moments, shortly after the gates of a stadium open, to wander around and start soaking up the atmosphere.

After making my way around the stadium, buying a beer and finding my seat, I settled in for a fun afternoon of soccer. Antwerp F.C. started slowly allowing a goal to their opponent KAS Eupen out of scant possession. After that, the match swung heavily in the home team’s favour and this equalizer brought the sold-out stadium to life.

Antwerp went on to win 4-1 in front of a joyous crowd enjoying a perfect October afternoon and I loved this experience of being in the crowd along with lifelong supporters of the team. It was a fun slice of culture that I always try to experience when traveling in Europe.

Later that same evening, my last in Antwerp, I ended my visit the way I started it… with a delicious beer. This one was from the Netherlands on account of being in the mood for a tripel and it being the best selection from the perfect location of this neighbourhood bar on a square to watch a slow trickle of people walk by as the sun set. This was a lovely cap to a few days of great experiences in Antwerp.