Latest reviews from Izegem

“I have been wanting to come here for years, the beers and ambiance were fantastic. Looking forward to coming back again.“

jprausch 667 days ago

“I've been wanting to visit this place for a while and finally made it there on a Sunday afternoon in February (huge thanks to Goedele for wanting to drive, by the way, as this place is not very easy to reach by public transport). I was immediately smitten with how it looked: a large but rustic, inviting brown café teeming with brewing paraphernalia and references to Belgian beer history, not just inside but outside as well, from literally every corner; there seems to be some involvement with old timer cars as well. The place was quiet inside but very relaxed, and offered me the opportunity to catch up with some of Oude Maalderij's recent brews - yet does serve a number of beers from other, established Belgian breweries as well (such as geuzes and trappists - we had a Westvleteren 12, for example). AB InBev and the like are deliberately avoided. Service was quick and friendly - but needless to say, I was delighted to see Jef, the owner and brewer, himself arrive late in the evening so that I got a chance to talk to him about beers he is planning to develop - and pick something from his vintage list, consisting of hundreds and hundreds of older bottles, most from this century, but some dating back to the eighties and nineties of the previous one. In all, a very pleasant experience and an important new beer place with a charmingly and warmly old feel to it. Feels more experienced than it probably is - this café is clearly run with great professionalism. Will revisit this one soon - and hopefully many more times in the future.“

Alengrin 2285 days ago

“So, this one was a bit special as Travlr mentioned. We decided to take a 15 minute train ride and a 30 min walk from the station only to find out it does not work as stated on Google/Ratebeer (at least not in winter part of year). However the doors were unlocked despite the dim lights and the fact no one was in there so we decided to come in (I believe in US this would be called breaking and entering). Somewhere out of the back came Jef the owner and after explaining our pilgrimage story he poured us beers. After that he took us to see the brewery, explained everything in detail and was very patient with our questions. If you’re reading this thank you Jef! The bar looks very nice, lots of beer and non-beer decorations and details, seems like a unique place. I didn’t get to see the extensive bottle menu, but we did see the bottles in the back and there were a lot of them. The DOM beers on tap were nice, some guest beers poured as well. In the end it was very different experience than we expected, but truly unique. Worth the detour, make sure to double check the opening hours.“

Iznogud 2594 days ago

“We did a pilgrimage from Kortrijk the evening before the Alvinne festival with Iznogud and Miro. 30 minute walk from the Izegem train station, but alas the place was closed. We managed to get the attention of the owner, Jef, who lives next door and he explained that in the winter they only open on weekends. But he happily poured us a few beers and gave us a detailed tour of the brewery and the place itself. He made most of the brewery equipment himself from old dairy equipment, and even kitted out the building that houses it. Neat juryrigged system and horizontal fermenters that work wonders. The bar itself is killed with kitsch and breweriana, the highlight of which is Joseph in a confessional box. Three of his house beers were on tap plus some interesting guest taps and a large bottle list. His beers were tasty, and then we had his first bottled beer later that evening at Gainsbar. Because his production is small, Jef has selected 30 of the best beers in Belgium to be ambassadors for his product, and they will be the only places to get his beer; you can easily guess which bars they are. There is food on offer when they’re open. Well worth the detour, and one of the highlights of my trip so far.“

Travlr 2638 days ago

“Waaw ! Been psyched to come here since it’s been opened, but it took me an extremely long time, since it’s just so unreachable to me. I was very, very happy to finally get here on a cold day in january. First of all, to all whom read my ratings of places, ever, I am usually very strict about bartender’s quality’s on his of her profession ( pouring a beer, for instance ) I won’t care to much for that here, since I see this primarely as a brewpub. The owner - Jef - is a real Delight, but first of all a brewer, second of all a collector, and only on the third place a bartender. Not a perfect bartender, perhaps, but he does well above average, and the imperfections shouldn’t be taken in count, knowing it’s an actual brewer, really, rather than a bartender. Now. to start with what’s left of the service - Jef is one of the most knowingly people I have met. His knowledge is deep as well as wide ( technical brewing facts and tricks, ingredients , vintage information about long cvlosed breweries, tastes, breweries and beers ,... ) He is very proud of his (newfound, he used to be a brewfirm ) Brewery, at the very same location as the pub ( a place that’s also used by B.O.M. these days - another Brewery I like ) Yet he isn’t to narrow minded to let other beers be served, next to his very own. The selection exists of his beers, surely, but also about 1500-ish others. The main part to come here - next to the DOM beers, are the vintage’s. The regular menu is good, but not great. The vintage though has many long-gone ale’s. Not all of them are still great, but that doesn’t matter, he is the only possibility to still find them, and people taking - for instance - lagers from the 80’s will know what they can expect. The prices are very honest. The interior also screams vintage. Much wood ( very used look, so it really looks like the place has been here forever ) as well as a unique collection of old signs. All and all, this is thé vintage place next to kulminator. Jef though, has less history going on (he’s younger ) but in return much more friendly and chatty. I had a great time sitting at the bar and just talk about beers. This place - even though very distant - should be very high on everyone’s list.“

kraddel 2692 days ago

“Nostalgisch uiterlijk, veel prullaria wat het druk maar wel gezellig maakt. Proper zowel de zaal als de toiletten. De vintagekaart is heel uitgebreid, de gewone kaart is veel beperkter, misschien net iets te beperkt in mijn ogen. Heerlijke verse croques en ook de bierpaté was heel lekker. De bediening is vriendelijk, behulpzaam en straalt volledig passie voor bier uit.“

Aminatchime 2693 days ago

“Characterful place full of Belgian style clutter. The beers I had were all nice although prices are a bit on the high side. Good, friendly service from the Jack Dee lookalike and the heavily tattooed lady. Didn’t get to meet the legendary Jef as he was providing beer for some football event. Nice place.“

baxterfish 2895 days ago

“Dropped by on 27/04/2016. Already on the outside, lots of stuff, In the inside, lot of wood, full of stuff giving it a very nice cosy feeling. Very nice selection of own beers and nice other ones. Didn’t even ask for the vintage list because there was already enough interesting stuff still to taste. Wonder what it will be like in summer on the outdoor. Nice and warm people. Great place!“

Bierridder_S 2956 days ago

“Fantastische, mooie pub. De sfeer is Super! De decoratie is gewoon GEWELDIG! Zeker de moeite om langs te gaan. Mooie collectie bieren!“

Melleke 2996 days ago

“This has every potential to be the next big thing in Belgium. Jef has created a very enjoyable and warm atmosphere, bit sixties-like There’s no doubt Jef knows his beers, wich shows of in the tapselection as well as in the bottle selection. Those interested in some vintage stuff should ask for the "special menu". Service is fantastic, credits for Steffi, that’s for sure. I haven’t visit during busy times (Sunny weather, outdoor beergarden full of people), that might be hard to handle, they’ll need good staff. There’s some small food, delicious pate and stuff like that, but it’s not like you could have a meal, so no rating on the food. Overall a must visit, thumbs up and fingers crossed he’ll get his brewery up and running soon.“

glennc 2997 days ago

“the best brew pub in Belgium, great selection, on tap Oude Maalderij beers (a must) and other big beers. It’s worth a visit!! Food pairs good with the beers.“

SvenNapar 2997 days ago

“Great place only 5 minutes from my home! 13 taps. Beers from great breweries. Nice but small food selection. Fine atmosphere and fantastic people behind the bar!“

alvinne 2997 days ago

“One of the best (brew)pubs in Belgium. 13 beers on tap. A vast selection of classics and of course all their own beers are available. Service is outstanding, always served with a smile and a lot of brew info if wanted.“

User235212 2997 days ago

“Bruine kroeg met open zoldering plafond. Interieur met oude bierreklames & religieuze beelden en 3 piano’s. Gelegenheid tot flipperen in de toiletten :-) De muziek: Blues, jazz, 50’s, r&r, Franse chanson of gewoon naar hun eigen stemming. Uiteraard de eigen bieren zijn te proeven en daarnaast een mooie leuke selectie bieren zowel van ’t vat als van de kaart. Het eten rate ik niet. Maar de hapjes of de portie’s gemengd zijn echt lekker en uitgelezen!“

Hopverdju 3056 days ago

“Really nice and cosy pub, especially after dark. Lots of wood, wooden tables, wooden chairs, wooden walls, wooden counter top, only thing not wood is the floor and the beer glasses it seems. ;-) Quite some people coming in during the 4 hours we’ve spent there. Nice selection of drafts, including some Oude Maalderij beers of course, limited bottle selection of regulars as well, and then some old bottles for tickers’ sake, or for those who like old oxidized beer (or both ;-). If this were around my corner I’d be here pretty damn often! Don’t forget to try the paté and bitterballen made with Qantelaar. “

tderoeck 3102 days ago

“9 taps, constantly changing, make out the main entertainment. Certainly not restricted to the own Oude Maalderij beers, not even strictly Belgian, so there will be always something worthwile to search for. There will be some ’normal’ bottled beers as well. But if you are really picky, ask for the special beer list - interminable in number, but not in offerings, as some of the collections are - litteraly - unique bottles; one time only. Their ages vary, so if you’re not into aged beers, please abstain. Little detail: if you go for one of these, bear in mind owner Jef reserves the right to taste at least 3cl with you!! In return, you’ll get every scrap of info he collected on the beer for free... The pub is worth a look around - depending on your view, it’s full of rubbish or interesting collectables (personally I got reminded of certain Internet puzzlegames...). Obviously, Jef has something with fifties/sixties USA things - cars and others. Ambiance is definitely cosy, and if you want to talk beer, Jef’s the man you’re looking fo!“

JorisPPattyn 3140 days ago

“Note: at the moment, this is not YET a brewpub, but the owner/brewer his intentions are to start brewing on the premises as soon as possible. Ambiance: interior is very cosy, with old memorabilia. Lovely. And outside there’s a ton of place to enjoy the sun! Service: Jef and his gf/wife are some of the friendliest people you’ll find. The passion Jef has for his beers, for this new project/location, is amazing. He’ll happily give some explanation about his beers. Selection: consists of course of mainly DOM beers. Unfortunatly, he ran out of Optimo and Maximo when I was there. Also Cuvée Freddy from Alvinne on draught and an Irish brew. His vintage list contains over a 1000 bottles and most certainly has some hidden gems in there!! Value: very sharp/honest prices, as it should for a brewpub! And Orval at 3.5 euro, that’s something one cannot complain about as well ;) Overall: this place is most certainly an approvement to the Belgian beers scene. Too bad I have to drive that far to visit ;)“

Mathieu87 3160 days ago