Brussels

From books on Brussels beer and brewing with hemp to a handmade bottle-pouring cradle, here are a few recent editors’ picks that could also work as gift ideas.

From our Love Handles files on beer bars we love: Gist offers finely honed ales, music, and atmosphere just off the Brussels tourist path.

Through dire decades for traditional lambic, this multigenerational Brussels brewery kept the flame lit long enough to witness the current renaissance. Yet Cantillon continues to explore methods for using fruit while staying true to the family’s vision.

Don’t let that extra loaf go to waste—try throwing it into your mash tun. Here, Sam Fleet of Brussels Beer Project breaks down the unexpected benefits of brewing with bread.

Jean Van Roy, head brewer at Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels and heir to a 120-year-old lambic-brewing legacy, discusses his emotional approach and connection to spontaneously fermented beer—and his view on the new wave inspired by traditional methods.

Brewers don’t develop their tastes and skills in a vacuum; they’re affected by others, both before and during their careers. Here, Yvan De Baets of Brasserie de la Senne in Brussels chooses his pack and defends it (and wishes he could pick more than six).

Try to brew it if you want—many have tried—but few beers belong to their own place more than traditional Belgian gueuze.

From the legendary Cantillon lambic brewery in Brussels, fourth-generation brewer Jean Van Roy chooses a six-pack of beers that have influenced him over the years. They feature the bitter, the dry, and a lifelong appreciation for good old-fashioned pils.