Mother Lambic Dusts Off Her Underside

One of the many reasons I'm a lucky sonuvabitch is the place I consider my local: Chez Moeder Lambic. About 250 beers, and some of the city's friendliest, coziest ambiance, are a brisk 15-minute walk from our apartment. It's easily one of Belgium's best beer pubs.

Not so long ago, according to many reports, this place was a bit of a disaster. There were complaints about service, and they'd run out of many beers on the list. Or maybe they just couldn't find them in that trainwreck of a cellar.

Things have taken a U-turn under the new ownership. Thanks to Jean and Nassim, tart and refreshing Cantillon lambic is pumping from the cask. The old mess of a menu had become one of the best-organized lists in the country. There are new cheeses available, and a new kitchen in which to prepare them. The latest project: cleaning up that cellar.

Their plan is to rent the space for tastings or other events. Here you can see the cleaned-up space... Now they're just waiting to have some shelves put in. The latest delay is that the shelf guy threw out his back. So it goes in the world of Brussels contract labor.

One downside to all this work is that they can't get to all of their beers. There's a temporary menu of 30 or so beers until the cellar is finished (sometime in February, I'm guessing). However, it's a short list full of quality... sweet, bubbly, malty quality.

You can find Moeder Lambic at Rue de Savoie 68 in Saint-Gilles. If you're staying in downtown Brussels, just take the #4 tram from the Bourse to Albert station, and from there it's a five-minute walk.