Let's call it the Beermuda Triangle of Saint-Gilles.

If you're planning to devote some time to Bruxellensis this weekend, it can be nice to get away from the crowd. You know, get some air. That's why it's well worth the seven-minute walk from the fest hall to see what's on tap at Moeder Lambic.

How excited are these guys for the fest? I dropped by for a quickie Taras Boulba yesterday (my dog walked me there) and the staff were already wearing their Bruxellensis T-shirts. Four days early.

Proprietors Jean Hummler and Nassim Dessicy have been telling us for weeks they plan to roll out some special stuff. Possibilities include up-and-comer IV Saison (from Jandrain-Jandrenouille) on draft, the new Saison Cazeau, and a new dark beer from De Ranke called Noir de Dottignies. There may be other surprises; they were also hoping to get an interesting American craft beer or two. You won't know unless you drop by.

Here you can see how easy it is to get from the Albert premetro station to Bruxellensis, from Bruxellensis to Moeder Lambic, and from Moeder Lambic back home again. Architectural sites along the way include the old faux-castle prison and gilded Saint-Gilles Hotel de Ville. Ooooh. Aaaaah. We're walking, we're walking... we're stopping.

About those T-shirts... The Missus and I will be hawking them at the fest Saturday evening. Just look for the two Yanks struggling with euro coins and mercantile French. Our shirts say "STAFF" on the back. No, sorry, those aren't for sale. Don't touch.

Bring us a beer if we look stressed.

No, scratch that. Bring us a beer anyway.