Matthew Vandenberghe loves beer. In 1999 he opened up Bottleworks in Seattle, Washington. This beer store offers over 400 beers from 20 different countries, so the man also knows his beer. As the craft beer boomed, so did his passion, and in 2005 Vandenberghe opened a “medieval-meets-post-modern” beer bar called Brouwer’s Café.

Located in a renovated warehouse in the Fremont district of Seattle, Brouwer’s is decorated like an industrial castle, replete with faux stone walls, warm woods and exposed steel. Large, wooden tables fill out the theater-like setting and a second floor balcony looks down onto the expansive bar as if it were a stage. And it kind of is. The bar boasts 60 beers on tap (which was last updated on September 1). Behind the bar, encased is backlit coolers, sit over 300 different types of bottled beers. And every one is served in its respective glassware. In fact, the crew at Brouwer’s is so respectful of the beer that they custom-cut every draught line to minimize the amount of beer that remains idle between the kegs and the taps.

Since Vandenberghe is of Flemish descent the beer and food leans heavily towards a Belgian influence. Flemish favorites like mussels, frites, and carbonade of beef are served. The lamb burgers are supposedly the best ever. Many of the dishes feature Belgian beer as a key ingredient.

Submitted by: Eli - The Mad Beer Man