Stocking Up

Stocking Up

Want to bring some of your favorite brews home? Beer Mania (chaussée de Wavre 174-176, Brussels, B1050. 02/512-1788. www.beermania.be) stocks over 400 beers and will arrange worldwide shipping for large purchases.

Thanks to excellent distribution, most Belgian beers are widely sold in regular grocery and liquor stores; there are specialty shops, but you'll pay a premium. You can also buy directly from breweries when you visit. Belgian beer can even be ordered over the Internet: Web sites like Beermania and Belgianshop deliver the goods to your doorstep. Just remember that you can only take a limited amount home with you, so check customs regulations before you board.

Lambic, Gueuze, Kriek, or other fruit-flavored beers are the best bets for bringing home. Trappist brews are sometimes hard to find or else very expensive; for Achel and Westvleteren, you'll probably need to go to a specialty store, or the abbeys themselves.

Suppliers

Belgium Beers (Reynderstraat 2/1, Antwerp. 03/226-6853). De Hopduvel (Coupure links 625, Gent. 09/225-2068). Terclavers (Mechelsestraat 203a, Leuven. 016/20-20-00). Beermania (www.beermania.be).