Belgian Beer Weekend Kyoto: 108 Beers, 97 Belgian, 11 from Kyoto

Ninety-seven Belgian beers or 11 from Kyoto Brewing: which side would you start with? Begin with a Belgian Trappist beer if monastery-made tradition appeals, or choose a fruit beer if beer usually isn’t your thing 🙂 Together, those two groups make 108 choices.

The range stretches from traditional Trappist beers brewed in monasteries to fruit beers described as easier for people who don’t usually enjoy beer. The Kyoto-only Flavors from Kyoto collaboration adds Kyoto Brewing beer alongside Kyoto sweets and pickles. If you have time for only one thing, choose that collaboration: it brings local flavours into focus beside the wider beer lineup 👀

Belgian beer-steamed mussels, frites (fries), and Belgian cheese bring the food side of the event into the pairing. The mussels are the clearest beer-to-plate link because Belgian beer is used in their cooking. Frites are fries (the name does the translation for you) 🤭

Try one of these dishes with a Belgian beer, as the event invites guests to do. Choose mussels for the cooking link, frites for a potato side, or cheese if you’d rather try a different pairing. Leave room for the combination you most want to taste.

Ohigashi-san Hiroba is an open square in front of Higashi Honganji, giving the gathering room around its food and drink offerings. The programme also includes a talk show hosted by a Belgian MC and DJ performances. That gives you a spoken segment as well as performances to look out for 👌

Leave some flexibility in your plan so you can catch the part that interests you, since the talk show and DJ performances are distinct features of the programme. The square is near Kyoto Station, a useful landmark when planning a visit through central Kyoto. Take a moment to look toward Higashi Honganji from the plaza before settling into the tastings ☺️