Belgian restaurant hailed the best destination for beer lovers in the world
For a country with an outstanding reputation for its beer, this doesn't seem all that spectacular at first glance, but spectacular it most definitely is! After all, a map of the world covers a huge area.
In 2019, the restaurant named De Gebrande Winning, run by 47-year-old business owner Raf Sainte from Zepperen, near Sint-Truiden, had already reached second place on the international beer website RateBeer.com, but now, it has climbed to the top of the world rankings. Together with his girlfriend, parents and five employees, he has been relentlessly seeking out the perfect combinations of beers and dishes for six years now. In the meantime, his business has built up an undisputed reputation for that reason and that is something that hasn't escaped the notice of the critics at RateBeer.com. Elated and full of pride, Raf successfully fought off the competition from no fewer than 74,000 pubs, restaurants and drinks outlets.
In his cellar, he keeps 225 kinds of beer from almost every corner of the world. Some are very rare, like the German sour beer, of which there are only twelve bottles the world over. Beer fanatics, also somewhat irreverently referred to as beer geeks, come from far and wide to taste Raf's extensive and valuable collection, which is worth an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 euros.
Of course this first prize calls for a huge celebration ... with beer. Soon, once De Gebrande Winning opens its doors again after the coronavirus pandemic is over, the party boy will treat his first hundred customers to a delicious champagne beer!