First published in Beers of the World June 2008
Beermania, Brussel-Bruxelles
Browse the impressive framed collection of international press coverage on display at Beermania and you’ll find that most journalists who visit Brussels’ best specialist beer retailer write at least as much about the proprietor as his shop. Not surprisingly, since Nasser Eftekhari is a remarkable character: passionate, knowledgeable, articulate and outspoken in his opinions. And then there is the intriguing question of how a political refugee from Tehran came to be one of the leading international ambassadors for the Great Beers of Belgium.
Inside Beermania, Brussel-Bruxelles
In fact Nasser’s family were Zoroastrians with no taboo against alcohol, and he became interested in home brewing while still in Iran. Things became difficult when Khomeini came to power and Nasser fled the country in the early 1980s, eventually arriving in Brussels where he developed his passion for the local beer. Beermania had already been open for three years when he bought it in 1986 from a customer of the pub where he was working.
Since then Nasser and his wife Natasha have built the shop up into an essential stop for international beer hunters, who are well rewarded for the effort of heading off the tourist track to the vibrant, cosmopolitan and increasingly yuppiefied community of Ixelles. Around 400 hand-picked beers are stocked, all of them Belgian except for the Dutch La Trappe beers that complete a comprehensive Trappist range. There are particularly strong collections of abbey beers, lambics and rare Wallonian microbrews, and few big commercial brands. Aged beers, big bottles, gift packs and selection boxes, glassware and beer books are also available. Bar area, Beermania, Brussel-Bruxelles
Inside Beermania, Brussel-Bruxelles
Last year Nasser used his knowledge of his customers’ tastes to launch his own beer, Mea Culpa, presented in a dramatic glass with a swan-necked stem, contract-brewed at an unidentified brewery. Everything can be sampled for a slightly higher price in the beautiful tasting area with fine oak floors and furniture: in typical attention to detail, the state of the art fridges have had their motors removed to the cellar so the noise won’t disturb the ambience. The shop also hosts regular jazz gigs, and cuisine à la bière events are planned.
Nasser will happily share his expert knowledge of the Belgian beer scene in fluent French, Dutch or English. “The life of all Belgian breweries changed overnight in the late 1970s when the world discovered Belgian beers through Michael Jackson,” he says. “Beer orders rained down from around the world and of course we were not ready for this success. Brewers expanded too fast, got into debt and crashed down. The survivors reduced the quality of the beers by things like reducing fermentation time. Now the small brewers are struggling and for the big brewers, with their marketing managers and export managers, beer is a business, not a passion. On the other hand, American beers are getting better and better – a big danger for Belgian brewing. Meanwhile, I’m planning to keep going as the shop window for all good breweries in Belgium!”
Fact file
Mea Culpa glass, Beermania, Brussel-Bruxelles
Address: Waversesteenweg/chaussée de Wavre 174-176, 1050 Elsene-Ixelles, Brussel-Bruxelles
Phone: +32 (0)2 512 1788
Web: www.beermania.be
Hours: Mon-Sat 1100-2200
Drink in? Yes
Mail order: Yes, worldwide through website
Manager’s favourites: Mea Culpa, Westvleteren Blond, Orval
Beer picks
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3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek 5%, Beersel, Vlaams-Brabant, Vlaanderen. Stunning cherry lambic from classic Payottenland café, lanolin aroma and dry tart palate softened by fine fruit, elegant subtle cherry finish.
- Blaugies La Moneuse 8%, Blaugies, Hainaut, Wallonie. Dry golden triple with perfumed orange pith and woody hazelnute palate, and warming bitter herb and exotic fruit finish.
- Bocq St Feuillien Brune 7.5%, Purnode, Namur, Wallonie. Rich, abbey brown with old books, mandarin, chocolate, glace cherries, liquorice, dates and vermouth in complex palate and long layered finish.
- St Hélène Djean d’Mady 5.5%, Èthe, Luxembourg, Wallonie. Delightful rustic amber ale from Gaume region, with toasty gooseberry fool notes and a soft, dryish sappy finish.
- Van Steenberge Beermania Mea Culpa Blond 6.5%, Ertvelde, Oost-Vlaanderen. Beer Mania’s own brand, a soft, seedy, lightly fruity blond with a dry quenching vanilla-tinged citric finish.
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