Beer Festivals, Real Ale Festivals, Cask Ale Festivals, you see them advertised all the time and they range in size from the national and regional festivals organised by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) with hundreds of beers to the more humble local pub showcasing half a dozen ales for its regulars.

A short Thalys hop away from Cologne lays Brussels. As you know, Brussels is the capital of the European Union (EU) and probably of beer, too. No other country in the EU brews more different types of beers than the Belgians.

Derived from their long brewing tradition enrooted by the monks they have many different small, mid, and industry sized breweries all across their country. That means that there must be many beers to taste.