{"id":31312,"date":"2026-08-03T02:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T02:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/31312\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T02:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T02:08:12","slug":"sober-curious-in-belgium-stripes-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/31312\/","title":{"rendered":"Sober curious in Belgium | Stripes Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Classic<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tI was pleasantly surprised to find mocktails and alcohol-free beers at every restaurant we visited while in Belgium. (Ekaterina Belova (Adobe Stock))\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Source<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many beers to try!\u201d That\u2019s what everyone told me when they found out we were going to Belgium. Currently in a season of sobriety though, I was absolutely sure my diet would consist of mainly waffles and chocolate. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find mocktails and alcohol-free beers at every restaurant we visited. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"Glass<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tCurrently in a season of sobriety though, I was absolutely sure my diet would consist of mainly waffles and chocolate. (Jennifer Kordos)
\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

After strolling the cobblestone streets of Brugge (Bruges in English) for hours, climbing the 366 steps to the top of the Belfry, and taste-testing our way through all the artisanal chocolates we could get our hands on, we decided to relax in true European fashion: people-watching on a patio. Lucky for us, The Half Moon restaurant, or Brouwerij De Halve Maan as it\u2019s known in Belgium, warmly greeted us with two cold glasses of alcohol-free Sport Zot. <\/p>\n

During a day trip to nearby Gent (Ghent in English), we stopped by Boon and had a glass of Pony\u2019s alcohol-free beer, Fony\u2019s, before exploring the Castle of the Counts. If you get a chance to visit, choose the comedy version of the audio tour through the castle grounds so that you can laugh your way through history.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Glass<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tWe stopped by Boon in Gent and had a glass of Pony\u2019s alcohol-free beer, Fony\u2019s, before exploring the Castle of the Counts. (Jennifer Kordos)
\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

While I don\u2019t recommend a canal cruise at the height of summer during the hottest part of the day, I can attest that a frosty Jupiler 0.0% does instantly refresh you. We learned this on the patio (yes, people-watching again) of The Wok Bar, home to some of the most delicious fried rice I\u2019ve had in Europe. <\/p>\n

Back in Brugge for a second day, we toured the Torture Museum and Museum of Witchcraft, both of which made me glad I didn\u2019t have to survive in the Middle Ages. Who knows what my punishment would have been for forgetting to put up my parking disc back then? <\/p>\n

\t\t\"Pint<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tI can attest that a frosty Jupiler 0.0% does instantly refresh you.\u00a0 (Jennifer Kordos)
\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Fast forward roughly 500 years to the fascinating mind of Salvador Dal\u00ed. We stumbled into Dal\u00ed Cybernetics Modern Art Museum and were blown away by the immersive virtual reality experience inside the mind Dal\u00ed: flying lobsters, eyeballs in space, the infamous melting clock. All swirling around us while we stood on the bow of a massive ship, without ever having to leave Brugge.<\/p>\n

After trying to understand art as quantum physics and decipher the meaning of life, our brains needed a break and we were famished. Thankfully, Mozart\u2019s all-you-can-eat ribs came to the rescue. We quenched our thirst with a Blonde Affligem 0.0% and Cristal 0.0%, both brewed in Belgium and delightful on our tastebuds. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"Pint<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tWe quenched our thirst with a Blonde Affligem 0.0% and Cristal 0.0%, both brewed in Belgium and delightful on our tastebuds.\u00a0 (Jennifer Kordos)
\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

With so many alcohol-free options available, we never felt like we were missing out. So, whether you\u2019re a teetotaler, on a sober journey or a beer connoisseur, beverages in Belgium will not disappoint. <\/p>\n

Cheers!<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Pint<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tThe Half Moon restaurant, or Brouwerij De Halve Maan as it\u2019s known in Belgium, warmly greeted us with two cold glasses of alcohol-free Sport Zot.\u00a0 (Jennifer Kordos)
\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of War.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I was pleasantly surprised to find mocktails and alcohol-free beers at every restaurant we visited while in Belgium.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31313,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[17067,17062,17063,7,17061,17064,17066,17065,17059,17060],"class_list":["post-31312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-belgium","tag-alchol-free-belgium","tag-alcohol-free","tag-alcohol-free-beer","tag-belgium","tag-mindful-drinking","tag-mocktails","tag-mocktails-belgium","tag-mocktails-europe","tag-sober","tag-sober-curious"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@be\/117029142894440661","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}