Kulminator

I was very hesitant about visiting Kulminator as its fame and reputation far precedes it, having won accolades such as «the best place in the world to have a beer» and also known to have one of the most extensive collections of aged Belgian beers in the world. During the planning stages of my trip, a lot of the feedback I got regarding this place was that I should brace for some unparalleled (lack of) service, humongous wait times in between orders, and last minute changes to opening hours.
If you haven’t guessed it already, I was lucky enough not to experience any of the negative feedback enumerated above, and instead had such a great time that I somehow got back to my room in Brussels without a train ticket and don’t quite remember how I managed such a feat.
I got to Kulminator about 15 minutes after they opened at 4:15pm and the establishment was already half-​full. Despite reviews saying that this place is super cramped and cozy, the interior is actually pretty spacious with seating available at the bar, behind it, and even across from it where two tables are partitioned off kind of like a small lounge; I opted to sit in the lounge area as I was planning to be comfortable for quite some time. Leen served me for the entire evening and she was very kind and patient with all of my orders. Despite some of my orders being slightly obscure – like the oldest vintage they had of Oerbier Special Reserva, for example – all my orders got out to me under five minutes, even at 9pm when the bar was completely packed, thereby debunking the «slow and bad service» portion of my expectations.
Whereas different groups of people did join me at my table for most of the night, most of them were locals popping in for a drink or two and all minded their own businesses unlike what people say about strange encounters here, but that suited me just fine for my purposes; I wanted to try some Belgian gems that aren’t available anywhere on the planet, and I’m glad to say I was able to achieve said feat.
I don’t think I have to describe the atmosphere as it’s been done in such vivid detail in so many of the other reviews (grandparents’ house, etc.) but be sure to grab a bite to eat prior to visiting this place and not make the mistake of thinking drunk you will be sober enough to find something to eat after leaving this amazing Café; food options are limited if not non-​existent, and Leen is busy enough as is keeping everyone happy.
And yes, Dirk will stare you down if you do anything out of the ordinary like take pictures of the establishment, but he means well… I think.

Any tourist (locals as well) should visit the Kulminator at least once. This bar is an ideal exponent of our cultural heritage. First and foremost, it has a huge variety in specialty beer. Second is the interior. This place got stuck in time and resembles the atmosphere of your typical Belgian granparents house. The place is very exentric and is a good example of the chaptic way in which we Belgians organize our selves and our places. Beside an anthropological excursion, tge bar offers good service and prices. So make sure you visit it!

Got there at 11pm. Open till 12am; confirmed by the sign on the door. Except when the door’s locked with a handful of people inside clearly visible drinking and playing games and doesn’t get opened.

DIE BIERKNEIPE überhaupt, wer wirklich mal was neues ausprobieren möchte sollte hier auf jeden Fall mal vorbeischauen. Schöné alte Kneipe mit dem gewissen etwas!

When you first set foot at Kulminator, it feels like you went back to the past. And I don’t mean the 70’s, I mean medieval times, like you stepped into a tabern back in 1300’s. It looks old. It feels old. It smells old. And it’s awesome. The bar is mostly filled with beers, glasses and books everywhere. It can also feel somewhat like a hoarder’s house, with beer memorabilia everywhere. I’m trying to describe the atmosphere, but it’s difficult to put into words. There really is no other bar quite like it.
The main attraction, the beers, are plenty. They usually have about 6 to 8 beers on tap, and hundreds by the bottle. Mostly belgians (duh), but they have beers from all over the world as well. There are also some aged beers, so if you’re feeling fancy, you can ask for a 1997 Westmalle trippel, or a 2001 Duvel. I’m always wondering if they bother it make an inventory every now and them. If they do, it must be hell.
The bar does not have employees. Only Dirk and Leen work at the bar. I mean, Dirk probably works refilling the beers on tap and doing other stuff, I think. Everytime i come here he is just reading the paper and sipping his beer, lol. I’m always served by Leen, his wife.
The public mostly consists of beer enthusiasts, local regulars and tourists. It is right down in the old city center after all. If you’re in Antwerp, don’t miss it!

If you’re looking for a very unique, eccentric place to enjoy a huge selection of beers then Kulminator is the place to go to! Its extremely eclectic décor (aka horders paradise) along with the sweet old lady (we only spotted her husband behind the bar) guarantee for an interesting and unforgettable evening for sure. And don’t be intimidated by the ginormous beer list, just talk to the lady about what you are looking for and she can give you some great suggestions! Definitely worth going there when you’re in Antwerp!

It’s really an interesting experience being in Kulminator. You don’t get the fastest service and you may not find the most romantic place to sit cause you may sit next to some other couple.
Just chill, don’t rush, feel like at home, you can chitchat with the people sitting next to you. try the beers you’ve never tasted, don’t drink a pint (pintje). if you are feeling adventurous or a first-​timer, then order 5 different beers from the tap (dailyselections) in small glasses or if you’re super rich, try the most expensive beers on the menu :)
if you haven’t been there, go there at least once and decide yourself if you want to be a fan or not :)

Excellent beer bar. Cozy environment, long long list of beer.
The couple who run the bar are extremely friendly.
Try cheese to go with beer, fantastic!
My friends from Germany drive long distance to come here just for the bar!:)

Best beer experience ever and for true beer connoisseurs. This place has an interesting vibe like a dive bar out in the Bavarian countryside. Having a Belgian friend helped bc the catalog of beers is impressively 2 inches thick with different styles and vintages of mainly Belgium golden nectar. Funny how my friend described the nice elderly woman serving us contrasted to her husband who is renowned as a huge dick. Haha
For the newly introduced like myself aged beer is just something new to my American palette. Similar to wine the beer mellows a little over time and loses a little carbonation which gives the impression of less acid allowing some of the complex notes of good beer to come out. Like toast, orange, lemon, yeast, caramel.
Judged best beer in the world Westvleteren — both fresh and a three year old brewed in 2010. Wow, the three year old was even better.
But the night went to a 2006 Stille Nacht at something like 38 euros for 750 mL. Holy sh-​t probably the best beer I’ve tried in my life. Complex caramel and citrusy flavors probably never will taste again.
Met some nice Italian guys there who drove all the way from Germany to sample and shared a bunch of different brews with them which also added to the experience. Certainly a once in a lifetime bucket list must-​try experience.

Ce bar à bière à une réputation, et il le mérite.
J’aime la bière, c’est un produit noble qui a toute les subtilités des grands vins que ce soit dans l’art de son élaboration, les arômes qui se développent lors de sa maturation, et finalement sa dégustation.
Au Kulminator vous aurez accès à une carte qui recèle des trésors hallucinants. Des bières de chaque coin du pays (pour la grande majorité), des vintages différents, de magnifiques breuvage vieillit en fut de chêné, barrique de whisky ou encore barrique de porto! Wow…
La liste est interminable juste pour ce qu’ils proposent à la pompe, alors je né vous parle pas des bouteilles. Si avec ça vous avez un petit creux et qu’il n’y a pas trop de monde (ils disent né pas servir de nourriture si il y’a trop de monde) une portion de fromage passé bien, mais attention, la portion est une montagne ;-)
Laissez moi quand même vous dire que le cadre est Roots… Mais ça fait parti du folklore;-)

My first time to the Kulminator. Actually was sadly not impressed whatsoever. The beer list is very nice, but not stunning. No where near the EPIC level I was expecting from all the talk about this place. Service was terrible. I went with people who have been going to the Kulminator for years and we couldn’t believe who rude Dirk was to us. Just completely off in space and non responsive to all inquiries even though we were massively polite and rang up a monster tab. Be aware that for a lot of the rarer beers; you can’t try them unless you purchase the entire vertical of the beer’s regular vintages– which is stupid IMO. The vertical of a beer has nothing to do with the special version of that beer. Most of the rare beers don’t even appear on the menu and if you ask about them– you are scuffed off. Do yourself a favor and go to Moeder Lambik. It’s not worth ass kissing for three hours to get 1 or 2 rare beers here.

Conhecer este lugar fez valer a pena a visita à Antuérpia. Um casal de velhinhos, donos deste pequeno bar, colecionam cervejas e atendem pessoalmente ao público. O lugar é diferente, a decoração pitoresca e o catálogo de cervejas é imenso. Entrou para a nossa lista dos 10+ melhores bares do mundo.

The aged Belgian beer selection is amazing! This is THE place to go for aged trappist beers. I tried a 1997 Stille Nacht, 2005 Chimay Blue and Hoegaarden Grand Cru from 1995. Don’t order food, as it is not necessary. Run, don’t walk, to this pub if you happen to be in Antwerpen. More pictures and comments in blog post:

We took the noon train from Brugge to Antwerp just to go to this beer bar. It didn’t open until 4:0pm so we did stroll around a little and enjoyed ourselves. We were at the bar at exactly 4:00pm and they opened right on schedule. The place was not what I expected, and yet, it was fabulous. The place is quite old and quite small inside with beer cases stacked here and there. The I check the beer list. WOW! It was huge and there were vintages going back to the 1980’s for some of the beers. Unbelievable! We both started with a Malheur 12 on draft. Fabulous beer and the price was 3.5 euros. We each had several beers since we we walking and riding the train. I had my first Westvleteren, which was on my bucket list. We had a great conversation with a fellow at the next table who lived about 10 k away. Then a Canadian young lad of 21 joined us and we all had a good discussion (mostly about the beer). I would go back in a heartbeat but unfortunately it’s a long way across that pond.

For many years the Kulminator has been THE place for vintage/​aged beers. I first visited the K back in 2000. It has changed very little since then. Owned and operated by Dirk and Leen, only Dirk knows where everything is down in the cellar. My advice is order your rounds two at a time, just because it does take a while to fish out the bottles for your order and they are sometimes out of things without it being updated on the menu. But when your «beer list» is as thick as a dictionary its understandable that they may be out of a specific vintage of something you wanted to try. Extra points for the house cat. Can’t wait to get back here. Love Antwerp and love the K. World Class Pub!

I guess its all ben said a thousand times!
No beer lover could visit Antwerp and miss the Kulminator.
With a beer list that resembles a ‘phone book, there is no way you’ll leave disappointed.
Cellar-​aged beers served with traditional belgian snacks.
Stay away Lager boy!

one of the world’s great beer bars, at edge of the old town, very large range of beers many aged in their cellar, no draught pils
closes two weeks in summer
and during saturnalia