The countdown rings out over Leuven’s Oud Markt; “een, twee, drie…”
As soon as the crowd hits ‘tien’, the first competitor, dressed in T-Shirt representing one of Leuven’s most popular drinking spots, a bartenders apron, and armed with a drinks tray, sets of in a jog towards the make-shift bar set up in the centre of the square. At lightning speeds, he pumps 6 perfectly poured, amber glasses of the city’s famed Stella Artois, deftly swiping the top of each with a metal foam scraper, before loading them onto his tray, hoisting it above his shoulder and setting off in a sprint through the gathered spectators and disappearing down a side street. The crowd falls silent until, a few minutes later, the next bartender hauls themselves across the Oud Markt and the cheering is reprised.
I’m in Leuven for Hapje-Tapje, an annual culinary feast – now in its 30th year – that takes over the city on the first Sunday of August. Hapje-Tapje is Leuven’s most popular gastronomic event, the other being its famous Zythos Beer Festival, and each year all of the city’s restaurants take part, setting up stalls in the street and offering bite-size portions of their signatures dishes for no more than €5 per person. The point is to allow you to taste as many different dishes and vendors as possible. In Flemish ‘hapje’ means ‘a little snack or bite’ and ‘tapje’ generally means ‘a little drink’.
In the Hogeschoolplein, the air is thick with the aroma of hog roast, burgers and pizza. People sit with their meals and beer in the square’s grassy centre and I gradually make my way around the stalls, attempting to squeeze through the masses of people and get a look at all the treats on offer. There’s everything from Portuguese Pastéis de Bacalhau to fragrant dhals, Belgium’s only sparkling wine, Meerdael, as well as pasta, south-east Asian cuisine and everything in between.
On the streets surrounding the Hogeschoolplein, most notably Muntstraat, a restaurant-lined street that acts as the city’s culinary epicentre, and Naamsestraat, stalls are set up outside different eateries offering all kinds of dishes, locally brewed beers and unusual cocktails. I make return visits to the stand outside of Wabi-Sabi Sushi Bar for their soft, cloud-light bao buns filled with chunks of sticky pork belly and the tacos at a nearby Mexican stall.
In the Grote Markt, beneath the canopy of a white, domed marquee, the Gault et Millau and Michelin rated restaurants of the region showcase their latest creations. The quality of the food is matched perfectly by the setting, beside the intricate and elegant facade of the city’s 600-year old townhall. There aren’t many places in Europe that you can find Michelin Star quality food for less than 5 euros, but for this weekend, you can fill your boots.
The main draw for me though is the beer festival in the city’s Oud Markt. Leuven is known as the beer capital of Belgium and if that is the case, then the Oud Markt is partly responsible for that title. This beautiful central square is home to around 40 bars (every building, with the exception of 2, is a bar or cafe) and in summer their outdoor terraces take over a long continuous section of it. It is for this reason that it has become known locally as the ‘longest bar in Europe’. Café Belge has a great selection of beers in a tradition ‘brown-cafe’ setting and De Kroeg claims to be the oldest café on the square. The outdoor seating of one bar merges with another and as the square fills on an evening, you may as well join the city’s huge student population, take any seat you can find, and soak in the atmosphere.
I pay a 5 euro deposit and claim my beer festival glass before working my way around the various stalls and bars. Each of the Oud Markt’s drinking spots has set up bar outside on the square and stalls representing some of the region’s most beloved breweries are interspersed between them. I start with a L’Arogante from the De Proefbrouwerij stall before taking a seat at the small bar set up by local favourites Hof Ten Dormaal and working my way through the beer list with small tasters.
At the centre of the beer festival is a bar that’s a little different from all the others. Gleaming in white and gold and lined with glistening Stella Artois glasses, it sells only Leuven’s most famous brew. Leuven’s claim to fame is that it is home to AB Inbev, the largest brewery group in the world, and owner of Stella Artois. Stella was first brewed at Brouwerij de Hoorn, a brewery that has existed in one form or another in the city since 1366 and is still going strong.
I watch from my bar stool across the square as one-by-one, bartenders sprint from the start point across to the Stella Artois stand, swiftly filling a tray-load of glasses and then running off with their drinks across the Oud Markt and disappearing down Rattemanspoort. The World’s only bartender race, an event that predates the food festival, is a big part of Hapje Tapje. Participating bartenders have to carry a tray of the city’s world-renown Stella Artois beer and run through a fixed course in the inner city. There is no track, so they find themselves weaving in and out of the busy streets, dodging pedestrians, shoppers and cafe terraces. Upon completion, their time is noted and the remaining beer is weighed. They’re not only competing on speed, but also on balancing their tray without spilling.
Earlier that day, I had watched as the group of 30 or so contestants, dressed in the T-shirts and uniforms of the bar they represent, with Stella sponsored logos pinned to their backs, march over to the Stella Artois stand and have the rules relayed to them by a man with a megaphone in Dutch. I didn’t understand a word of it, but now I am watching the runners compete, it is easy enough to follow.
The crowd, gathered behind metal barriers, cheers the competitors as they make their way back into the Oud Markt one at a time to cross the finish line. Some of them return at a full running pace, their trays perfectly balanced and their glasses still completely full. Others trudge across the line with a few glasses that have toppled over and others only half full. One competitor even returns with all the glasses empty, but it was clear from the drink in his hand, one that he is taking huge gulps from, that this is no accident. He decided he needed a few refreshments during his lap of the city. 6 glasses of refreshment.
With each returning runner, the beer is weighed and the completion time is noted down until finally, hours after the first competitor set off. A huge, silver trophy is awarded to the winner, but by now, the competitors, the crowd, and especially me, are a little too tipsy to even care who won. For us, it is all about the fun and the spectacle of the occasion. It’s an event that reminds me why I like Belgium, and especially Leuven, so much. Firstly the beer, and secondly, because it’s just a little bit weird.
I visited Leuven as a guest of Visit Leuven and Visit Flanders. However, all views are my own.
