De Dulle Griet Pub in Vrijdagsmarkt, named after the nearby huge cannon, is a Belgium pub where you can taste more than 250 different beers. Most of them are Belgium trappist beers brewed in the monasteries by the monks.

What makes this pub different to all the others in the city is the 'Maxi'. It is special bulb glass containing 1.5 liters of beer. It cannot stand up on its own so it comes in a special wooden stand.

Some try to drink the beer down in one go but what a waste of good Belgium beer that is brewed to be enjoyed. Because of theft of the glasses the pub management have introduced an unusual security system. To order a maxi you have to surrender your left shoe.

It then gets put in a large wire basket that is lowered from the roof. It is then winched back up to the roof until you have finished your beer and given back the Maxi glass and wooden holder.

There are beer menus at the bar. They can be a bit daunting. Ask for the local beer called a Gentsche Trippel. This is one of the local strong beers. Belgium beers have three strengths; normal, double and triple strength. For something different ask for a brown beer. You can never go wrong if you ask for a Leffe beer (pronounced leff). In my opinion the trappist Leffe beer is the king of Belgium strong Beers. The flavour is wonderful. It comes in blonde and brune (light golden and brown)

I found the staff friendly and knowledgeable about the beers they sell but having read other reviews from tourists that visited the pub in the evening they found them abrupt, rude and unfriendly when you could attract their attention to get them to serve you. I must admit I went to the pub during the day when it was not busy. In the evening because of it's popularity the pub is heaving with people. The staff would then be under pressure.

No smoking laws have not been passed in Belgium. It can be quite smoky. The back two rooms are designated no smoking. On the first floor there is additional space for 60 people. The crowd is very diverse, tourists and locals all seem to like the place. Going to the bathroom is a real adventure especially when you have had to many triples. They are down stairs via a very narrow, tight, winding staircase to the toilets

The atmosphere is great. The ceiling is a clutter of different decorative styles. There are banners hung and old beer adverts everywhere. There's a dead boar, wagon wheel chandeliers, and the walls are covered in ancient looking beer junk. Prices are a little bit high compared with other bars but they do not have the same ambience.

The food menu is very limited to cheeses and cold cuts. If you are still hungry, just stumble over to the restaurant Amadeus on the other side of the square where you can feast on the best all-you-can-eat ribs and baked potatoes in Belgium.

The Belgium's love their beer and there are hundreds to sample. Belgium is definitely the place to go for the beer connoisseur. What I like is that it is traditional to serve the beer in its own unique shaped glass with the brewery'qs name and logo on the front. Surprisingly Gent has no breweries. There are a few beers that have connections to Gent.

On is called Gulden Draak and the other is Gentse Tripel. They are both made outside the city. Some Belgian brews are incredibly strong. Some of the Trappist ales reach alcohol content of 10% or stronger. The king of alcoholic beers though is the deadly Delirium Tremens signified by the pink elephant emblem.

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