Diego Villalobo left a culinary career to embrace Belgium's beer culture
Diego Villalobo has learned to appreciate suds more than spuds.
Venezuela native Villalobo arrived in Brussels after a lengthy international journey, and then developed an appreciation for Belgium’s famed beer culture, despite having clearly preferred rum to beer back in his homeland.
And, he adds, upon arrival in his adopted hometown, there were times when he thought that some Belgian beers were nothing less than “disgusting,” citing the likes of ones accented by pickles.
Villalobo, who followed a Belgian girlfriend to Brussels, has since become fully immersed in the Belgian lifestyle, learning both Dutch and French to match his Spanish and English, having picked up the English living in the United States, where he also studied cooking. He then continued those studies in Barcelona before moving to a town near Venice to work as a chef, a calling he later abandoned for his new career,
“Beer started to get my attention more than the kitchen,” he states.
Today Villalobo divides his time between his Brussels beer store — aptly called Beer Planet — and hosting beer tastings at a Brussels brewery called the Brussels Beer Project, with the multilingual Villalobo able to conduct those tastings in several languages. (The Brussels Beer Project also has taprooms.)
Among Brussels Beer Project suds he offers insights into is Jungle Joy, which has touches of mango and passion fruit, hence its tropical name.
Another choice is Tough Cookie, which as its name suggests has a cookie taste, while Strangers Day contains Himalayan salt.
Espresso Stout will be enjoyed by those appreciative of coffee, while other beers produced by the creative owners include Brussels Ink, which comes in pink, a feminine touch for a beer created by women.
The Brussels Beer Project – which will host events and offer tours to those curious about beer in a country whose beer culture has been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO — has three locations in Brussels and three more in France, and at one time shipped its beer to points as distant as Japan but now limits its sales to Europe, a practice that it notes enables it to lower its carbon footprint.
Beer Planet — overseen by Villalobo and other South Americans – promises an “authentic Belgium beer experience” and is found in the historic Brussels district of the Marolles. It notes it provides a sales platform for Belgian microbreweries, stating that it doesn’t sell beers that are also available in supermarkets.
Beer Planet also hosts tastings and brews some of its beers.
Meanwhile, Villalobo — living in a country whose distinctive cuisine gave the world French fries – says he has no regrets about abandoning a planned cooking career and he’s convinced he’s in the right locale for his chosen path.
“I believe Brussels – and Belgium – is the best place to discover beer because a huge portion of this country’s incredible variety is concentrated in the capital,” he states.
