On my way home from BRB, I saw a neon sign for “Brugge Brasserie” and *had* to stop in to see what was going on.

When I looked over the menu and saw frites with fresh mayonnaise, I had to stop for a snack.

Luckily, there were a handful of tasty brews to wash down the twice-fried treats: Tripel de Ripple (11 percent), a hefty beer with a lingering spiciness, Pilsner (5 percent), typical of Belgian style pilsners, and a pale (6.5 percent) which I did not try. The Black (7.5 percent) was not on tap only because the brewer was under the weather and could not get the beer ready to serve.

The food offerings looked equally impressive: frites with 10 sauce choices (but how can you pass up fresh mayo??!?); waterzooi and Carbonnade Flamande; and crepes with 9 different stuffings like pan roasted Indiana duck breast with sweet onion confit and Wit-battered cod with endive slaw and tartar sauce.

Hard as it may seem to believe, it looks like I found a Belgian cafe in Indianapolis!

Here I am back at the Broad Ripple Brewpub in Indy for my annual “beer while the Jones girls have girl time.”

Today I am enjoying the cask conditioned Best Bitter served in a BRB pint glass. The beer is quite estery (fruity) and hopped delightfully, carbonated just enough to lightly tickle your taste buds on its way to your tummy. At 5.3 percent, this session bitter is one worth seeking out.

I have a few presents to wrap tonight for my Indy Christmas celebration, and am starting to feel a little run down.

Anheuser Busch and Bud Extra to the rescue!

In their effort to stave off the youth market erosion caused by spirits and energy drinks (Red Bull anyone?), AB created Bud Extra, or “B to the E” . The label calls it “beer with caffeine, ginseng and guarana extract and natural flavor.”

I call it anything but beer. It is a malternative with a slightly citric taste profile, no hop presence and 6.6 percent abv. It’s not offensive, but then again, let’s not mistake this for beer either.

Bottom line: I’m not sure the club kids will go for this banana in the tailpipe — Red Bull and vodka is de rigeur.

After successfully getting my parents’ on ramp to the information superhighway set up this afternoon, we needed to celebrate.

Luckily, the bratwurst plate at Legends Brew Pub is enough of a draw that my parents don’t mind the big side of beer geekery that accomapanies the entree.

I think they look pretty good together for 36+ years of marriage. Cheers to them!

One of the cool things about my new job is the ability to see my parents more often.

Here my dad, Jackie (Jack for short) and I are enjoying a chocolate porter from Richmond’s Legend Brewing Company.

Cheers!