Beer tours to Belgium & Bamberg are my expertise.

Everything from brewery contacts and tours, to coach companies, to hotels, to restaurants, to beer festivals, to abbies, to museums, and other  fun unique Belgian attractions.  Belgium has a lot of obstacles that can get in the way of a good beer tour, such as weird holidays, language barriers, cultural differences, detours, rail strikes, airport strikes, etc.  Knowing how to anticipate these obstacles and knowing what to do when they cannot be anticipated is key.  I also have a good understanding of how long it takes to get between places in Belgium, how much it should cost and how much travelers can reasonably handle before fatigue starts replacing pleasure.  I can also keep these tours fun, interesting and exciting for people who have been to Belgium before.  There is so much to see and do, and I've spent years researching what Belgium has to offer the beer traveller.  BBM! is the only U.S.-based beer tour company featured in the Good Beer Guide Belgium for the past three editions and to be featured on Travel with Rick Steves.

in a BEER-nutshell...

• I consider myself to be the ultimate tourist and have traveled to many countries in addition to Belgium, including, Germany, Italy, France, Czechia, Netherlands, Great Britain, Poland,Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Canada and Texas. When the United States, I enjoy visiting brewpubs, breweries, historic routes and sites, antique stores and other points of interest.

• I am also an avid collector of old beer cans, beer signs and other breweriana, and belong to several national organizations of collectors.

• In my previous life, I was a professional stand-up comedian and performed full time from 1991 to 2013. I performed my popular stand-up show on Mackinac Island from 1995 to 2013, when I retired the show to run BBM! full time. I also used teach a class on Beginning Stand-Up Comedy through the ASUW Experimental College at the University of Washington from 1991 until it was dissolved in 2016. And, I’m a 1986 graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism in Missoula.

• I divide my time between Grand Marais, Michigan, in the summer and Cave Creek, Arizona, in the winter, with visits to Belgium, France, Netherlands and Germany.

• I am an ambassador of good beer.

• In 2018 I had the good fortune and honor to become an Honorary Knight of the Knighthood of the Brewers Mash Staff. It was a humbling moment and one of proudest of my life. Here’s an article about it. “Stu Stuart became an Honorary Knight of the Knighthood of the Brewers Mash Staff in an enthronement ceremony that took place Sept. 8, 2018, in the Brewers Guild House on the Grand Place of Brussels. This exceedingly rare honor was bestowed upon him for rendering loyal service to the brewers of Belgium. It is reserved for those who make an important contribution to the Belgian beer industry, either commercially, politically or socially, and who can therefore present themselves as an ambassador for Belgian beer. Typically Honorary Knights are importers, grocery store chain owners, politicians and an occasional beer writer. This is the first time a member of the beer tourism community has been recognized with an invitation to become an Honorary Knight. Stu is the third person from Michigan to receive this honor. For more images the enthronement ceremony click here and for images of Belgian Beer Weekend click here.”

• I've spent a lot of time, energy and resources researching and developing these great beer tours of Belgium so you can enjoy them. Please feel free to email or call me with your questions.

• I hope to see you on a BBM! tour soon!
  Cheers & Santé!