Words and photos by Ashley Joanna
Edited by Breandán Kearney
Humans of Belgian Beer is a series of photographic portraits which celebrate a people and their culture.
When Tom Steffens was old enough, he stepped into the workforce of Pub 24, a hospitality establishment founded by his father in the year 2000 in the quaint village of Bütgenbach in German-speaking East Belgium. Initially a restaurant under the guidance of his great great-grandmother, Tom’s grandmother had transformed it into a shop selling children’s toys and souvenirs from the region.
Tom’s father, Marc Steffens—originally a butcher in Eupen—decided he’d like to return home to Bütgenbach and sell beer rather than toys.
Because he was born on the 17th March, St. Patrick’s Day, he opted to renovate the building with the aesthetic of an Irish pub while retaining the essence of a Belgian café. Tom’s grandparents mucked in, childminding Tom in between pours behind the bar.
Since joining the workforce of the now 23-year old pub and restaurant, Tom Steffens has added music to Pub 24’s offering. He orchestrated Pubfest, an annual music event spanning two days every August that draws approximately 1,000 attendees and features vibrant performances by live bands and DJs.
“Every Sunday when I was around 7 years old, my grandfather would watch me,” says Tom of his first days in Pub 24. “[My father] would have to go to the pub to work in the mornings and he would take me with him. I remember we always went by foot. We would walk with the dog together from Weywertz to Pub 24, which is about 5km. I loved hanging out with my grandfather on Sundays. I was always with him behind the bar and served beer to his friends.”
Inside Pub 24, your gaze is drawn to vinyl records stuck across the entire length of the ceiling. The walls are covered in photographs spanning generations of the family and their dedicated staff over the years.
Concert snapshots, LED signs, an array of posters, and vibrant furnishings create a cosy ambience in which to enjoy any of the local beers on the menu from East Belgium: Richtenberger Belgian Blonde from Beer Concept; 96 Blanche from nanobrewery 96 Beer Eastbelgium; Mosaic from Brauerei Nova Villa; Eifel Blonde from Eifel Craft Beer; and Malmedy Blonde and Brune from Brasserie de Bellevaux.
The pub has its routine—mornings begin with the family gathered over coffee, cigarettes, and discussions, as Tom plans the day and the week ahead with his father Marc, his mother Verena, his brother Colin, and his sister Jill.
And every two years, the family and all of Pub 24’s staff travel together to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day, to pick up tips and to spend time together on the other side of the bar.
I loved hanging out with my grandfather on Sundays. I was always with him behind the bar and served beer to his friends.
Tom Steffens
