In den Grooten Moriaen

Photos and words by Cliff Lucas.
Edited by Breandán Kearney.

Café Society is a photographic series which celebrates the spaces at the heart of Belgian beer culture. See more here.

Sebastien Bonnier has been pouring beers from behind the porcelain taps at In den Grooten Moriaen since 2013. He took over from his parents who bought the café in 1993, converting an authentic, white brick building next to the National Tobacco Museum from a disco and restaurant into a well-lit, quaint café in the small village of Wervik. The enamel signs decorating its exterior façade and the framed illustrations on the interior walls are reminiscent of many traditional Belgian beer cafés—yet the historical brands they promote are not beers but tobacco brands: Admiral cigarettes, Semois tobacco, Belga cigarettes, Stoom Tabaks en Sigarenfabriek (“Steam Tobacco and Cigar Factory”), and Turkish cigarette manufacturer, Turmac. In den Grooten Moriaen, whose name originates from the Moors of North African descent, is the only establishment in Belgium still allowed to display these tobacco advertisements. Here, the term moriaen refers to small statues depicting the dark-skinned labourers of 17th and 18th century tobacco cultivation, statues which were historically placed in the window sills of tobacco shops to market their tobacco products for sale. There’s still a few cigars for sale at In den Grooten Moriaen. However, it’s their extensive beer list that keeps the regulars returning. An assortment of Trappist beers, Oude Geuzes, and traditional Belgian ales dominate the menu. Leroy Breweries, located in nearby Boezinge, brews a blonde and brown beer (the Bleeken Moriaen and Bruynen Moriaen, respectively) exclusively for the café. And while the use of the term moriaens has passed due to its useless imprecision and racial animus, one still peers over Bonnier’s shoulder each time he pours a Westmalle Duo from the tap.