The rich tradition of Belgian beer is kept alive at the Brewery Museum. Visitors are shown implements, brewing and fermentation tubs, a boiling kettle and the material found in an eighteenth-century brewery. In the cosy café, memories of days gone by are brought back to life. Old tankards, antique porcelain and the paraphernalia from an inn of the past illustrate what doubtless deserves to be called "Belgian Beer Culture".

Why is the Belgian brewing industry so famous ? for two main reasons: classical pilsner-beers of the highest quality, brewed in more and more productive breweries, for which there is the greatest demand; and a series of other beers : abbey and trappist beers, gueuze, kriek, white beers, Belgian ales, "Saisons" and other special beers which make our brewing industry unique in the world.

Video Information on the brewing process :
>>> PART 1
>>> PART 2
>>> PART 3
>>> PART 4
more info on the website of Interbrew : 2nd largest brewing company in the world

Which ones should you try ?
* Abbey Beers :
>> St Feuillien Brune 7.5° / Grimbergen Blond 5°C...
* Lambic & Fruit :
>> Kriek Lindemans 3.5° (Try all the lindemans beers, we think these are the best... Women generally prefer these fruits.. More sweet...) / Kriek Timmerman 5° / Kriek Mort Subite 4.3° (Kriek = cherry) / Pêcheresse Lindemans 2.5° (Peach beer)
* Pils :
>> Maes 4.9° - 33Cl / Stella Artois 5.2° / Jupiler 5.2° ( industrial beers that are very common in Belgium, especially for student parties)
* Trappist beers :
>> Orval 6.2° / Chimay beers / Rochefort 8° / Westmalle Double 7° ( there are only 6 Trappist beers in the World, 5 in belgium and one in The Netherlands (these beers are strong and dark, but really tasty and full of flavours.. Beers amateurs drink trappists like you could drink a glass of wine...they take time to taste it)
* White beers :
>> Blanche de Bruxelles / Blanch de Hoegaarden (Our favourite) / Blanche de Namur... Ask for a little lemon juice in your white beer... it is excellent !!!

The Belgian Beers Museum

The rich tradition of Belgian beer is kept alive at the Brewery Museum. Visitors are shown implements, brewing and fermentation tubs, a boiling kettle and the material found in an eighteenth-century brewery. In the cosy café, memories of days gone by are brought back to life. Old tankards, antique porcelain and the paraphernalia from an inn of the past illustrate what doubtless deserves to be called "Belgian Beer Culture".

Over the years, the Belgian brewers have kept pace with technology. centuries of brewing experience, investing in the necessary know-how and better techniques, as well as respect for both beer and nature are the pillars of the Belgian brewing industry.

Tradition With an Eye to the Future: Visitors to the CBB-Museum will see that this indeed the case inside this hub of the latest brewing technology. The visitor is shown the raw materials behind beer (water, malt, hops, yeast) at a glance, how today's malt industry functions, a modern brewing hall where computer science and precision live in perfect harmony with the brewers' workmanship, advanced filtering methods and cooling processes, high-tech bottling and packaging lines and ipressive cylindro-conical maturing and fermentation tanks.

Computer screens in the brewhouse give details of exports by Belgian breweries and malting, the large variety of beers, what exactly is the difference between top and bottom fermentation, the secret behind fermentation itself or how much beer is drunk from bottles and on draught.

Your visit to this centre of brewing technology will take you back to the geniality and hospitality that are so closely associated with Belgian beer. The Belgian brewers will gladly offer you a glass of delicious beer in the café of the Brewery Museum.

The "CBB-Museum" is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance fee : Individual visit : 100 BEF Group visit (by appointment): 75 BEF per person (min. 20 persons).

Brewers'House
Grand,Place 10
B-1000 BRUSSELS
tel. +32.(0)2.511.49.87
fax +32.(0)2.511.32.59

The perfect way to serve a beer

Casks and bottles of beer should be stored in a dark, dry and clean place at a temperature of +/- 15°C. Cool the beer: Beer and casks: +/- 3°C at the tap thirst-quenching bottled beers: +/- 3°C gourmet bottled beer: +/- 6 to 8°C Ensure an optimum flow pressure (see table on where to store beer)

Clean glasses with cold water in which a good detergent is dissolved and rinse thoroughly with water. A clean synthetic leather cloth ("chamois") is used for drying glasses for gourmet beers.

Pouring beer
Cask beer: Open the tap but do not let the first jet of froth go into the glass. Fill the glass all in one go. First tip it to one side and then hold it up right again under the tap. The froth should flow over the sides. Skim off with a knife held at an angle. Rinse the outside of the glass.

Thirst-quenching beer: Pour the beer all in one go. Tip the glass slightly to one side and then raise it gradually to an upright position. Let the froth flow over the sides and then skim off the surface bubbles of the froth with a clean knife. Rinse the outside of the glass.

Gourmet beer: Serve the beer slowly so as to create a creamy froth. Leave some beer in the bottle so the glass can be topped up afterwards. For beers that are refermented in the bottle, leave the yeast deposit in the bottom of the bottle and present the bottle with the glass.

The information on this page is CONFEDERATION OF BELGIAN BREWERIES's property.