museum of the belgian brewers

Back when my brother was here, we did a lot of beer-related activities. We are in Belgium, after all! One of the first things we did was visit the Museum of the Belgian Brewers, conveniently located in the middle of downtown, right on the Grand Place. When we went, it was his first day in Brussels, so we walked around the Grand Place and grabbed some waffles before heading to the museum. As I had never been there before, neither of us really knew what to expect.

I was surprised to find that the museum itself is in the basement of the building, but it was an interesting little place. First, we paid the entrance fee (five euros a person, includes a beer at the end of the visit) to the guy manning the bar in the front room. He gave us each a pamphlet — in English, thank goodness — and told us to look around at the old beer-making stuff in the main room, followed by the new beer-making stuff in the back room, where there was also a video playing.

The highlight of the visit was definitely the ambiance in which we had our beers, which really was pretty cool. For the beers, every day there are two options on tap, so we each got one and shared. Both were delicious! The museum aspect of the visit was a little bit lacking, so if you are really interested in the beer-making process, do yourself a favor and head to the family-owned Cantillon Brewery (review to come), which also offers a self-guided tour that concludes with beers.

Location: Brewers’ House, Grand Place 10, Brussels

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily

Cost: 5 euros per person (includes glass of beer)