The Musée de la Biére or Beer Museum displaying 18C equipment, with modern brewhouse and tavern offering tastings. This was the hightlight of the visit to the Grand Place of Brussels, Let me tell you a bit on it from a split of an older post,and new news! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The guild of brewers settled in the 16C, when it was founded, in this superb house on the Grand-Place, called the l’Arbre d’Or or golden tree. The wars of Louis XIV devastated Flanders and the corporation rebuilt it after it was bombed in 1695. We discover the techniques of brewing: utensils, brewing and fermentation tanks as well as a center of high technology in brewing, surrounded by old tankards and typical brewing objects, a bar concludes the visit and allows the tasting of two anonymous beers. In the charming estaminet, memories of distant times are evoked: old tankards, antique porcelain as well as typical objects furnishing an inn of the time bear witness to what can undoubtedly be described as the “culture Belgian beer”. And indeed this is the place to be ! As a start, then it goes on and on and on lol !!!
The visitor will have the opportunity to grasp at a glance all the modern techniques used to make beer, the raw materials (water, malt, hops, yeast), the current malting industry , the brewing room where It is in perfect harmony with the personal skill of the brewer, the new filtration and cooling techniques, the most efficient bottling lines and cylindrical-conical storage and fermentation tanks. After discovering this center of high technology in the brewery, the visitor will be able to appreciate the traditional, warm and welcoming atmosphere so closely linked to beer, by tasting in the estaminet a Belgian beer offered by the brewers.
The new twist coming is that there will be a bigger beer museum ! Euronext was formed from the merger of the Brussels, Paris, and Amsterdam stock markets in 2000, and they inherited a building opened in 1873 by Belgium’s King Leopold II. The Bourse or stock exchange building will house a Beer Museum on its upper floors after it has been renovated in 2023. Over 100 beer brewers have confirmed their participation. The lower two floors of the building, as well as the large hall, will be made into public spaces for events. The main attraction of the renovated building will be the beer experience Center Belgian Beer World. Visitors will be able to discover why Belgian beer is recognised as world heritage by UNESCO, among other things.
It is the first time in its history that the 12,000 m² of the Bourse will be used, The large central hall would be transformed into a public space hosting events and exhibitions. The entrances would be adapted, with a new one on the side of the Grand Place, a new passageway created linking the streets flanking the Bourse, and a brasserie, shop, and restaurant installed on the building’s ground floor. Belgian Beer World would wind through the first and second floors, and culminate in a rooftop tasting bar, Exhibits will sketch the evolution of Belgian beer medieval brewing, the role of monasteries, the impact of revolution, independence and world wars, industrialization, and the rise, fall, and rise of Belgian beer in the 20C. Focus will then shift to the country’s “rebellious” brewers and their alchemical blurring of art and science that is the country’s brewing ethos. Then it’s up onto the roof for a tasting before exiting through the gift shop.
The official beer museum : https://beermuseum.be/en
The Brussels tourist office on the Beer museum : https://visit.brussels/en/place/Le-Musee-des-Brasseurs-belges
The stock exchange or bourse project for the new bigger beer museum: https://beursbourse.be/en
There you go folks, a dandy spot in a grand spot in lovely Brussels, do come to the old Beer Museum for the experience of old. And be ready by 2023 for the bigger one at the Bourse. It is indeed a nice experience for all.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 