In the past, Brussels stood synonymous with +100 breweries and its very own beer culture: think Faro, Lambic, Gueuze,… While yes, you can still enjoy these all-time favourites, many new breweries emerged the scene, experimenting their way into the Brussels’ brewing history. Today, there are around 20 breweries. Don’t know which one to pick? Well, we’ll get you started.
Starting with L’Annexe which is part of our Brussels Craft Brewery Tour (shared tours on Mondays or Thursdays)
and Brussels Beer Project, which is part of our Brussels beer Tasting Tour (shared tours on Fridays)
For the other breweries, we have put down an itinerary in the order taking into account locations and opening hours.
The best day to follow this itinerary would surely be on Thursday, Friday or Saturday due to closing days.
Enjoy!
This blog is a rewrite of the blogpost “12 breweries to visit in Brussels” from 2021, a lot has changed over the past 3 years. So here it is, our 2024 update on the must-visit breweries in Brussels.
1. L’Annexe
If you’ve been on one of our guided tours, you know that I have a soft spot for brewery L’Annexe.
We have a partnership with them and we always go there during our all-year-long Brussels brewery tour.
Looking for a non-alcoholic alternative? Make sure to stop by L’Annexe where they create – aside from delicious beers a wide variety of tonics in their fermenterie.
Zoals veel brouwerijen tegenwoordig doen, werkte L’Annexe samen met 10 verschillende brouwerijen om hun jubileum te vieren: Vandekelder, Cohop en Beerstorming, … om er maar een paar te noemen.
BeerSecret’s favourite beer: Saison de Bruxelles, which is also their flagship beer
Adres Metaalstraat 19, 1060 Sint-Gillis
Visit this brewery during our Brussels Brewery Tour
2. Brussels Beer Project
Brussels Beer Project, or BBP in short, founded its first brewery in Brussels in 2013.
They are very accessible (some weeks, they are open 7/7, depending on the holidays). They started brewing in Dansaertstraat (Dansaert Street), now infamous with its very own Instagram page.
A few years ago, they opened another brewery on the outskirts of Brussels (Port Sud), which makes them the largest brewery in all of Brussels (with a capacity of 35 000 HL).
If you visit BBP today and return the next week, their offer might have shifted. They brew a new beer almost every other week– with popular ones joining their All-Star collection. Most beers are IPAs, which I like very, very much.
BeerSecret’s favourite beer: No doubt: Triple Bertha, a mix of wheat beer and triple. 😋(the new name for their Grosse Bertha) And our copy writer went on out tour; “I enjoy their Pico Bello and Brewster gang – BBP’s yearly collab beer to commemorate Women’s Day”
Visit this brewery during our Brussels Beer Tasting Tour
3. Wolf
Lunchtime = WOLF TIME! Let’s grab a bite to eat at Wolf Sharing Food Market/Microbrewery. It’s in the city and center, on the same street as our beloved beer spa Bath & Barley.
Wolf is huge, there are 17 trendy restaurants, 2 bars, and 1 microbrewery, all under 1 roof.
Delicious burgers, fresh homemade pasta, and the best sushi you’ll ever eat. 10/10 👌
The microbrewery is in the back of the food market – and you’ll find everything over there: gaze upon their huge fermentation tanks where the wort is transforming into beer. They host their very own brewery tours.
Year-round, they brew white and blonde styles of beer. And to top it all off: they have their very own ‘surprise beer’. Ask for it while at Wolf. Now; they have a delicious amber on tap, so hurry!!
BeerSecret’s favoriete bier: Wolf’s white beer, but try their beer of the month, always a way to discover new beer!! 😍 Can’t wait for the next one!
Adres Rue du Fossé aux Loups 50, 1000 Bruxelles
4. Cantillon
To visit Cantillon, you’ll have to stroll to the suburb of Anderlecht. The legacy of this brewery is worth the visit – Cantillon is truly an icon in Brussels brewing history.
When lager was invented in the Czech Republic around 1842, these first temperature-controlled beers came to Belgium. And they disrupted the Belgian beer culture, especially after WWI. If you were a brewery and wanted to stay in business, you had to shift to lager. Luckily, Cantillon picked a different road. And guess who still exists today?
Founded in 1900, at the height of the lager craze, Cantillon had the guts to continue brewing so-called ‘spontaneous fermentation beers’.
Now, 100+ years later, their lambic beers are still highly praised by beer geeks in Belgium – and across the globe. Beer connoisseurs are queuing for their limited editions.
BeerSecret’s favourite beer: Sang Bleu. Not available? Try their traditional Gueuze.
Adres Rue Gheude 56, 1070 Anderlecht
5. Brasserie De La Senne
Een heerlijk verfrissend biertje
Up for an after-work? Visit Brasserie de la Senne. If you are on holiday, you’re welcome as well! 😉
Brasserie de la Senne started the renewed Brussels brewing culture, back in 2010. Their philosophy? They are located in Brussels, so they brew beers for the city of Brussels. Tourists and locals alike, when you are in Brussels, you should try a beer by Brasserie de la Senne.
They have a variety of beers: Zinnebir (Belgian Pale Ale), Zenne Pils (Unfiltered Craft Lager), Stouterik, and some seasonal beers.
BeerSecret’s favoriete bier: Zinnebir – BUT we usually taste this during our year-round Brussels Brewery Tour, since this beer has an intriguing background. So when you are at their brewery, try the triple: Jambe de Bois.
Adres Drève Anna Boch 19/21, 1000 Brussel
6. La Source
La Source is a very cozy and creative microbrewery that offers a variety of beers. IPAs, sour & wild beers, seasonals, barrel-aged or classic styles, … There’s something for everyone’s taste.
Make sure to visit their bar: they have 5 taps connected to their very own service tanks – assuring that you have the freshest beers you can find in Brussels.
BeerSecret’s favourite beer : La Meute and Python
Adres Dieudonné Lefèvrestraat 4, 1020 Brussel
7. Surrealiste
Time to stroll back to the city center … Your hotel may be closer there, right? 😉 In the same street as BBP, in an abandoned warehouse, you’ll find Brasserie Surréaliste which opened its doors in 2022.
Wellicht heb je een bier geprobeerd van Brasserie Surréaliste. Ze besteedden hun brouwactiviteiten al meer dan 4 jaar uit. Ze werden lange tijd een “bierfirma” genoemd.
Now, thanks to outstanding sales, marketing, and design (I cannot stress this enough: check the design on the cans), the hottest bars in Brussels serve their beers. Now, I am so glad that Surrealiste has a brewery, in the heart of Brussels.
BeerSecret’s favoriete bier: Surrealiste (Pale Ale), which is the most accessible beer as it’s their flagship one
Adres Nieuwe Graanmarkt 22-23, 1000 Brussels
Dus, nu zijn jullie voorgesteld aan alle hipste brouwerijen die Brussel te bieden heeft. Er zijn er nog tientallen, maar dat is een verhaal voor een volgende blogpost! En zie: zoals ik je eerder al vertelde, is Brussel veel meer dan de traditionele “Geuze” en Faro.
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Yes, we can’t wait to share our beer knowledge with you! 🫶
- Visit L’Annexe during our Brussels Brewery Tour
- Visit Brussels Beer Project during our Brussels Beer Tasting Tour
Before you start exploring Brussels, you may be eager to discover more about the Belgian beer world. Lees meer blogposts!
Or interested in the history of the Brussels breweries? Last year, we wrote Een blogpost over het brouwerijverleden van Brussel.
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