For an inside look at one of the most unique breweries in Belgium (maybe even in the world), visit the Half Moon Brewery (Huisbrouwerij de Halve Maan) – our top pick for things to do in Bruges.
Situated in the historic Walplein – a picturesque town square that city records show has been the location of a brewery since 1562 – this 6th-generation,
family-owned brewery was founded in 1856 and is most widely known for its signature brew – the Brugse Zot artisanal ale – and for its groundbreaking pipeline, which runs nearly 2 miles beneath the city of Bruges, carrying beer from the brewery to the company’s off-site bottling facility.
A tour of the brewery-museum is a fun way to learn about the company’s history and comes with an opportunity to taste their special, available-only-at-the-brewery, unfiltered and unpasteurized Brugse Zot Blond (one complimentary glass included with admission price).
During your tour, you’ll walk through the old brewhouse (now a museum) where you’ll see the antique brewing installations including:
fermentation tanks,
cooling tanks,
an ammonia cooling compressor,
a recreated brewmaster’s laboratory,
a 1935 copper wort chiller,
displays of beer crates and kegs,
copperware,
and a diverse collection of beer glasses.
You’ll also have the opportunity to walk through the present-day brewhouse, past the modern brewing kettles, mash and lauter tuns,
and fermentation and storage tanks.
You’ll even get to see the hoses feeding into the underground pipeline.
A highlight of the tour is getting to step out onto the rooftop for a stunning view of Bruges.
Getting there:
The Half Moon Brewery is located at Walplein 26.
Ticket info:
Adult Admission (Brewery tour + 1 glass of Brugse Zot Blond) = 10.00€
Adult Admission (XL Tour: brewery tour + beer tasting) = 19.00€
Child Admission (Ages 6 – 12) = 5.00€
Child Admission (Ages 5 and Under) = Free
Note: The tours, which take about 1 hour, require lots of steep stair climbing.
Travel tip:
If you’d like to try the Brugze Zot beer, but would rather skip the tour, you can visit the onsite bar/restaurant and purchase a glass.
Summary
Reviewer
Mike Young
Review Date
Reviewed Item
De Halve Maan Brouwerij tour
Author Rating
I especially like this part: “According to Mike, the Brugse Zot unfiltered/unpasteurized is the best beer he’s tasted in all of his travels and he’s tried brews in over 20 countries in Europe, 6 Canadian Provinces and 40 U.S. states. Now that’s saying something about Brugse Zot…or about Mike!” Would love a taste of that Brugse Zot!
Yeah, Mike liked this part, too 🙂
Gayla~
We missed the last tour when we were there, but they were more than willing to let us sample their beers! We loved the Zot, and have happily found it (the bottled version) here in Germany. It may not be quite the same, but still excellent. We’re not complaining!
You guys are lucky to have found the Zot in Germany, even if it is bottled 🙂 Enjoy!
Happy New Year to you and Ben and thanks for stopping by!