Brasserie Cantillon

Brasserie Cantillon is a working lambic brewery at Rue Gheude 56, 1070 Anderlecht, Brussels, and one of the few remaining producers of traditional spontaneously fermented beer in Belgium. Founded in 1900 and still run by the same family, it makes gueuze, kriek and other lambic beers using wild yeasts from the Senne valley air, with no added yeast. Many Brussels residents visit for the gueuze, a blend of young and old lambics refermented in the bottle that has a dry, sour and complex character far from ordinary lager. The building is an old brewery with wooden floors, copper kettles and rows of oak barrels, and a visit feels like stepping into a preserved workshop. Visitors walk through at their own pace, learning how the wort is cooled in a shallow tray under the roof and how the beer ages in barrel for months or years. A tasting is included in the admission price. Typical visits last about an hour, and the brewery is generally open on Wednesday to Saturday in the daytime, so planning is important. The brewing season runs from roughly October to April, and seeing a brew day in that period adds interest. The easiest way to reach the brewery is by metro line 2 or 6 to Clemenceau, followed by a short walk. The surrounding Anderlecht streets are a residential area, and a few cafés nearby serve lambic beers. Bottles can be bought in the shop. Weekday afternoons are calmer than Saturdays, when the brewery can fill with beer enthusiasts.