De Halve Maan Brewery Tour

De Halve Maan is the last working brewery inside the historic centre of Bruges, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The operator, De Halve Maan Brewery, has been brewing on the Walplein site since 1856 and is now run by the sixth generation of the same family. The brewery produces Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik, and the guided visit is the best-known beer experience in the city. The tour starts at the Walplein 26 entrance in the Sint-Gilles quarter, a short walk from the Markt and the Begijnhof. The route follows the production process through the old brewhouse with its copper kettles, the museum rooms that explain the brewing history of Bruges, the malt floor and the attic, and ends on the rooftop terrace with a panoramic view over the red roofs and towers of the old town. Visitors also pass the control room of the underground beer pipeline that carries beer to a bottling plant outside the centre. The tour lasts roughly 45 to 60 minutes and includes a guided walk and one beer tasting, usually a Straffe Hendrik or Brugse Zot served at the end in the brewery cafe. Additional tasting menus and food pairings in the restaurant are not included in the base ticket. Tours run in several languages through the day, commonly Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish, and groups are mixed so that individual visitors join scheduled departures. The pace is relaxed, but the route includes many narrow staircases. Advance booking is strongly advised in summer and at weekends because departures fill quickly. Tickets cost about €15 to €20 per person, with reduced rates for children and students. The tasting is a regular beer, so there is no formal dietary substitution, but a soft drink can usually be requested for children and non-drinkers. Combined tickets and package options with the cafe or with other Bruges attractions exist, and the brewery shop sells bottles, glasses and gift sets.