Belgian Beer in Brussels: Beer World, a Guided Tasting or a Four-Hour Tour?
4 min read
For most visitors the guided tasting is the better first beer experience, and Belgian Beer World is the better choice if you would rather walk through exhibits at your own pace. Belgian beer culture was added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2016, as the tasting tour’s booking page points out, so there is plenty to learn before the first glass.
The options compared
| Option | Length | From | Rating | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgian Beer World ticket with rooftop | Self-paced | €21.50 | 4.5 (1,325) | Interactive museum, tastings during the visit, one beer on the rooftop |
| Belgian beer tasting in Brussels | 2.5 hours | €42 | 4.7 (980) | Guided tasting in two venues, up to 10 people |
| Best beer tasting tour | 4 hours | €85 | 4.7 (398) | Six beers, three chocolate tastings, a beer museum visit |
Belgian Beer World: the museum
The ticket is run by the company that manages the former stock exchange building, and the booking page describes interactive exhibits on the history of Belgian brewing and the stories of brewing families. It includes tastings during the visit and one beer at the rooftop bar, the Beerlab, chosen from 150 varieties, and an audio app is available. Extra drinks and food are for sale at the bar. The page lists skip-the-line entry and marks the ticket as wheelchair accessible; ask the operator to confirm before you travel. According to Belgian Beer World’s own site, it opens at 10:30 am every day and closes at 7:30 pm from Sunday to Thursday (last entry 6:30 pm) and at 8:30 pm on Friday and Saturday (last entry 7:30 pm). The booking page adds that alcohol is not served to anyone under 18.
The guided tasting: 2.5 hours
The tasting is a small group of at most 10, in English. It starts at Scott’s Bar with a Trappist ale (33 cl) and the story of the monks, moves on to the Toone Theatre, a puppet theatre with an old bar, for three beers chosen by the guide (14 cl each), and offers an optional finish at Delirium Café. The page is not consistent on age: its description says you must be 18 or over to take part, while its notes say under-18s can join without the beer tasting. Bring photo ID, and ask the provider before booking for a teenager. A traveller on the page writes that it worked well for solo visitors, which is a good sign if you are alone, though it is one review.
The four-hour tour
The longer tour starts at Mary Grand Place, offers English or German, and combines six beers with three chocolate tastings, a guided look at a beer museum, some of the city’s oldest taverns and a walk past the old city gates and the fish market. The page sets a minimum age of 16. If you do not want to spend an afternoon drinking, the shorter tour is the sensible choice.
Which to book
Book the museum if you want a daytime activity, travel with someone who drinks little or want a view from the rooftop. Book the tasting for a guided evening with a story. Book the long tour only if you also want chocolate and are happy to spend four hours on it. A combined ticket exists too: the hop-on hop-off bus tour with the Belgian Beer World museum is priced from €45; read our bus or walking guide first. If you would rather party than taste, see the pub crawl guide, and for chocolate pairings our chocolate guide. More options are on our food and drink tours page.
