HALVE-MANN BREWERY BRUGES
Henri Maes' Fool’s Beer in Belgium
When the Emperor Maximillian I of Austria inherited the lands of Flanders
from his marriage to Mary,
the daughter of Burgundy’s Charles the
Bold, marrying her at Ghent in 1477, upon visiting Bruges, was welcomed
by the proud residents with a parade of jesters and merrymakers, perhaps
a not too subtle political statement of their reaction to a new foreign
king. At the end of the day of festivities, when the locals ask him for
the money to build a new madhouse, he answered “Today, I have seen
nothing but fools. Bruges is already one large madhouse!”. Since
that day the people of Bruges have been called the “Brugse Zotten” – the
Fools of Bruges. Today, the foreigners who come to Bruges can join them
with a draft ‘Brugse Zot’ beer at the Halve Mann Brewery. 
Beer
brewing seems the national pastime of Belgium with small breweries
all across the country (see Belgium
Beer Touring), so well
known for it, maps of breweries are available for tracking down the
amber elixir on beer tours, from
monk
made Trappist
beers (see Orval
Monastery Trapist Beer) to fruit beers. Bruges (Brugge)
in the flats lands of Flanders - Dutch speaking Belgium is undoubtedly
a popular
tourist town, with the clop of horse drawn carriages on its cobble
stone streets and boats on the narrow canals. There were once well
over a dozen
beer brewers in Bruges, but now only one active family brewery remains
in the center of town. The De Halve Mann (Half Moon) Brewery has been
brewing beer since Henry Maes acquired an earlier brewery named the
Moon in 1856.
Guided Halve Mann Brewery Tour
Guided
tours of the De Halve Mann brewery are offered daily. Tickets are purchased
at the
bar in the brewery’s restaurant, entering
as groups into the brewery. Only part of the actual brewing process is
still active at the Halve Mann brewery, making the tour half brewery
and half museum. 
The tour leads from stainless steel tanks up through
a maze of steps and ladders in the old building where the guides explain
the
brewing process, the demonstrating the flavoring agents of malt, hops
and grains. The more interesting parts of the tour are perhaps the
tools and machines left over from beer brewing of the past. The end of
the tour is a view of Bruges from the roof of the old brewery. The Guided
tours last 45 minutes and at the end, a full glass of the brewery’s
signature “Bruges Zot” beer is included with the €5.50
price of the tour, making the tour itself a bargain, well worth the
modest price. 
The
De Halve Mann Brewery is located at the Walplein square in the center
of Bruges.
The
tour hours are from 11am to 4pm (until 3pm in winter),
but the Brewery Pub Restaurant at the De Halve Maan Brasserie is open
from 10am, serving lunch and dinner as well as the varieties of Henri
Maes
beers.
P.S. the ‘Brugse Zot’ is very good and won’t make you
feel foolish – unless of course you imbibe like a fool. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Halve
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SEE ALSO:
CANTILLON BREWERY TOUR - BRUSSELS
GRAVENSTEEN - COUNT'S CASTLE - GHENT
DURBUY - PRETTIEST TOWN ON THE OURTHE
PASSCHENDAELE
1917 & TYNE COT - WWI
OLD CHEESEMAKERY - PASSENDALE
