Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan — Attraction in Bruges

We were very excited for our brewery tour and dinner but we’re quite disappointed. The first half of the tour was in areas that were a higher temperature than outside (it was already a hot day outside) with no warning that we would be in elevated temperature for an extended period of time. It got the point where I considered leaving the tour early. There were also some sections of stairs that were so steep we were suggested to descend backwards, again with no prior warning of needing to be able to do this. In general the tour was good, but these were deterrents.

The restaurant was the real disappointment. The website explicitly states you should not make reservations unless you have 16 people. We were also told when booking the tour that we would not need a reservation for our group of 10. When we got to the (empty) restaurant after the tour, the host made a face and seemed angry that we didn’t have a reservation before. seating us. After the heat of the tour, it was disappointing that it was also hot inside the restaurant, but I understand not everywhere has AC. The service was not attentive and the food was expensive while being poor quality. We had originally planned to stay for another drink, but because of how unpleasant the experience...

Place is beautiful, beer is great. Unfortunately, everything else lacked. We felt very unwanted there the entire time. We had a reservation at 13:00 earlier today (April 28), we told them when we got there, they said “go upstairs”. We went upstairs and the tall, thin, blonde guy at the bar laughed and said “you have to go downstairs. They can’t send you up here. We are full” After we explained we have a reservation and he still said “nope go downstairs”. We went downstairs, finally a nice man at the bar helped us, saw our reservation, and took us back upstairs to a table that had our name and reservation on it. We sat and were immediately asked if we had a reservation from the waiters, again. Then we were rushed to pick a beer. The beer we got is great. The meals: cheeseburger and fish strips were not awesome. The fries were good. Every other table had bread and the waiter went to them multiple times and we received none of that. I’ve been in Belgium for almost two weeks and this the first time I’ve experienced this disappointment after being really excited to go. Not sure if they’re just not a fan of tourists. Luckily, price point isn’t bad so that...

A great brewery tour and experience that is definitely deserving of being at the top of anyones must-do list while in Bruges. It also help that the beer itself (namely its flagship beer Brugse Zot) is delicious and very drinkable! The tour lasts about an hour. The guides are very engaging and great at describing the brewery process and giving some interesting information about the brewery and its history. The experience itself quite immersive with lots of climbs up and down stairs and shuffles through narrow hallways where you'll see the large imposing brewery equipment up close. There is also a chance to get a great view of Bruges city from the rooftop of the building during the tour. What is refreshing is that the tour is not pretentious or catered towards pleasing just the tourists.

The gift-shop is also worth a visit with some quirky souvenirs, beer glasses but most importantly the beer itself - available to buy with a good variety at sensible prices. The bar is also great with a lovely atmosphere and with the beer available unfiltered (You receive a token after the tour for a free drink of choice) The bar does get quite busy but...