Drinking beer in Antwerp: Tips about Belgian beer

In 2016, Belgian beer culture was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. It is characterized by extraordinary diversity, complex flavor profiles, and centuries-old brewing traditions. Reason enough to go looking for good places to drink beer in Antwerp.

Belgian Beer Styles

Belgian brewers have cultivated a wide range of yeasts over centuries. These yeasts are often responsible for the characteristic fruity and spicy aromas, reminiscent of cloves, bananas, pepper, or other spices. Another feature is the variety of fermentation methods. In addition to classic top fermentation, Belgian brewers are masters of “wild” or spontaneous fermentation.

Four stacks of square Antwerp beer coasters (bierdeckel) are displayed in a clear acrylic rack, each featuring a different colorful illustration of a historic landmark in the Belgian city. Each coaster is labeled with "ANTWERP - Belgium - BEER-CITY" in a stylized black font against a light blue sky.

Belgian beers are highly diverse. However, alongside these traditional beers, many breweries also offer a wide variety of craft beers.

Trappist Beers

Trappist beers are one of the most famous Belgian beer types. They are brewed in monasteries under the supervision of Trappist monks. Belgium is home to six of the world’s eleven Trappist breweries, including Westvleteren, Chimay, Orval, and Rochefort. These beers are characterized by their complexity, strong flavors, and often high alcohol content.

Abbey Beers

Abbey beers are inspired by monastery brewing traditions but are not necessarily brewed by monks. Well-known brands include Leffe, Grimbergen, Maredsous, and Tripel Karmeliet. These beers are mostly top-fermented and offer a wide range of flavors, from fruity to spicy.

Lambic and Gueuze

Lambic beers are unique because they are created through spontaneous fermentation using wild airborne yeasts. They often have a tart flavor. Gueuze is a blend of young and aged Lambic that ferments further in the bottle. Fruity variants like Kriek (with cherries) and Framboise (with raspberries) are also very popular.

Belgian Strong Ales

These beers are known for their high alcohol content and intense aromas. Examples include the world-famous Duvel and Delirium Tremens, which stands out for its fruity and spicy notes as well as its iconic pink elephant bottle.

Two glasses of beer, a hazy orange Brussels Beer Project and a reddish-amber Bolleke De Koninck, sit on a dark table in Antwerp.

Witbier (Wheat Beer)

Belgian Witbier is a pale, unfiltered beer often spiced with coriander and orange peel. A well-known example is Hoegaarden, which is appreciated for its refreshing lightness and citrus notes.

Dubbel, Tripel, and Quadrupel

Other terms like Dubbel, Tripel, or Quadrupel refer to the strength and intensity of the beers:

Dubbel: Dark, malty, and slightly sweet, such as Westmalle Dubbel.
Tripel: Paler, stronger, and more complex, such as Tripel Karmeliet.
Quadrupel: Very strong, dark, and rich, often with notes of dried fruit and caramel.

Spéciale Belge

A lesser-known but authentic Belgian beer style is the Spéciale Belge, an amber ale with malty and slightly nutty notes. It was created in 1905 in response to the popularity of German lagers.

Saison

Saison beers originally come from Wallonia and were brewed for farm workers. They are dry, slightly spicy, and often feature citrus notes. A well-known example is Saison Dupont.

Fruit Beers

Fruit beers are a Belgian specialty, often based on Lambic beers. Popular varieties are Kriek (cherry) and Framboise (raspberry), such as Bacchus Framboise.

Drinking Beer in Antwerp

We went out looking for great-tasting beers in the city—and we found plenty of them! Whether in pubs, restaurants, or at a craft beer festival, the selection was truly excellent.

Bier Central

Located almost directly at the main train station, Bier Central drew us in. Admittedly, it looked very touristy from the outside and initially didn’t seem like a place with a great beer selection. But looks can be deceiving! Drinking beer in Antwerp becomes a real pleasure here!

The dining area was super cozy. Lots of small tables arranged in seating corners, as well as large tables for groups, awaited us in the dim light. On the table lay a thick booklet that, at first glance, looked very much like a magazine. When I opened it, it almost took my breath away. There were seemingly hundreds of beers listed with pictures and descriptions. My first thought: “Advertising!” But, as the staff assured us, almost all the beers listed are nearly always in stock at Bier Central.

So we started looking for the beer that would quench our thirst today. That really isn’t easy with such a selection, so I was glad for the expert assistance from the staff. Based on a rather rough idea of what we wanted, they narrowed down the spectrum, and finally, the choice was made.

Two glasses of beer from Bier Central in Antwerp sit on a dark wooden table, one a clear golden pilsner and the other a hazy orange wheat beer, both topped with a thick white head.

All the beers we selected had one thing in common: they were brewed in Belgium, some even in the greater Antwerp area. In terms of taste, they were very different: fruity, creamy, sometimes more and sometimes less hoppy. They were highly drinkable, good, and gave us a small glimpse into the diversity of Belgian beers.

Bierlovers

Bierlovers turned out to be a pub primarily frequented by locals. The taproom was functionally furnished and could perhaps have used a little more flair. But we immediately felt right at home, which was certainly due in part to the friendly welcome.

At Bierlovers, the beer selection was international. A look at the board even revealed a brewery we know very well: Fuerst Wiacek. But there was also Belgian beer, which we enthusiastically drank. The taste of these beers also won us over: fruity, hardly bitter, and very pleasant on the palate.

Two stemmed glasses of craft beer, one amber and one golden, sit on a wooden bar at Beer Lovers Bar in Antwerp.

ap-Room of the Seef Brewery

The Seef Brewery is one of the most famous breweries in the region. The Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie, Brouwerij & Taproom is located inside the brewery, situated in the old harbor area.

A beer garden and a modern taproom awaited us. We had reserved a table, which was a good thing, as the taproom was busy. I really like the taproom. It is large, bright, friendly, and you sit in close proximity to the brewing kettles. That makes the ambiance look so much more like a brewery!

Two glasses of Seef beer with a thick white head sit on a wooden table at the Seef brewery in the Cadix neighborhood of Antwerp's Eilandje district.

The menu offers typical dishes often found in breweries. It tasted good, and the portions were generous.

The Seef Brewery offers several beers. Each has a name that doesn’t really reveal much about the beer style, so we just had to taste them. For those who want more information about the beers, you can find it in our article “Seef Beer from Antwerp: Traditional Recipe, Rediscovered.” Just this much can be revealed here: for me, these beers were clearly the best during our time in the city. There wasn’t a single flavor profile that didn’t win me over (sure, not everything is always exactly to my taste, but the beers were simply convincing). Since these beers can also be bought in many shops around the city, there was always a bottle in the fridge at our vacation rental.

Drinking Beer at an Antwerp Brewery Festival

By chance, a craft beer festival was taking place at the De Koninck Brewery in Antwerp during our stay. We couldn’t miss that, of course, and headed over to the brewery grounds.

If there isn’t an event happening there, you can take part in guided brewery tours and beer tastings. Now, however, the courtyard and one of the warehouses were full of tables, benches, and, of course, beer stands. There were even some food trucks on-site providing savory food to pair with the beer.

You pay an entrance fee for the festival and receive a tasting glass in return, which you get to keep afterwards. The roughly 30 different microbreweries offer a wide variety of beers at their stands. These cost between €1.50 and €2.50 and are poured into the tasting glass. Some beers are freshly tapped, while others are poured from bottles or cans.

A can of Galea Craft Beers "Holy Fruity" alcohol-free fruity sour ale sits next to a full glass of beer at the Modeste Bierfestival in Antwerp.

A dark Galea Holy Roasty coffee stout is served in a Modeste glass at the Antwerpen Bier festival, positioned next to its can on a menu.

The sheer volume of beers is initially “overwhelming,” especially if you don’t know any of the breweries. So, for us, it meant having conversations to find out what was on offer. However, I also just picked one brewery because its logo was so cute, and another because I had never drank cactus beer before. Not every beer we tried was to our taste. A lot of it was just too “experimental,” and some were a bit “flat and unremarkable” in flavor.

Kaktus Bier beim Bierfestival in Antwerpen

A close-up shot of a beer tap at the Antwerpen Bier festival features a circular green label for "Bierebeer" with an illustration of a three-eyed bear wearing a collared shirt.

But it’s also not easy to hit the exact flavor profile that pleases everyone. You notice that especially well when you try brewing a batch yourself. The appropriate equipment for doing so could also be purchased at the event.