Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie

Belgium

"Okay, you only live once. Let’s start a brewery."

Antwerp breweries

Reaching Antwerp can be a struggle due to its notorious traffic problem, but luckily Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie is located in the northern part of town and not in the city center. We met up with Johan van Dyck and Karen Follens who told us the remarkable story that lead to the birth of this brewery.

Johan, who used to be a former International Marketing Director at Duvel Moortgat, stumbled in the city library upon a book about the brewing history of Antwerp. Being born and bred in Antwerp himself he got interested in how and why all these breweries disappeared. Did it have to do with the rise of industrial brewing or the German occupation during the first and second World War? Well, that indeed didn’t exactly help the local brewing industry in Antwerp. 

Seefbier

When Johan found out that the ‘Seefhoek’, a part of town, was actually named after the once very popular Seefbier, he got so intrigued that he set out on a quest to find out what this beer tasted like. After all this was the beer that his ancestors most likely used to drink. There were quite a few challenges that had to be overcome. Trying to ‘re-brew’ a beer is one thing, but when there is no recipe…

A search in local archives, visiting families that used to own a brewery and talking to really old brewers took about three years. But it all turned out to be worth it. The original recipe finally got tracked down. Brewing a beer in the 1900’s is of course not the same as today so there was the next challenge. What they finally came up with was tasting quite different, partially because of the use of Buckwheat as an ingredient. But above all, it was just really tasty. 

Craft beer in Antwerp

When Seef beer got re-introduced it soon turned out to be a succes. An industrial monumental building was found in the docklands of Antwerp and after a long discussion Johan and Karen decided to go for it. With the help of a crowdfunding campaign and much of their savings, a new independent brewery was born: Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie. Other beer styles have been introduced as well, with names like Bootje’s Bier (Amber) Nonkel Pater (Quadrupel)  and Super Cadix (Dry Hopped Lager).

Brewery visit in Antwerp

If you consider yourself a beer aficionado then visiting this independent local brewery in Antwerp is a must. The taproom is actually situated right in the middle of the brewery and on brew days you’re so close to the action that you can almost experience how it is to be an assistant brewer. Grab a bite at the Eetkaffee and enjoy some good craft beer and food pairing.

Combine your trip with a visit to the largest museum in Antwerp and a city landmark, MAS (Museum aan de Stroom). Just the awesome view from the rusty red, sixty meters high building over the port of Antwerp and this neighborhood is well worth the visit. Also make sure you have a look at another architectural higlight in the area, the head office of the Antwerp Port Authority, the Port House (see picture below).

Last but not least, like to know the story behind Bootje's Bier? Visit the nearby Red Star Line Museum and learn more about the Red Line ships that carried over two million emigrants from Antwerp to North America.

Updated: 11-09-2024