When we go to Belgium we do indulge in a fair amount of beer sampling, but we do try to do a bit of sight seeing too. So when the beer sampling and the sight seeing can seamlessly coincide then life is good! Once such example of this wondrous occurrence can be found during a day out in the Flanders city of Bruges. A trip to the Brewery de Halve Maan (previously known as the Straffe Hendrik brewery) combines history, beer drinking and a good day out!

The brewery, bar, restaurant, museum and visitor centre that make up this tourist attraction is located at 26 Walplein. It isn't far from the cathedral, the main tourist sites in Bruges (the diamond museum is not far away) and is about ten minutes walk from the train station. To be honest, we went with some people who knew the way from the station, but there is a good map on the brewery web-site (address at the end of the review).

Along the way you will see various parts of the brewing process and also some of the history of Belgian brewing. There are also some interesting exhibits of beer advertising history ~ we particularly enjoyed spotting the old cans and bottles from the UK, many of which were examples of beers and breweries that no longer exist. There are rooms full of huge casks and the place has quite a lot of atmosphere ~ the air smells of beer, oak barrels and that aroma of history!

Once the tour is completed you get a ticket to redeem in the bar for a free drink. This is where it can a little hectic because it is the same bar that also serves food and drink to the non-tour customers. Everyone seems to mill about and there doesn't seem to be any organization to the queuing OR the fairness of the serving. If you weren't pushy you could stand there for ages and keep getting ignored ~ speak up and make sure the staff are aware you are next! That said even though it was busy there was no pressure to drink up quickly and move on.

All in all I would recommend the Half Moon brewery as an interesting and informative way to spend a few hours in Bruges. I have been twice (my third visit was just to the bar), once when the brewery was called Straffe Hendrik and once after it had altered to the Half Moon. All that has really changed is the name and the brand name of the beer we got to sample at the end of the tour. Our visit was made more interesting by the knowledge and humour of the guide ~ she was friendly and equally comfortable speaking in French and English. She also made the tour fun for the few children present, even when a few of them got a bit bored and tried to wander off.