Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie – Brewery & Taproom

In Eilandje, Antwerp’s former port district now shaped by museums, waterfront walks and restaurants, Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie offers a neighbourhood-scale brewery visit. The independent company began in 2012 with support from around a thousand people who took part in its crowdfunding. Its best-known project was the revival of Seefbier: the brewery traces the first written reference it has found to 1677, and the beer returned to the market in 2012 after founder Johan Van Dyck researched archives and brewing sources.

Today’s Seef is a cloudy, unfiltered, top-fermented blond beer made with buckwheat, oats, wheat and barley. The brewery also makes other recipes, so the taproom lets visitors compare styles rather than focus on a single historic label. The site includes a tasting room, courtyard and kitchen serving beer-led dishes. Guests can come to drink and eat without joining a tour, although guided visits with a tasting are available; their schedules are published separately. The taproom opens Wednesday to Sunday and is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Visitors’ comments often praise the range of beers, relaxed atmosphere and spacious taproom and courtyard; other accounts mention waits during busy periods, the selection in tasting flights or the temperature of some samples. The kitchen adds value for anyone who does not want a stand-alone tasting: the menu can include hearty dishes such as ribs or stew, but check what is available that day, as not every option is served at every sitting. On a sunny day, the courtyard and view of the brewing activity become part of the experience.

The address is Indiëstraat 21, about a ten-minute walk from the MAS according to the local tourism guide; the brewery lists +32 3 293 91 84 as its phone number. Its published taproom hours are Wednesday and Thursday 16:00–23:00, Friday and Saturday 12:00–midnight, and Sunday until 21:00. Booking is recommended for larger groups and guided visits. If you want an interactive exhibition with audiovisual stations, De Koninck offers a more structured self-guided route. Seef, by contrast, invites you to settle into Eilandje and spend longer sampling beers with food.