Paula has plenty of stories to tell about the history, folkore and manufacturing of beer. For example the story that during the Middle Ages, water quality was not good. Beer went however through extensive processing, and it was observed that beer drinkers were healthier and more resistant against epidemics than water drinkers. Our medieval ancestors attributed this to the hand of God, which explains the monastic beer tradition.
The museum has 1,500 bottles on display of Belgian beers - past & present (a feat, since there are 1,163 beers in Belgium currently available, according to the latest count). This diversity comes from the Belgian tradition to mix herbs and fruits with beer, Paula tells me. This is very different in Germany, where much stricter regulation exists of what ingredients can be used for making beer.
In one of the museum’s rooms, a pub from the early 1900s is reconstructed. Before the 18th century, few people could afford to frequent pubs, but during the industrial revolution, the pub became the living room for the workers. At the peak, in the middle of the 19th century, Belgium had over 80,000 pubs, one for every 42 citizens - a pub in every street.
The museum naturally includes Trappist and Monastery Beers. But while the Trappist denomination is well defined and protected, this is much less for monastery beers, which can be anything between monasteries brewing their own beer in the Trappist style to industrial breweries producing beers using the name of a monastery that once existed.
The museum received about a few thousand visitors per year. According to Willy (Paula’s husband), a lot of the visitors come by word of mouth. A visit takes about an hour and includes a degustation. This is a visit for the tourist wishing to explore unique sites and meet the locals. Since each visit is unique, you can visit more than once - you’ll never know which member of the fifteen you’ll meet, and which stories of Belgian’s 1,500 beers he chooses to share.
Practical
The Schaerbeek Beer Museum is open Wednesday & Saterday afternoons. Opening times are a bit limited, but understandable for a volunteer initiative currently active for almost 20 years. The location is a few kilometers outside the center of Brussels. When you make the effort, visit also the nearby Josaphat Park.
