Brussels wants local brewers in beer temple after all

The City of Brussels wants to include Brussels’ two artisanal brewers, Cantillon and Brasserie de la Senne, in its plans for the upcoming Belgian Beer Palace (BBP), reports brusselnieuws.be. Earlier reports suggested that the two breweries would be left out of the project. However, representatives from the two breweries last week attended a meeting with Brussels tourism minister Philippe Close, who is in charge of the beer temple.

Close had invited the brewers because he wants them involved in the BBP project. Until now, it seemed that the beer temple would only include bigger brewers. "We would like to give a Brussels identity to the beer temple," Close confirmed to brusselnieuws.be. "Diversity is one of the biggest strengths of Belgian beer, so there must be a place for small craft breweries.”

While Cantillon and Brasserie de la Senne responded positively to the proposal, nothing has been decided at this time.

In June it will be announced which architects win the bid for transforming the old stock exchange building (pictured) into the long-awaited mecca for Belgian beer.