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Belgium: A Beer Trip Full of Joie de Vivre
From ancient breweries to divine brews, immerse yourself in Belgium: a beer lover's paradise. Discover the rich history of Belgian brewing, unique tasting experiences and the warmth of its people. Don't miss the Belgian Beer World and rooftop bar with breathtaking views. Cheers to a beer connoisseur's dream come true!
Of course, that wasn’t possible, as we had another stop to make! It was back on the road following our Ghent guided tour, this time to Wetteren, where we visited Heilig Hart Brouwerij (which translates to Sacred Heart Brewery) – a stunning beermaker that is housed in an old church.
The brewery kept much of the church’s original furnishings, including pews, a couple confessionals, an organ, gorgeous stained glass and more. This was an amazing brewery, and we were hosted by the founder and owner Hans Dusselier, who was a font of knowledge and expressed true joy in what he did.
Heilig Hart Brouwerij is a stunning beermaker housed in an old church.
Our hosts poured myriad beers for us while Hans provided backstory and details about the brewery and its brewing processes: “We want nature to decide our beers; we only want to accompany and guide nature when brewing,” Hans conveyed.
“We want nature to decide our beers," said Hans Dusselier, founder and owner of Heilig Hart. "We only want to accompany and guide nature when brewing."
One way in which they allow nature to do most of the heavy lifting at Heilig Hart is by brewing beers in 16 amphorae – the only brewery in Belgium to use these unusual, ancient fermenting containers. According to Hans, “brewing with amphorae allows the ingredients of the beer to provide the flavor, unlike barrels,” and the minerality of the beer is allowed to come to the forefront in amphorae.Why? Because gravity does all of the work in amphorae: simply place the mash in the amphora and let nature (and gravity) do its thing – all of the ingredients will sink to the bottom given enough time, and what’s left on top is a finished and fabulously tasty brew.
The brewery kept much of the church’s original furnishings, including pews, a couple confessionals, an organ, gorgeous stained glass and more.
Hans is clearly doing the Lord’s work with his brewery and beer, so much so that when the former priest of the church where Heilig Hart is located passed away, he left Hans his own personal Bible and hymn book in his will. This meant a lot to Hans, you can tell, as his eyes welled up and his voice swelled with emotion as he told this anecdote.
Our trip to Heilig Hart Brouwerij in Wetteren was a highlight. We were hosted by founder and owner Hans Dusselier (above), who was a font of knowledge and expressed true joy in what he did.
This level of devotion and reverence for the location and product the brewers are making is what made Heilig Hart such an incredible place to visit. The brewery is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 2-8 p.m., but it was definitely a standout during my maiden voyage to Belgium – and the beers were, well, divine.