De Koninck, Antwerp City Brewery

De Koninck brews the Bolleke, the Tripel d'Anvers and other beers in Antwerp, and opens its Berchem factory as the Antwerp City Brewery.

Who they are

It is the brewery of the city of Antwerp. Its best-known beer is the Bolleke; alongside it are the Tripel d'Anvers and a range of speciality beers. At the factory on the Mechelsesteenweg, in Berchem, as well as the brewery and its bar, the Bar Modeste, there is a bakery, a butcher's, a cheese shop and other craft workshops and restaurants.

The interactive tour

The tour is self-guided and lasts about an hour. It goes through themed rooms about Antwerp as a brewing city, Belgian beers and the whole brewing process, with games such as driving an old delivery van around the city, going inside a giant Bolleke, crossing the brewhouse or climbing onto a four-metre bridge. At the end you practise pulling a beer. It includes two beers, one before and one during the tour. The audiovisuals are subtitled in four languages, including French, English and German; not Spanish.

In 2026, admission costs €19.90 for adults and over-65s; €17.90 for groups of 15 or more, students, teachers and children aged 13 to 15; under-12s enter free. You can buy online or at the ticket office, where you can only pay by card; on Saturday afternoons it is very busy. Tickets are not refundable, but they are valid for a year and you can change the date on its website with the booking number. The tour is wheelchair accessible and has the A+ accessibility label from Visit Flanders.

Tastings and bar

On Sundays there are mixed-group tastings, for those who are not a group of ten; you must book. From Thursday to Sunday, the Open Tastings combine beers with craft cheese, cold meats and chocolate, and the Meet The Crafts sessions pair beer and food with the story of the house. Groups of ten or more can ask for a private tasting, and companies for tours with invoicing and events.

The bar is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00: Tuesday and Wednesday until 19:00, Thursday to Saturday until 22:00 and Sunday until 20:00. It programmes live jazz, stand-up and salsa nights. On Mondays everything is closed.

Getting there

The brewery is at 291 Mechelsesteenweg, south of the centre. The HopNstop tourist tram stops in front of the door. The telephone is +32 3 866 96 90.