I first learned about Brewery De Kroon in Neerijse, about 20 minutes from Leuven, when I was on assignment to write a piece for the province of Flemish Brabant here in Belgium. I immediately loved the ambiance of this place and when I told some friends about it, it turned out they’d already been there several times.
I’d only dropped by for a coffee, so we decided I needed to properly experience De Kroon and so Boyfriend and I headed back there with another couple on a summer evening.
Brewery De Kroon
Brewery De Kroon actually consists of a new brewery and an old one. The old one is a protected monument and not in use anymore, while the new one brews De Kroon’s own beer and also serves as an experiment center for some large beer brands, together with De Kroon’s renowned beer laboratory. Both breweries are open to visitors on Saturdays when you can join a tour followed by a tasting at 4 pm (cost: €7.5).
De Kroon has a lovely inner courtyard where it’s pleasant to have a drink out in the sun or enjoy a dinner on a warm evening like we did. The menu has a bit of everything, but be sure to also check the suggestions board. That hangs against a wall inside the bistro and advertises several more dishes and sides.
I ordered my favorite salad – aside from the Bulgarian shopska salad -, a salad with warm goat cheese, bacon and apples.
Boyfriend had ribs, one of our friends had the salad but without the bacon and the other had a meat dish. Forgot which one, sorry! But that doesn’t matter anyway, because what matters is that it was all good.
The others also tried some of the breweries beers and approved. They just ordered two different ones, but if you want, you can also do a little degustation with four small different beers. Or you can choose something from the large selection of other regional Belgian beers.
Practical information
Brewery De Kroon
Beekstraat 20
3040 Neerijse
Want to know more about things to see and do in Flemish Brabant?
Then check out this new brochure the province released… and I contributed too :-)
https://issuu.com/vlaamsbrabant/docs/brochure-discover-016-eng-issuu?e=0/38776689