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New Belgian Beer Temple to leave out Brussels breweries
Brussels’ two breweries, Cantillon and Brasserie de la Senne, will not be represented in the new Belgian Beer Temple, expected to open in Brussels in 2018. The Beer Temple will especially focus on the country’s bigger breweries. Cantillon regrets that the Beer Temple will give no attention to Belgium’s long-standing tradition of lambic beer brewing.
Plans to turn the old Brussels Stock exchange in the city centre into the Belgian Beer Temple in 2018 come from the City of Brussels, in collaboration with the Belgian Brewers Association and several sponsors from the private sector. The project requires an investment of at least €30 million.
The Beer Temple does not intend to include any of the country’s lambic brewers nor either of the two Brussels breweries, Brasserie de la Senne and Cantillon, writes La Libre.
"What hurts me most is that the City and the Region don’t make it a priority to promote lambic," Cantillon brewer Jean Van Roy told brusselnieuws.be. “The project is largely financed by the Belgian Brewers, an association funded by the breweries in proportion to their production. That’s why the biggest breweries have the most say in the project."
Comments
What a joke. What they don't tell you is that this is largely being funded by ABInBev who is using it as a big marketing push, such as the Heineken Experience and the Guiness Brewery, neither which are breweries and neither have much to do with beer except the marketing side. While not shocking that this Belgian Beer Museum is going to become a story less about Belgium and more about the "superior" brands of Stella Artois, Leffe, Hoegaarden, and of course Jupiler, I'm sure, it is disappointing because it shows that the brewers association and Brussels tourism has very little power, if any, in the face of the more powerful company. How can you not talk about lambic when addressing Belgian beer?! The most absurd and ironic thing is that it is extremely obvious to anyone who knows anything about Belgian beer HOW ABSURD IT IS NOT TO TALK ABOUT LAMBIC! They are appealing to the person who they think is a stupid tourist and knows nothing about beer, such as a British stag party, the pushy Chinese groups, the Budweiser drinkers, and the curious backpacker. It is an effort to keep them away from learning anything about good Belgian beer before they can get their marketing hands of them. It's ridiculous and frankly a waste of money. If Belgium wants to continue portraying itself as a beer powerhouse in the world in the face of increasing worldwide competition, they have to publicize what is great about Belgian beer without the input of the Jupiler marketing department. Otherwise they risk becoming an empty shelled caricature of the leader they once were and the tourists they seek to attract will dry up because of this patronizing attitude.
-Taylor Brush
@FitzHemingway -- Quite right! The whole thing even smells of shady politics rather than brewing and beer! - Lambic: stand up for yourselves guys : you deserve to!