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Brewery Stella Artois

Stella Artois is part of the world’s largest brewery concern, AB InBev, and is still firmly rooted in its home base of Leuven.

You can visit the brewery on Saturday and Sundays. Take part in the new interactive guided tour. Experience the brewery in action and enjoy a wonderful Stella Artois after your visit. In short, experience beer in its purest form.

Practical info

Individual visitors • classic tour.

• Saturdays: 13:00 NL • 15:00 & 17:00 EN
• Sundays: 13:00 & 15:00 EN
• Book your ticket in time because the places are limited

Groups • Private Classic Tour

• Only after reservation: Stella Artois

www.breweryvisits.com

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Stella Artois Brewery Tour in Leuven, Belgium

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For those who drink, an unmissable part of visiting Belgium is the chance to explore its beer culture . Aside from drinking copious amounts of different beers, another way is to go on a tour of one of the country’s breweries. While I had several different choices of breweries to visit, I decided to pick one of Belgium’s most prolific beers, Stella Artois .

There were plenty of things I was keen to see when visiting Leuven , but the Stella Artois Brewery was near the top. After all, Stella is one of the most internationally recognizable Belgian beers. What resulted was an especially informative and engaging brewery tour through a cultural landmark of the city of Leuven .

Table of Contents

Leuven’s Beer History

It’s fair to say that beer has had a major role in the history of Leuven. The city’s brewing legacy extends back far before Stella Artois, with evidence of breweries existing as early as 1366. Leuven owes its tradition of beer in part to its prosperous university and strong academic culture, like many cities with historic ties to brewing. Rather than associating this link with an academic understanding of the brewing process, most people tend to simply connect students and drinking!

The importance of Leuven’s brewing industry didn’t have an impact on just the city’s growth, but also it’s very landscape. Like in many Belgian cities , the Vaart canal was built to link Leuven with the neighbouring city of Mechelen. Since the building of the Vaart, the surrounding Vaartkom area has had strong ties with the city’s brewing culture.

One historical building of the Vaart that still has a place in modern Leuven is the De Lantaarn Cafe . The cafe arose as part of the boom around the Vaartkom in the 18th century, and after World War II became synonymous with the Stella Artois brand.

History of Stella Artois

Even though the name “Stella Artois” is globally well-known, it’s only been used for the last century of the this centuries old history. The origins of Stella Artois actually begin just along the Vaart from the modern Stella Artois brewery at the Brewery Den Hoorn . Established by 1366, Brewery Den Hoorn became a major Leuven institution, gradually becoming the biggest business in the city.

It wasn’t until 1708 that the Artois name came into play, when  Sebastien Artois became the brewery’s master brewer. He would actually buy the brewery in 1717, renaming it the Artois Brewery . The next big change to the brewery didn’t happen until 1928 and with it “Stella Artois”.

For the festive season, a special Christmas beer was brewed and given the name “Stella”. The success and the popularity of the seasonal beer was so immense that it soon became available year round and led to this name change. The original horn symbol can still be spotted as part of the Stella Artois emblem.

The Stella Brewery Tour

After walking up to the Stella Artois Brewery, I arrived at the visitor centre and was given a high-visibility vest and ushered upstairs. Once we’d been given an introduction and safety briefing, we were on our way and started the tour.

We were led into the brewery grounds proper and into a small theatre. It was here that we would learn about the history of Stella Artois and the brewing process. It was quite interesting to learn the role each of the ingredients played in the composition of the beer. This is despite the fact that this was not my first brewery tour, having visited the Pilsener Urquell Brewery in Pilsen, Czechia.

For those that don’t know the process of how beer is brewed, I’ll try to give you a brief overview. The four essential ingredients of beer are water, barley, hops and yeast, however Stella also interestingly adds maize. It is the origin of the water, barley, maize and hops, and the strain of yeast, that give each type of beer its unique taste.

The brewing process starts with the “ malting ” the barley, by heating, drying and cracking it. After that is the “ mashing ” stage, where the malted barley is soaked in hot water to release its sugars. The mash is then drained, leaving behind a sugary liquid known as “ mort “.

Next, the mort is boiled while the hops are gradually added, balancing out the sweet flavour of the mort. All of this is done in rows of immense, shiny kettles. The last step in the brewing process is fermentation, caused by adding the yeast to the strained and cooled mort.

While Stella Artois is brewed in other countries for the international markets, if you drink Stella in Europe, it was likely brewed here in Leuven. We were able to see the kettles, before moving on to the bottling plant. From a viewing platform above, you can look down into the automated bottling machines and watch the process take place. While Stella is brewed here, mostly other brands are actually bottled on site, including Leffe .

The end of the tour rightly finishes with the opportunity to do some tasting of freshly and meticulously poured Stella Artois on tap. There is actually a 9 step process required to ensure the perfect pour. They allow plenty of time for you to enjoy a drink or two, as well as take a look at the gift shop. Before returning to the visitors centre, they kindly handed out gift bags to everyone, including several drinks for you to try.

Brewery Tour Information

Tours of the Stella Artois Brewery are run Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and last a bit under 2 hours. Entry costs 8.5€ (as of 2017), with information here . Note: the entrance is by the large car park and you should allow more time than you think to get there. I was one of many who were struggling to find the entrance as the clock ticked down to 3pm.

You can get to Leuven and the Stella Artois Brewery from other Belgian cities like Brussels by train . The brewery is roughly a 20 minute walk from Leuven’s train station.

Would you make time to take a tour of the Stella Artois Brewery on a visit to Leuven? Have you been on a brewery tour before? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

*Disclosure: I received free tickets from Visit Leuven for the Stella Artois Brewery Tour. As always, opinions are my own.

David is the author behind the Travelsewhere travel blog and is always on the search for the quieter, less-visited corners of the world.

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My husband would love this… lol…:)

Jealouuuus! We only drove by it! 🙁 We should have spent longer in Leuven than half a day!

Always been one of my favorite brews, can’t wait to go on this tour

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Stella Artois Brewery

Beer fan? Enjoy a guided tour of this brewery and learn more about Leuven’s most famous beer. Of course, no visit is complete without a tasting!

Everyone under the sun knows that Belgium is THE country for beer. Belgians drink a whopping 68 litres of beer a year, and the country is home to 300+ breweries.

When it comes to beers, Leuven has an impressive record. The multinational brewing company AB InBev is the largest brewing company in the world and has their home right in Leuven. Ever heard of them? They produce Budweiser, Corona and Beck’s, among others. Still, there’s one beer Leuven is specifically known for: Stella Artois.

Leuven locals love their Stella. And it’s not just them! Locals and tourists alike can get all the deets about this beer on a guided tour (Available in English and Dutch).

• First-come, first-serve : you can buy your tickets online or get them at Leuven’s tourist office (Naamsestraat, 3). Make sure to reserve in advance!
• Small steps : a guided tour lasts about 2 hours and starts in a small room before you enter the actual factory. Here you’ll learn more about the history of the company (which was founded in the 1300s). Then, you’ll get to see how the beer is brewed and you’ll learn more about the manufacturing process. Finally, you’ll be shown how the beer is packaged in cans and bottles. On the tour, your guide will answer any beer-fuelled question you have.
• The best part : after you’ve learned the theory, it’s finally time to taste the practice. Some tour guides call this “heaven”: the brewery’s bar, where you’ll have the chance to try some of the most beloved beers in Belgium.

Tips and Tricks

• For extra safety and coolness, you’ll be given a reflective vest before you start the tour.
• A special gift: before leaving, you’ll get 3 small beer samples as a souvenir for your visit.
• Wanna buy an actual souvenir? There’s a very nice gift shop in the brewery.
• Make sure to ask your guide before taking pictures, as you may not be allowed to do so in some areas.

Getting there:

• By Car: on-site parking available
• By Bus: close to bus stop Leuven Vaartvest. Buses 333, 334, 335 and 630 stop here

Aarschotsesteenweg 20, 3000 Leuven

Sa - Su, 15:00 (tours in English); Tu - Sa, 9:00 - 21:00 (for large groups)

All Seasons

8,5€, Kids free. Special discount rates available

Stella Artois Brewery

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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Excellent Tour - Stella Artois Brewery

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Excellent Tour

Really good tour. Our host was very friendly and knowledgeable. A nice fresh Stella at the end plus some other beers on draught depending on when you visit. A few cans as a departing gift. All for 12 euros. Well worth it.

An absolute gem of a find by my wife to the birth place of Stella . Really good tour English speaking and worth the wait until the end for a few tasters

Our tour guide Ann was excellent, with brilliant English and a passion for the job. You see a limited part of the factory (brewing tanks and then bottling area) but the presentations were very informative. Free draught beers at the end and then a bag with 3 cans to take home.

Finding the start of the tour is not that easy (the map on the ticket from the tourist office is not that great) but we arrived just a few moments before 1. Once kitted out with our hi-vis jackets 25 of us were taken first to a little film about the history of the brewery, and brewing in Leuven, before visiting the brewing hall and finally on to bottling. The guide was knowledgeable, and seeing the process on such a massive scale was fascinating. Once we had finished the tour we were given a glass of standard Stella as a sample, and then further samples of some of the other beers brewed by them were available. Soft drinks were available for those who don't drink beer. A small, and remarkably well priced, gift shop was open whilst we sampled the fare. Finally it was time to take a bag of samples and walk all the way back to the start, in time to hand our jackets to the 3pm tour.

We booked a brevery visit on Sunday. Unfortunatly nobody (neither brewery nor tourism office) told us that on this day would be the Leuven cycle race. Arriving Leuven lots of roads in the city were blocked. Using 3 different navigation systems non of them showed alternative ways to the brewery. So better arrive one day in advance as the brewery will not respect any delay.

We were told the history of the brewery to start with and then walked around various sections of the site. Each stop was more information about the manufacturing process of Stella. The last stop of the tour is at the bar where you can sample fresh Stella, you can have more than 1 drink so don’t be ashamed to go back and ask for more! You get a bag of samples when you leave, we received 3 cans each. The tour is quite warm inside, no need to take a jumper if it’s a nice warm day.

Stella Artois Brewery Tour | Leuven

Are you a beer lover? Are you visiting Belgium ? Then you must visit one of our breweries. In the city of Leuven , you can visit Stella Artois Brewery that has a rich history!  

Before you go: Stella Artois Brewery Tour

You can do a tour on Friday at 5PM (English tour), or you can do a tour on Saturday and Sunday: 1PM (Dutch) and 3PM (English). 

Entrance fee: €8.5

Stella Artois Brewery Tour

You start your tour at the visitor center by getting an introduction, a safety briefing, and your high-visibility vest for the tour.

We walked into the brewery where we ended up in a small showing room where our guide told us a bit more about the beer’s history. It all started with Brewery Den Hoorn in 1366 in the city center of Leuven. Brewery Den Hoorn set the now-famous taste and quality of the Stella Artois beer on the map. In 1717, Sébastiaan Artois bought the brewery and changed its name to Artois Brewery followed by Stella Artois in 1928. 

Fun Fact : The name Stella Artois came from a special Christmas beer they brewed for all the inhabitants of the city Leuven: Stella. Stella is Star in Latin and represents the Christmas star which you can also see in the logo. Stella became so popular that the brewery decided to produce the beer to be available all year-round. The brewery eventually changed its name to that beer. 

After learning the beer’s history, we learned more about the brewing process of the beer itself. Just as most beers, you’ll need barley, yeast, hop, and water but Stella Artois also uses maize in its beer. 

Would you like to make your own beer? First of all, you have to heat, dry, and crack the barley (also known as malting the barley), followed by soaking the malted barley in hot water. The residue is then being drained to get a liquid named Mort. We then boil the mort and add some hop into it. The last step in making beer is adding yeast to the mort. All of this is done in giant kettles that you can see during your tour.

After that, we went to the bottling station where we could see the beer being bottled.

You’ll end your tour at the Bar where you can do a free tasting (or two) of Stella Artois on tap. After enjoying your delicious beer, you’ll get your gift bag before going back to the visitor center. 

Don’t want to stop? 

Go to the city center to find the old buildings of Brewery Den Hoorn. De Hoorn is a lovely bar and restaurant where you can have a yummy burger! 

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Join us back at the neighborhood tables you’ve been missing., local restaurants ready to welcome you in, stella artois will help cover your next stella, back to the table, back together—grab a reservation and stella artois will help cover your #firstchaliceback.*.

*Always Enjoy Responsibly. © 2021 Stella Artois® Beer, Brewed in the U.S.A., Stella Artois, St. Louis, MO. 2021. No Purchase Necessary. Open to US residents 21+. Begins 5/13/21 and ends 8/31/21. Visit mycooler.com/StellaYTIRRules for details. Msg & data rates may apply. Void where prohibited.

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