EP051 | Belgian Beer World

Photos by Kasper Mundt-Nielsen This editorially independent podcast has been supported by VISITFLANDERS as part of the “Straight Talk” series of podcasts.  podcast is about Belgian Beer World, the new visitor experience housed in the iconic Bourse building in Brussels’ city centre. The podcast features an in-depth interview with Krishan Maudgal, Director of the Belgian Brewers Federation, about the obstacles the project faced: the huge costs required a robust public-private partnership; there was a long and varied list of strong-willed stakeholders with high and often contrasting expectations; and there was architectural complexity in renovating one of the country’s most beloved buildings. The podcast also features audio from a “family visit”. Like the beer museum project, Belgian beer is cloaked in fragmented interests, its diverse producers, from different regions, who speak different languages, all making different styles of beer and fighting for their individual commercial interests.  And like the beer museum project, Belgian beer faces a series of unwanted and complex challenges right now, whether it’s the post-COVID recovery of the hospitality industry, the global energy and supply chain crises for producers, or the declining consumption of beer in Belgium over time. But like the beer museum project, Belgian beer seems to carry on in spite of this adversity. For years, Belgian brewers have demonstrated, both in the brewhouse and the boardroom, that they are pragmatic problem-solvers, skilled at finding compromise when they need to, and shrewd in political manoeuvring.  In many ways, then, Belgian Beer World is a perfect symbol of the state of Belgian beer in 2024: Amidst real uncertainty about the future, Belgian beer is ready to build a whole new world, whatever happens.  Sit back, listen, and enjoy our deep dive into Belgian Beer World. *