Since 1990

It is December 1990 when Jan Hemmer, director and owner of the museum and collection,
the doors of the museum open to the public.

In the Beer Advertising Museum you will find the largest collection of old beer advertising from the wide area (Europe). Advertising for beer was created by the Industrial Revolution: then more and more different brands came onto the market, which found their way to customers through advertising. The collection therefore includes advertisements from this time until about 1960, after which the way of advertising has changed significantly.

Every village used to have one or more breweries, each with their own brand(s). There are also advertisements on bottles (labels, caps, etc.), on coasters, but especially on enamel signs and posters. The latter are therefore the most important aspect of the museum.

Enamel signs

Enamel signs and posters are not just fun colored plates; they are graphically very well thought out designs, often made by well-known artists such as Cappiello, Van Doorn, Doeve, J.Wijga or Mertens. There are also different styles to admire, such as Art Deco, Jugendstil and the Fifties Style. The plates come mainly from the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Northern France, England and Ireland.

Click on a board below for an enlarged view!

A selection from the collection

Sights

In addition to the advertisements, you will also find a number of sights in the museum, which have to do with the former production of beer in the form of several brewery machines, old hop bags, old crates and barrels and even some means of transport.

The old cafe interior on the first floor gives a good idea of the cafe design around the 1930s. What a difference from today!

On the ground floor, in between all the advertisements, is the café area where you can choose from over 80 different beers (or something else). You can of course take a seat at one of the old cafe tables or at the bar, but when the weather is nice you can also take a seat in the atmospheric beer garden. Moreover, you can enjoy the fine music (folk, zydeco, etc) that can be heard (sometimes live).

We are open on Sundays from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM and by appointment for groups larger than 30 people on all other days. Entrance is free!