Brugse Zot
Brugse Zot is the flagship beer of De Halve Maan, a family brewery that has been operating from the centre of Bruges for six generations. The site on Het Walplein is one of the last working breweries in a medieval European city centre, which gives it a particular kind of authenticity that is hard to manufacture. The beer itself has been around since 2005, brewed in the Belgian blonde and dubbel tradition with the name referencing the local slang for fool, a nod to the people of Bruges who were supposedly mocked for lacking a proper royal court.
The range runs to a blonde, a dubbel, and a seasonal bok. All are brewed to the Belgian abbey style, with the complexity and character that tradition brings. The brewery is also notable for building an underground pipeline to carry beer from the brewery to a bottling plant outside the city centre, completed in 2016 after a crowdfunding campaign, which gives a sense of how seriously they take the operation.
The alcohol-free entry is Sportzot, launched in 2018. It sits at 0.4% ABV and is made using a filtration process that removes the alcohol without distillation. The result holds up reasonably well as a blonde ale, keeping the gentle fruity and malty character of the full-strength version. It won a gold medal at the Best Beer Awards in 2021, which is a meaningful indicator of quality within the category.
Available in the UK through specialist Belgian beer importers and independent retailers.
At a Glance
- Price Point
- Mid-range
Available at
The Collection
1 drink
At a Glance
- Price Point
- Mid-range
Collection
1 drink
