Welcome to the website of the NATIONAL BREWING ART MUSEUM “NBAM”, Luxembourg's first Beer Museum.
The rich brewing tradition of Luxembourg, which dates back to the Gauls, mainly the celtic Treviri, certainly represents one of the major historical achievements of the successful national economy and the popular culture of the Grand-Duchy.
The long quest for a suitable and lasting exhibition site for the precious brewing art collections of the Gambrinus Brotherhood Luxembourg, a non profit association founded in 1986, aiming conservation of brewing patrimony, succeeded in 1999 in the Ardennes City of Wiltz, which happened to be, during WW2, one of the epicenters of the “Battle of the Bulge”.
Thanks to a long time friendly relationship between G.B.L. chairman Claude Lorang and brewmaster Johnny Bredimus (Simon Brewery) and to the warm welcoming by local authorities, as well as the Tourist Office of the Broom Capital, the splendid Wiltz Castle, famous for other regional cultural activities, (like the annual « open air » music festival), was chosen as a final home harbor for the “NBAM”.
At the very beginning of the XVIIeth. Century, one of the former resident Lords in this feudal Manor, the legendary Earl Jan, ordered the brewing of a noble ale, which used to be very appreciated by his vassals.
Those renowned stables sheltered logically, at the end of the XXth century, the first part of the « NBAM »>, with its uniquely cosy, historic Museum-Pub, named « Café Jhang Primus », an evident eye twinkling to the former owner of this magic place …and to the mythic (and lay) « Beerking », the most charismatic Jan Primus, Duke of Brabant et Count of Flanders.
In 2001, phase II of the NBAM, including apermanent thematic exhibition, was launched, counting 6 millenniums of thrilling beer history throughout the world, as well as the living evolution of domestic brewing art, from the brewing Benedictine Monks of Altmünster (Clausen) and Echternach Abbeys, to contemporary craftbrewers.
Additionally, this living Beer Museum was equipped with an really powerful beating core, the « didactic and experimental microbrewery», (outcome of a joint venture between the City of Wiltz and the traditional Simon Brewery )
Johnny Bredimus and his assistant microbrewer Henri Plier managed together, to this day, with an unprecedented, enthousiastical volunteerism, to monitor with high skills about 300 brewing sessions.
Presently, the Ardennes brewing Capitalis smartly investing in its own sustainable touristic future, by contracting with a young, competent micro-brewmaster, in order to support and animate those very popular brewing events, which gained a status of « gambrinal highlights ».
Definitely, the aromatic flavours and scents of fresh batches, regularly dissipating in the museal location from precious raw stuff, like barley or wheat malts and natural hop flowers, mixed in vintage-style copper mashtones, won’t be missed by beer connoisseurs in those respectable Castle walls.
Hops, the fascinating spice of beer, also called the «green gold », compulsory for high quality brewing art, does not stop to inspire the modern «homebrewers », in their inextinguishable thirst of sensorial, tasting and smelling odyssey of diversity search.
On the science side, researchers discovered a couple of decades ago the powerful antioxidant health features of “flavonoïds” in this medical plant, formerly extrapolated by middle age Abbess Hildegard von Bingen, who knew fairly well and recommended its tremendous antiseptic and soothing qualities.
In 2010, a first general exhibition overhaul, still in close partnership between Wiltz Tourist Office and G.B.L., led to an implementation of phase III, with its interactive museographic concept, introducing interesting innovations, to the great pleasure of visitors from everywhere in this glamourous Temple, dedicated to our rich popular Beer culture.
Discover and taste it without restriction!