Luxembourg may not have quite the reputation of its neighbour (I'm looking at you, Belgium) when it comes to the quality of its beer - but that's changing.

What is it?
An alcoholic (usually) beverage (always) brewed from malt, hops, yeast, and water. It's rather popular, actually.

Alright, smarty-pants, but what's the Luxembourg angle?
Glad you asked! If you are new to Luxembourg or only here for a visit it's easy to get the impression that Luxembourg only has two breweries: Bofferding and Diekirch. While dominant, they are far from the only local option!

Luxembourg actually has quite a few breweries - and they all deserve far more cred than they get. So this article, if all goes to plan, will introduce you to some of the excellent breweries found around the Grand Duchy, as well as a few places where you can get your hands on them. You may also want to check out our video introduction to Artisan'Ale, an excellent beer shop in the City where you can get your hands on many of the beers below.

The breweries

This is going to be a fairly long article, so rather than blabbering on I'll get straight to the point and list off a few brewers of beautifully balanced beverages. In alphabetic order, here we go..

Bare Brewing

Clearly pretty good at what they do, Bare Brewing of Differdange won the ‘people’s choice award’ during the Luxembourg Microbreweries Exhibition earlier this year. Their lineup includes White IPA and PLZNR, which are, if you would believe it, an IPA and a pilsner. Their beers can be found in shops, restaurants, and bars across the Grand Duchy. They don’t currently seem to have a website, but they do have Facebook.

Bouneweger Brauerei

This place was recommended by not one but two readers within hours of this article going live. If that's not a solid recommendation, I don't know what is - so while I haven't been there myself yet, I certainly will be heading over post-haste. Their Untappd page suggests that their stuff is rather good, and their beer menu includes several of the Luxembourgish beers in this very article.

Brasserie de Luxembourg (Diekirch and Mousel)

One of the largest breweries in the land, Brasserie de Luxembourg offers a considerable range of beers – including Diekirch Premium, Diekirch Grand Cru, Diekirch 0.0%, and Mousel. The brewery itself is, much to the surprise of no one, located in Diekirch. More information on their website.

Brasserie National (Bofferding, Battin and Funck)

Another of if not the largest brewery in Luxembourg, it would be somewhat surprising if you had not yet encountered their beers more than a few times. Their lineup includes Bofferding Tradition, Bofferding Hop, Hausbéier, Bofferding Christmas, Battin Gambrinus, Battin Brune, Battine Extra, Battin Fruitée, and many more. They also offer tours of their brewery in Käerjeng. For more information, see their websites (Bofferding here, and Battin here).

Perhaps deserving special mentions is their Funck brand. Located in the Grund area of Luxembourg City, Funck started churning out beers in 1764. For a long time thereafter they were apparently quite the powerhouse on the Luxembourgish brewing scene, but things took a turn for the worse and the brewery was shut down in 1975. It was resurrected in 2018 and offers a vegan and organic beer that’s as ethical as it is delicious. More history and other info here.

Brasserie Simon

While their branding may suggest that this is a newish brewery, they are in fact anything but. Established in Wiltz in the north of Luxembourg in 1824, Simon is an institution on the Luxembourg brewery scene. They offer a huge range of beers under three main brands – Simon, Okult, and Ourdaller. Their Simon Bio is a personal favourite in the lineup of beers you’re likely to find around Luxembourg’s supermarkets. More information on their website, where you can also buy beers, glasses, and other accessories.

Brewpub Beierhaascht

Beierhaascht is a microbrewery, restaurant, and hotel located in Bascharage. They brew their unfiltered beers according to the season, so you can expect to find light and wheat beers in the summer, and darker stuff come the winter months. Their sizable lineup of “Lëtzebéier” includes Hell, Donkel, Amber, Weessbéier, and Black Stuff. Naturally the beer should be drunk on the premises, accompanied by a bite to eat. Find out more on their website.

Clausel

Located in the Clausen area of Luxembourg City, the their beers include Clausel Classic and Clausel Monk, and are of course best enjoyed right in their own pub. You can find out more about them and reserve a table on their website.

Den Heischter

This small brewery is located in Heiderscheid and offers a traditional Luxembourgish lager named after the town where it is brewed. They also do custom brewing, perfect for events, and you can buy their standard offering in several shops (their website  has a list of retailers).

Echternacher Brauerei

Another reader recommendation! The brewery here seems to be based in Bech, just outside of Echternach itself. You can visit their website or find them on Facebook. You will find their beer at the brewery itself (see their Facebook page), at Pall Center in Oberpallen, at Maison Ruppert in Oberdonven, Aldo Bei in Foetz, or at Massen shopping centre.

Not familiar with the brewery, I contacted them and asked what they brew:

"We are actually doing only one kind of beer. This one is called "Hellen" which is derived from the Bavarian or Austrian type of Beer "Helles" which is smoother in hops and a bit more on the malty side than the typical northern European beers. The reason why we are producing this beer is quite simple, I did my studies in Salzburg and I fell in love with their beer down there immediately. The reason why we are actually doing only one kind of a beer is that we are lacking in space at the brewery. But we are planning to produce two other types of beer mid next year, a "Weizen" and a "Maerzen"".

Fox Drinks & Beer

Launched in 2016, Fox beer apparently represents one man’s struggle to find a beer that would allow him to keep his weight in check. Thus Fox beer was born, and boasts calorie count 33% lower than their average competitor. Fox can be found in most supermarkets, and further information, as always, on their website. While a Luxembourgish company, it is brewed in Belgium.

Many Lands Brewing

Makers of the delicious (and beautifully designed) Fresh Start pale ale and The Crush IPA, Many Lands has been well received in the beer aficionado community. You can find their beers at Artisan’Ale, Crossfire, the Tube, Luxhouse, and Discount Wolter. They don’t yet have a website, but can be found on Facebook.

Stuff Brauerei

Located in Steinsel (but only open for visits by appointment), Stuff Brauerei was founded in 2015 by “a chance encounter between two beer lovers […] dissatisfied by the beers available in Luxembourg.” Today they offer four delicious beers – Revolution IPA, Grande Ducale, Knights in white satin, and Black Widow (would you be surprised if we told you that this is a porter?). You can find their beers in bars and restaurants across Luxembourg, or buy them right off their website for home delivery. They also do custom brews and labels – perfect for events, or as a present for the beer lover(s) in your life.

Totenhopfen Brauhaus

Going from home to commercial brewing, Totenhopfen are set to shake up the burgeoning brewing scene in Luxembourg. You can find their offerings around Luxembourg, for instance at Artisan'Ale, Brasserie um Tennis, Crossfire, and Café Belair. I haven't had the chance to try their beers myself yet, but have only heard good things! You can visit their website, as well as Facebook.

Anything else I should know?

Yes. It can be slightly more difficult than you might expect to get your hands on beers from smaller breweries in Luxembourg, so don't expect to find them in every shop, bar, pub, or restaurant. Artisan'Ale (30 rue de Clausen, L-1342, Luxembourg City) is a good place to start if you want to buy bottles for drinking at home.

In contacting the breweries for this article, several of them mentioned a few specific venues that often stock their beers:

  • Crossfire (15 rue Dicks, L-1417, Luxembourg City)
  • The Tube (8 rue Sigefroi, L-2536, Luxembourg City)

Several readers have also been in touch with further recommendations:

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but names that came up a few times. If you've got a venue or two that you think belongs on the list, we'd be happy to add it - just pop an e-mail off to contenttoday@rtl.lu. Cheers!