Experience Tour Rodenbach Brewery

Client

Swinkels Family Brewers

Task

Supervise a process to achieve an interactive experience tour

Result

In progress

Roeselare (Flanders/Belgium)

Rodenbach Brewery was founded in 1821 by the Rodenbach family. The brewery uses a unique brewing method that dates back to the early Middle Ages. Young beer is mixed with matured beer, which is aged for up to two years in enormous wooden barrels (foeders). The cellars in which the foeders are stored (the foeder rooms) are impressive and designated as Flemish heritage. The foeder rooms contain a total of 294 oak foeders, the oldest of which date from 1872. An impressive sight. It is not without reason that these brewing rooms are called the ‘beer cathedral’.

Rodenbach Brewery organizes daily guided tours for visitors. A tour takes visitors past sights of the brewery complex such as the brewing hall, the old malthouse and distillery, the malt ash and the foeder rooms. The brewery wants to enhance the experience and visitor experience for new target groups. The aim is to upgrade the existing tour with experience elements. In addition, they want to offer visitors the opportunity to develop their own beer taste in an interactive way. Finally, they want to further develop the existing visitors center. DestinatieX has been asked to supervise this process.

The first parts were delivered in May 2024. The former visitors center has been transformed by the brewery into Het Foederhuis. This place has undergone a major upgrade with a brasserie, shop and ticket counter. DestinatieX supervised the process of bar, shop and ticket counter. The second part of this project will be completed in Q4 2024: an immersive experience tour and Blend Your Own Rodenbach.