BierTalk English 46 - Interview with Sibren de Bast, brewer and co-founder of Man & Brouw from Wilsele, Leuven, Belgium

In this episode I travel to Belgium, just outside Leuven, to visit
one of the most charming hidden gems I have come across in a long
time: Man & Brouw. There, quite literally in a shipping
container at the back of a garden, Sibren and his friend Tom have
built a tiny brewery with huge imagination. What started as
homebrewing and a bit of pandemic-era restlessness turned into a
wonderfully creative project where every batch is a new idea, every
beer tells its own story, and engineering meets brewing in the best
possible way. We talk about how the brewery came to life, why there
was never really a masterplan, and how Sibren and Tom developed
their very personal style: small-scale, experimental, playful and
uncompromising. Their beers range from a delicate chamomile
grisette to cider-saison hybrids, hop-accented sour beers,
pepper-driven creations, a black session IPA and even a
freeze-distilled stout-like specialty. Along the way, Sibren
explains how they test herbs, spices and peppers like scientists,
why they prefer to keep the batches small, and how growing hops,
mint and other ingredients in the garden helps shape the identity
of the beers. It is a conversation about curiosity, friendship and
the freedom that comes with staying small. We also touch on
Leuven’s inspiring beer scene, the support between local brewers,
and the challenge of finding the right places for such unusual
beers. Above all, this episode shows that some of the most exciting
brewing ideas do not come from huge brewhouses, but from passionate
people who dare to experiment. A lovely and flavorful talk about
hidden places, big creativity and beers that stay in your memory
long after the glass is empty.