Hertog Jan Brewery in Arcen: Well Worth Visiting
Last Updated: March 6th 2025.
As a beer lover, a visit to Hertog Jan Brewery in Arcen had been on my bucket list for years. In the summer of 2018, I bought a package from SurpriseFactory for the three of us, containing a guided tour of the brewery and a Brewer’s Lunch. The Burgundian ambiance, for which the southern provinces of The Netherlands are famous, eventually made us stay for dinner too! Hertog Jan Brewery is almost as well-known as the Castle Gardens of Arcen.. and for good reason.
For the Love of Beer
The visual experience starts upon arrival; a pipeline transports Hertog Jan pilsner beer directly from the brewery to the pub across the street.
Our visit started in this pub, called Hertog Jan Tasting, with coffee and a piece of tasty Limburgian pastry (‘vlaai’).
In the brewery, the experienced tour guide tells the rich history of Hertog Jan in bird’s-eye view. The beer making process is explained, and visitors are encouraged to smell and taste the main ingredients of beer. The tour takes you past the authentic copper kettles and into the beer cellars.
The beer cellars store Hertog Jan special beer casks and bottles of Hertog Jan Grand Prestige.
Visitors can buy a numbered bottle of Hertog Jan Grand Prestige in the gift shop (or online) and let it mature in the cellar for up to 8 years. According to Master Brewer Gerard van den Broek, 6 years of maturing gives the best taste, but you can make an appointment to pick up the bottle at any time within 8 years. During the tour, visitors are allowed to pull their own pint – visiting a brewery without tasting the end result of the brewing process is not the same!
Brewer’s Lunch
After touring the brewery, and tasting the beers, we sat down for the Brewer’s Lunch in the pub. The lunch consisted of soup, salad, a boiled egg and luxury bread topped with cheese and ham. I couldn’t resist ordering a tasting of various Hertog Jan beers as well. When in Rome..
Mid-Summer BBQ
During lunch, I read an announcement regarding the mid-summer BBQs, organised every summer on various Saturday evenings. Coincidentally, our visit was on a Saturday. Seizing the day, we ended up staying for dinner too. The lazy, sunny Saturday evening that followed really topped our visit to Hertog Jan Brewery in Arcen.
Plan Your Visit to Hertog Jan Brewery
A sub-site of the Hertog Jan website contains all visiting information for Hertog Jan Brewery. You can book the tour directly using this link or combine your visit with other sights in Arcen. To make a reservation at the beer and eatery cafe, opposite from the brewery, check here. There are a couple of special deals/arrangements that the Hertog Jan Brewery offers, they can all be found on this page.
The adress of the brewery:
Kruisweg 44
5944 EN Arcen
The adress of the eatery oppposit the brewery:
Kruisweg 43
5944 EM Arcen
Do you also want to experience Burgundian ambiance in The Netherlands? Discover Where to eat in Maastricht.
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32 Comments
Lydia C. Lee
Looks like something to put on the books for when we get back to normal – I miss that stuff the most – almost incidental pleasures. #WanderfulWednesday
Cosette
Yes, definitely one of the things I also miss, doing something spontaneous while traveling, hope you get to visit when we can travel again.
Lisa | Handmade in Israel
That sounds like a wonderful day out! I love it when the trips spontaneously get extended like that. # WanderfulWednesday
Cosette
Yes, those spontaneous decissions is were its all about during travels.
Camila Contreras
Gotta love the Netherlands and all their delicious drinks and food! My husband doesn’t drink alcohol, but it was in Leiden a few years back that we found all the best non-alcoholic beers, yummy!
Cosette
Glad you found good non-alcoholic beers. Leiden is also a beautiful city in The Netherlands.
Rob + Ann @TravelLatte
We are so in for this! And also for a beer pipeline – must find out how to get one installed into my house. 😉 What a fun experience! Definitely adding this to our Travel To Do list. Thanks for sharing!
Cosette
Yes, definitely worth a stop. A beer pipeline into your house, I think more people would be interested in how to instal one 😉
Elina
Seems to be a great experience when in the Netherlands!
Cosette
Certainly a great experience when in The Netherlands.
Michele
I love visiting breweries on a trip and this one looks like a lot of fun. That apple dessert looks especially delicious too!
Cosette
If you love visiting breweries, you definitly should check this one out, when we can travel again. ‘Vlaai’ is a local pastry in Limburg and is certainly delicious.
Taylor
This brewery looks awesome! I will have to visit it next time I’m in the Netherlands. 🙂
Megan
What a fun visit! That is really cool that you can buy some and leave it there to age. So convenient!
Linda (LD Holland)
We always love to visit breweries on our travels. Hubby would certainly want to add Hertog Jan Brewery to his list to visit. I never really saw a beer cellar or knew that beer can be aged.
simplyjolayne
Fingers crossed you don’t forget your bottle as it ages. The vlaai pastry looks pretty delicious as well.
Kez
Sounds like youhad a great time there!
I would’ve definitely stayed for the BBQ too!
Meghan
Wow! This looks amazing. I would definitely love to visit sometime. Thanks for sharing1
Travel A-Broads
We always love checking out new breweries and trying out new beers! This sounds like a fun one; I’ve never been to the Netherlands, so I will need to visit soon! Xx Sara
Sue
I love a good brewery tour and this one sounds amazing!
Krista
I’m not a beer drinker but I do like going to breweries and learning about the history behind the site, especially if it’s important to the surrounding area. It looks like a great day trip idea!
Her Asian Adventures
I also love beer so I really need ot visit Hertog Jan Brewery in Arcen! Great blog post!
Sonia
Love the idea of the summer bbq after a relaxing afternoon exploring the brewery.
Alex S.
As someone who is heavily saturated in German ancestry, I too love a good beer! Everyone tends to forget the Dutch have great beer too. Thanks for sharing!
Lindsey | Adventurous Tastes
I studied in the Netherlands way back when, and I’d love to go back one day. This sounds like a great spot to add to the itinerary!
Lucia
What a great experience, I’ve never quite explored the Netherlands as I was always passing through but my next trip should be there and also explore the Netherlands beer scene.
Sharyn McCullum
As a beer lover a visit to this brewery will definitely be on my list when I visit the area.
Leigh Carmichael
That apricot tart looks like my kind of food.
Laureen Lund
Wow. this is right up our alley…especially for my husband. Great infor thanks so much. We hope to be in this region in 2026 so I am definitely saving and adding it to our itinerary if possilbe.
Anukrati Dosi
That sounds like such a fun outing with friends and family
Tania
Oh this tour sounds like such a well-rounded, interesting experience.
Angie Lowe
There is nothing better than visiting a brewery on vacation. I tend to visit a brewery or take a wine tour anywhere i go. This one looks amazing.