Day trip from Bruges to Trappist brewery in Belgium

The only one of the seven officially designated Trappist breweries that offers regular tours is Koningshoeven, in Tilburg in the southern Netherlands. And they only have the tour on Saturdays. All of them have at least a guesthouse or brasserie where you can buy their products. Koningshoeven, Westmalle and Westvletern are all within easy day trip distance of Brugge, although you may not be able to reach them by public transportation.

Of course, these are only the official "Trappist" breweries, there may be tours of less stringently defined "Abbey" breweries.

Thank you - that is very helpful. I suppose it doesn't necessarily have to be a "Trappist" brew; an Abby style will work. Westvleteren, Westmalle, Orval, Rochefort, and Achel all came recommended to me, however if I can't reach them by public transportation then they won't work! (I'm not planning on renting a car.) That being said, what other breweries would you suggest that I can reach using public transportation?? On the other hand, would these breweries be worth renting a car to visit?

Very few Belgian breweries offer regular public tours of the facilities without a prior appointment. Not even Inbev's flagship Stella Artois brewery in Leuven operates regular tours for the public. One notable exception is the one in Brugge (can't remember the name, but most of the Rickniks know about it). Many, however, run some kind of hospitality center, cafe, brasserie, etc. where you can purchase the beer with some food, but for all practical purposes, these really aren't much different from a typical Flemish cafe.

The brewery in Bruges that offers regulars tours is De Halve Maan Brewery Tour. However, it is not worth the tour price. It is a crowded, generic tour (basically insert any brewery name here_____), and the guide expects a tip on top of the tour fee. Skip the tour and enjoy a Brugse Zot, Bruin, or Bok in their courtyard.

The Sella Artois brewery in Leuven does offer tours, however you an only sign-up a week or two in advance and you are tacked onto a large group. Unless you and your closest 15 friends want to schedule a visit and then you can do it at least three weeks in advance. You can also visit Domus, a brewery cafe, in Leuven.

I found the De Halve Maan Brewery Tour very enjoyable, and well worth the price; the guide wasn't begging for tips when I was there. IMO no visit to Brgues is complete without it.

I also liked the DeHalve Maan tour.The guide did a great job and didnt look for tips.Dont eat soup there however it was terrible.

Thank you all! If you have any other suggestions - food, sights, marketplaces, special treats, etc. - please let me know! My time to plan is limited and I'd like to make the most of my trip. Thanks again for your input.