Liefmans Brewery is one of the oldest breweries in Belgium, with origins in Oudenaarde dating to 1679. It is the home of oud bruin — old brown ale — a regional style native to the Oudenaarde area, darker and sourer than the pale ales of the Brabant and quite different from the abbey ales of the rest of Belgium. The brewery also produces Cuvée Brut and the celebrated Fruitesse, a fruit beer built on an oud bruin base.
The brewery building sits just east of the town centre on the Dendermondsestraat. Guided tours are available and take in the brew house, the maturation cellars, and a tasting. Even for visitors with only moderate interest in beer, Liefmans is worth a stop: the Goudenband in particular is one of Belgium's genuinely distinctive regional styles, and the tissue-wrapped bottles make good souvenirs.