The firm claims it is not sustainable to keep the brewery open

Owners Interbrew decided to shut the Strangeways brewery last month to reduce distribution costs.

The 10-strong group, from the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) will meet members of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) in Brussels on Thursday.

Spokesman Franny Joyce said the meeting was another step in the "Save the Cream" campaign.

"This is another way in which we are showing that the brewery workers and the people of Manchester are not going to go away," he said.

"Interbrew are in denial about what we are saying so we'll be shouting it loud and clear to them. Profits are up, growth is up and efficiency is up. This is a profitable brewery."

Interbrew is planning to keep its cask ale production in Manchester after the closure - moving it to Hydes Brewery, Moss Side - but the majority of production work will be moving to Lancashire, Scotland and Wales.

Philip Malpass, of Interbrew's parent company InBev, said the closure was down to a trend of more people choosing to drink lager than ale.

The delegation will visit colleagues from the European Federation of Food Agriculture and Tourism trade union (EFFAT), before lobbying for support at InBev's major brewery in Leuven.

They will later visit the company's distribution depot at Armenti�res in France.