Belgian beer

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Leffe served in branded glasses

Belgian beer varies from the popular pale lager to the esoteric appeal of lambic beer and Flemish Red. Belgian beer-brewing's origins go back to the Middle-Ages, when monasteries began producing beers. Belgian beer production was assisted by the 1919 Belgian "Vandervelde Act", that prohibited the sale of spirits in pubs, inducing the market to produce beers with a higher level of alcohol. The Vandervelde Act was lifted in 1983.

High esteem of Belgian beer is supported by beer experts such as Michael Jackson. Although beer production in Belgium is now dominated by Inbev and Alken Maes, there are approx 125 breweries in the country^[1], producing about 500 standard beers.

1 Distribution and availability
2 Types
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Distribution and availability

These days, Belgian beers are sold in brown (or sometimes dark green) tinted glass bottles (to avoid negative effects of light on the beverage) and sealed with a cork, a metal crown cap, or sometimes both. Some beers are refermented (subjected to a final fermentation phase) in the bottle. These are often labeled "bottle-conditioned." Although many major brands of beer are available at most supermarkets, beverage centers located throughout the country generally offer a far wider selection, albeit at somewhat higher prices. In America it is wise to consider that many Belgian beers have a higher ABV than the local beer laws permit, and generally will be found for purchase at liquor stores only.

Fortunately, Belgium contains literally thousands of pubs (called cafés in Belgium), that are spread throughout the country, offering a wide selection of beers. You can expect the beers to be served with a great deal of care. To fully appreciate the wide variety of tastes in Belgian beers, any given beer should be served at its "ideal" temperature (which is usually in the range of cellar temperature: 8–15°C or 46–59°F) and in the appropriate glass. The vast majority of Belgian beers are sold only in bottles; tap beers tend mostly to be pilsners and the occasional one-off. For the more adventurous; vintage beers are becoming somewhat easier to find. Beers that are bottle-conditioned and then aged often experience a taste evolution that, when successful, vastly improves the flavor of the beer.

Although there are hundreds of beer cafés throughout Belgium, among the most famous are "Beer Circus," "L'atelier," "Moeder Lambic," and "Delirium Café" in Brussels; "de Kulminator" and "Oud Arsenaal" in Antwerp, "De Garre" and "t Brugs Beertje" in Bruges, "Het Hemelrijk" in Hasselt and "Het waterhuis aan de bierkant", "Hopduvel" and "Trappistenhuis" in Ghent.

Virtually each beer has its own glass. Beyond the basic shape of the glass (wide-mouth goblet, curvacious tulip glass, tall pilsener, etc), each glass is imprinted with a logo or name. The different basic shapes are designed to enhance the flavor and aroma of the particular beer, owing to the different paths that the bubbles travel up the sides of the glass. Of late this practice of custom glassware has emerged in America, owing greatly to the pressure from Belgian brewers to have their work served in the proper setting.

Different bottle sizes exist: 250 ml, 330 ml, 375 ml, 750 ml and multiples of 750. The 375 ml size is usually for lambics. Other beers are generally bottled in 250 or 330 format (depending on brands). The bigger bottles (750 ml) are sold almost in every food shop but the choice is often not wide. Larger size bottles are named following the terminology used for champagne but are quite rare. In Belgian cafés, when someone orders a demi (English: "half"), he receives a 500 ml glass (with beer from the tap, or from 2 bottles of 250 ml) whereas in France, demi means a 250 ml glass.

[edit] Types

Chimay is one of Belgium's Trappist beers

[edit] Pilsner-style lager, or Pils

See also: Pils

Although Belgium is best known internationally for its unique ales, it is the common bottom-fermented pilsner lager which heads the lists of both domestic consumption and exports.^[2] They are classified by their bottom-fermented method and are recognized for their light-color and smooth taste. The pilsners make up almost 75 percent of Belgian beer production. The best-known brand internationally is Stella Artois, while Jupiler is the most popular in Belgium, along with Maes pils.

[edit] White

Main article: White beer

A particular kind of wheat beer, commonly called witbier in Dutch, which often contains spices, such as coriander and orange peel. A 400 year old style that died out in the 1950's. It was revived by Pierre Celis at the Hoegaarden brewery. Celis brought the style to America where it is brewed by many craft brewers as Belgian Style White (Wit)

Some classical examples are La Binchoise Blond, Hoegaarden, Brugs, and Steendonk. Traditionally, white beers are brewed east of the region of Brabant. Their alcohol strength is low, and these beers are quite refreshing. White beers have a moderate light grain sweetness from the wheat used. All should have notes of the spices used, mainly orange peel and coriander, but some varieties use cumin, cardamom, and grains of paradise in addition to these. They are often served with a lemon slice, especially in the summer as a refreshment.

[edit] Abbey

Pierlala is a pale ale brewed by Van Steenberge

Distinct from Trappist beers (see below), Abbey beers (Bières d’Abbaye or Abdijbier) are brewed by commercial brewers, and licence their name from abbeys, some defunct, some still operating. The most internationally well-known brand of Abbey beer is Inbev's Leffe. Others include Grimbergen, Tripel Karmeliet, Maredsous, Watou, Saint-Feuillien, Floreffe, and Val-Dieu.

Like Trappist beer, abbey beer is not so much a style of beer but covers in fact several styles. Under each brand name, typically a range of several beers is presented, with blonde or brown versions of typically 6.5% ABV which are also available on draught, and stronger bottled beers in the dubbel or tripel styles.

Unlike Trappist beers, abbey beers are not made under control of monks. Officially recognized abbey beers are made under license by a commercial brewery, using the name and recipes of an abbey that has ceased brewing itself. Only a couple of brands, including Val-Dieu and Abbaye d'Aulne, are actually made within the walls of an abbey.

[edit] Dubbel

Dubbel has a characteristic brown colour. It was developed in the 19th century at the Trappist monastery in Westmalle. Today, some commercial brewers using abbey names calls their strong brown beers "Dubbel". Typically, a dubbel is between 6 and 8% abv. In addition to the dubbels made by most Trappist breweries, examples include Sint Bernardus Pater, Maredsous 8 and Witkap Dubbel.

Dubbels are characteristically bottle conditioned.

[edit] Tripel

Main article: Tripel

Blond or sometimes brown, it uses more fermentables and an alcohol tolerant strain of yeast, which makes them strong in alcohol and taste (Sint-Idesbald, Brugse Tripel).

[edit] Blond

Like Duvel, Delirium Tremens, Blond Ciney and Brigand.

[edit] Brown

Kwak, Brown Chimay, Forbidden Fruit.

[edit] Trappist

Main article: Trappist beer

Top-fermented ales brewed in a Trappist monastery. For a beer to qualify for this category, the entire production process must be carried out by, or supervised by, Trappist monks on the site of the monastery. Only seven monasteries currently meet this qualification, six of which are in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. The current Trappist brands are Achel, Chimay, La Trappe (the Netherlands), Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren.

[edit] Lambic beers (including Gueuze and Fruit Lambics)

Main article: Lambic

Unique to Belgium in its origin of creation and distinguished by their tart taste, Lambics are neither top-fermented nor bottom-fermented, being prepared through spontaneous fermentation by wild yeasts said to be endemic to the vicinity of Brussels. It is exclusively brewed around Brussels and the Senne Valley. Lambics can also be fermented with a variety of strains of bacteria that act similarly to yeast in the consumption of sugars and the production of alcohol and carbon dioxide, but produce unique flavors. The lambic beers are the only beers to undergo spontaneous fermentation that takes place during a rather long aging period ranging from three to six months (considered “young”) to two or three years for mature. Lambic can be broken into three subclasses: Gueuze, Kriek and Framboise, and Faro. The first of these, gueuze, blends both old and young mixtures to stimulate a second fermentation. Many are laid down like fine wines to age for several more years. In its most natural form, Lambic is a draught beer which is rarely bottled, and thus only available in its area of production and a few cafes in and around Brussels. Major brands include Mort Subite, Belle Vue, Cantillon and Saint-Louis. Some more mainstream brewers like Mort Subite and Saint-Louis do not subscribe to the orthodox rules of lambic production, adding extra sugars to sweeten their beers. Gueuze, also known informally as Brussels Champagne, is a sparkling beer produced by combining a young Lambic with more mature vintages. Exponents of this style are Girardin, Oud Beersel, 3 Fonteinen, Cantillon and Boon. Fruit beers are made by adding fruit or fruit concentrate to Lambic beer. The most common type is Kriek (made with cherries). Other fruits used are raspberry (Framboos), peach and blackcurrant. Kriek and Framboos blend the fruit to trigger the second fermentation. The last of the Lambic brews, Faro, adds sugar or caramel to prompt the fermentation.

[edit] Flemish Red

Typified by Rodenbach, the eponymous brand that started this type over a century ago, this beer's distinguishing features from a technical viewpoint are a specially roasted malt, fermentation by a mixture of several 'ordinary' high-fermenting yeasts and a lactobacillus culture (the same type of bacteria yoghurt is made with) and maturation in oak. The result is a mildly strong 'drinking' beer with a deep reddish-brown color and a distinctly acidic yet fruity and mouthy taste.

[edit] Amber

Modifications of British-style ales (hence high-fermenting) that were developed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the discerning Belgian taste. The undisputed market leader Palm has an extremely mouthy, almost gluey taste. The De Koninck brand with its distinctive spherical glasses ('bollekes') is wildly popular in its native city Antwerp, being one of the many sources of pride to her notoriously chauvinistic locals.

[edit] Saison

Main article: Saison

Bottle-conditioned farmhouse pale ales, brewed mainly in the French speaking region of Wallonia. The saison or seasonal beers are somewhat low in alcohol and are characterized by a light to medium body. The lighter and often fruitier taste makes them ideal for the warmer season.^[3]

[edit] Table beer

Table beer is a low-alcohol (typically not over 1,5%) brew sold in large bottles to be drunk with meals. The last decennia it has gradually lost popularity due to the growing consumption of soft drinks and bottled water. It comes in blonde or brown versions. Table beer used to be served in school refectories until the 1970; in the early 21st century, several organizations made proposals to reinstate this custom as the table beer is considered more healthy than soft drinks ^[4] ^[5].