Belgian beer

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Belgian beer comprises the most varied and numerous collection of beers in the world. Belgian beer-brewing's origins go back to the Middle-Ages, when monasteries began producing beers. Unlike in other European countries, Belgian beer production remained alive due to 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 as late as 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 (the world's largest brewer by volume) and Alken Maes, there remain 125 breweries in the country, producing about 500 standard beers. When special one-off beer styles are included, the total number of types of Belgian beer exceeds 1000.

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.

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.

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] Kinds of beers

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Pilsner-style lager, or Pils: although Belgium is best known internationally for its unique top-fermented beers, it is the common bottom-fermented pilsner lager which heads the lists of both domestic consumption and exports<ref>Belgian Breweries - Statistics. Retrieved on 2006-11-16.

</ref>. These beers are often called “table beers.” 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.

Witbiers, or white beers: a particular kind of wheat beer which often contains spices, such as coriander and orange peel. 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, yet these beers are regarded as quite refreshing, especially with a lemon wedge. White beers are comprised of 45 percent wheat, malted barley, hops yeast, and water.

Abbey beers (also known as Monk's beer): these are top-fermented ales which are either associated in some way with an abbey or an imitation of abbey-style brewing. Crafted since the Middle Ages, the monk’s beers are perhaps regarded with the most respect and pride. A few of these beers are still produced in abbey breweries to centuries-old recipes, while most are merely licensed by an abbey. Modern times find only six true Belgian monasteries still brewing these. Solely beers from these “Trappist abbeys” may carry the label "Bière des Pères Trappistes" or "Trappistenbier". Other monasteries, such as Orval and Chimay, now commission commercial breweries or license their name to earn funds to support their work. These beers are labeled Bière d’Abbaye or Abdijbier. 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.

Dubbel beers or ales: brown beverages brewed with added sugar for strength, and sometime subtle spices (Enghien, Grimbergen). Ales were imported from the British during WWII. The recipes were adapted to cater to local tastes and thoroughly enriched with “Belgian know-how.” DeKonnick, brewed in Antwerp, is an example of a classic Belgian ale.

Tripel beers: 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).

Blond beers: like Duvel, Delirium Tremens, Blond Ciney and Brigand.

Brown beers: try Kwak, Brown Ciney or Forbidden Fruit.

Trappist beers: 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.

Lambic Beers (including Gueuze and Fruit Lambics): 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.

'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.

Amber beers: 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.

Saison beers are bottle-conditioned farmhouse pale ales brewed in the 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. These beers are brewed mainly in the French-speaking region of Belgium, Wallonia.<ref>'Jeannie Bastian'. Belgium Brewha!. Accessed November 15 2006.</ref>