Belgium is often known as The Beer Country, and
not without good reason.
This small country produces what might seem a bewildering array of different
beers and beer styles to the casual visitor. However, exploring Belgium’s great
beers and beer culture is a worthy endeavour, one which you’d likely find very
rewarding.
There are historic old breweries using 19th century vessels built of copper and
wood, and brand new ones with state-of-the-art stainless steel equipment. The
common bond is rich, flavourful beers, and Belgium has a plethora of such
brews. Here is a look at a few of the more interesting beers and breweries in
each of Belgium’s provinces.
In Antwerp Province, Brouwerij Achilles, which is located in the brewer’s
former garage, produces a number of fine brews, with Serafijn Grand Cru (9%)
being a standout. Another very new brewery is ‘t Hofbrouwerijke, where
brewer/owner Jef Goetelen crafts delicious beers such as Hofelf, a strong
blonde wheat beer with a pleasing light sour character and fine bitterness, and
Hofblues, a rich dark stout.
Browerij Den Hopperd, located not far away, offers several respected brews,
such as Kameleon Ginseng, an ale of 6.5% using that spice in its recipe, and a
fine Tripel ale.
Brouwerij Het Anker in Mechelen is located at a historic UNESCO World Heritage
site dating to the 14th century, and offers a number of worldclassic ales, such
as Gouden Carolus Easter and Tripel. Of course, the benchmark Belgian Tripel is
brewed at the Westmalle Trappist brewery – and Westmalle Dubbel is no slouch
either. The Moortgat brewery in Breendonk has the strong golden ale Duvel, and
the Maredsous beers.
The Province of East Flanders has quite a few great breweries, including De
Glazen Toren in Erpe-Mere, a thousand year-old village near Aalst. With beers
like the refreshing Saison d’ Erpe-Mere, Ondineke Tripel, and the malty,
complex Canaster Winter Scotch Ale, De Glazen Toren has established itself as a
top brewery in just three years.
Another superb brewery is De Landtsheer in Buggenhout, which has a lineup of
standout beers called Malheur. The 6 and 10 are blond beers with a fine
hoppiness and pleasing malt background, and the 12 is a dark, strong,
contemplative brew. Malheur also produces several Champagne-style beers it
calls Brut, Dark Brut and Cuvee Royale.
The Dark Brut, which is aged in American oak barrels, is one of the best dark
beers in Belgium, with a very complex flavour profile and 12% alcohol by volume
(ABV) to boot. The Brut is a delicious blond ale of 11%.
These beers are great to celebrating special occasions with, as they are
offered in beautiful corked 75cl bottles.
Brouwerij Slaghmuylder in Ninove, with brewmaster Karel Goddeau at the helm,
produces the tasty Witkap Dubbel and Tripel ales, as well as some of the best
lagers in Belgium-unusual in a country known for its ales. Karel is also the
blender of the excellent De Cam Oude Geuze and Oude Kriek, at Gooik in Flemish
Brabant.
Also in Flemish Brabant, brewer/blender Armand Debelder crafts several
world-class brews in Beersel, including Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze and Oude
Kriek. These Lambics are the real deal, though they can be a bit sour for the
uninitiated. But for the real lambic and geuze lover, it doesn’t get much
better.
Hainaut Province, in Frenchspeaking Wallonia and on the border with France, is
perhaps the beeriest in Belgium, with more than 20 breweries.
This is saison country, and no brewery does this style quite like Brasserie
Dupont in Tourpes. Saison Dupont is the benchmark by which others are judged.
Dupont uses copper brewkettles dating to 1844, and a wooden mash tun of the
same age. The blonde, rich Moinette (8.5%) is another great brew, as is the
Cervesia, which uses a number of herbs and spices in its recipe.
Brasserie Blaugies in Blaugies also crafts several superb saison ales, such as
La Moneuse. Brasserie a Vapeur, the last solely steam-powered brewery in
Belgium, offers the fine, refreshing Saison de Pipaix and Vapeur en Folie.
You can see these beers being brewed the last Saturday of each month, which is
the open brew day.
Just a few miles away, Brasserie Dubuisson has been producing strong ales like
Bush and Bush de Noel for many years. The superb Bush Prestige is an oak
barrel-aged beer of 13%, served in a unique bottle. It is well worth sharing
with friends.
Brasserie Cazeu in Templeuve has been around only a few years (though brewing
began here in the 18th century) but has already managed to craft two fine
brews: Tournay is a tasty blonde ale, with 7%, and there is the rich, dark
Tournay de Noel, which is set to go year-round soon.
Brasserie Ellezelloise in Ellezelles has several stellar beers, such as
Quintine Blonde and Amber, both with 8%, and the very pleasing Saisis – yes,
another saison. At De Ranke in Dottignies, the XX Bitter sets a Belgian
standard for hoppy brews, while the Guldenberg is a top notch pale ale with 8%
– and plenty of hops too. Brasserie St.
Feuillien in Le Roeulx crafts some stunning beers as well, such as the Brune,
Tripel and Cuvee de Noel. The Chimay Trappist brewery produces its well-known
White (Triple) and Blue (dark, strong ale) near Baileux.
Province of Liege, in a far eastern corner of Belgium, has a couple of fine
breweries. Brasserie Grain d’ Orge in Hombourg, run by young couple Benoit and
Viviane Johnen, has several very interesting brews. 3 Schteng is a tasty brown
ale with a dry, nutty character, and Brice is a strong golden ale of 7.5%.
Nearby, Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu, located in a former Cistercian
Abbey, has a blonde, brown and triple worthy of a beer lover’s attention.
In Limburg Province, the Achel Trappist brewery has several great beers,
including the dark Extra.
Brouwerij Kerkom in Kerkom has an atmospheric winter tasting cafe, and superb
brews like the Bink Blond, a hoppy session beer; Bink Tripel; and the dark,
malty Winterkoninkske, one of Belgium’s great winter ales.
In Luxembourg Province, Brasserie Fantome and its brewer, Dany Prignon, are
known for eclectic saison-style, earthy brews. Among his best are Black Ghost
and Fantome de Noel. The Orval Trappist brewery in Villers-devant- Orval is
known for Orval, a dry-hopped pale ale brewed with brettanomyces yeast strains.
Another great brewery nearby is La Rulles in Rulles, where Gregory Verhelst
crafts seriously satisfying brews like Brune, Estivale, Triple and Cuvee
Meilleurs Voeux.
Brewpub/restaurant Les Trois Fourquets in Gouvy has a fine witbier, as well beers
brewed by guest brewers.
In Namur Province, the Rochefort Trappist brewery has been turning out its
signature dark ales for many years.
The 6, 8, and 10 are among the best Belgium has to offer. Brasserie du Bocq in
Purnode also has a number of fine brews, such as La Gauloise Brune and Regal
Christmas. In Wallonian Brabant, Brasserie Lefebvre produces the tasty honey
ales Barbar and Winterbock.
West Flanders is the beeriest Province in Flanders and is also the one nearest
the United Kingdom. Many travellers first experience Belgian beers in
beautiful, beery Bruges, in cafes like ‘t Brugs Beertje and Brasserie Erasmus.
Located just outside the walls of the old city, Johan Brandt of Brouwerij
Regenboog (‘rainbow’) has created quite a variety of delicious and interesting
beers since 1995, such as ‘t Smisje Dubbel, a dark beer which uses fresh dates,
honey, and candi sugar (specialist sugar) in its recipe. The 11% ABV Smisje
Kerst is a fine ale brewed for the Christmas season to ward off Belgium’s winter
chill, and Wostyntje is a beer with mustard seeds in its recipe.
One of the newest breweries in the region is Picobrouwerij Alvinne, whose beers
are in such demand that they are all presold at the brewery! The Blonde Extra
is quite a fine hoppy ale with 7%, while the Podge Belgian Imperial Stout,
whose recipe was developed in collaboration with Chris “Podge” Pollard (who
runs beer tours from the UK to Belgium) has become a cult beer in just a couple
of years. Podge is a very dark brew with notes of chocolate and coffee, and
10.5% ABV.
Using the facilities of Deca services in Woesten, De Struise Brouwers has been
hand-crafting some very special beers in just a few short years. The Pannepot
dark ale, Tsjeeses Christmas Ale, and Aardmonnik Flemish Old Brown ale are
several of the best brews I tasted in 2007, which was a very good year for
beer.
The ‘brewers town’ of Watou features great breweries and cafés.
About two miles from the centre is Brouwerij St. Bernardus, which has been
crafting several superb Abbey ales since 1946. The Pater 6, Prior 8 and Abbot
12 are all dark brews of varying strengths, with deep malty complexities. The
Witbier and Grottenbier were developed with the help of the legendary Pierre
Celis, of Hoegaarden fame.
St. Bernardus Tripel and Watou Tripel are top-class beers as well. The dark St.
Bernardus Abbey ales were patterned after the Westvleteren beers of the same
name. The Westvleteren Trappist brewery still creates some of the most highly
sought-after beers in the world, with the 12, a superlative, rich, dark-ruby
strong ale, being at the top of the hierarchy. The dark 8 and blonde ale are
worthy little brothers.
Last but certainly not least, Brouwerij Verhaeghe in Vichte is another
world-classic, where brewing began in 1875.
Nowadays, Karl Verhaeghe crafts such brews as Duchesse de Bourgogne, Echt
Kriekenbier, and Vichtenaar.
All the brews are matured in oak barrels for various periods of time (giving
them a pleasant acidity) and, except Victhenaar, are blends of young and old beer.
Echt Kriekenbier has local sour cherries added and is a blend of one, two and
three year old brews. Enjoy your visit to Belgium!
Belgian beer festivals
Zythos Bier festival (Z.B.F.)
Stadfeestzaal
Leopold II Laan 67, Sint-Niklaas
www.zbf.be
March 1-2, 2008
The biggest celebration of Belgian brews on the planet. In 2007 there were 250
beers from 60 breweries in 2007.
Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation
Tapperij Beukenhof
Broekstraat 18, Opstal-Buggenhout
www.bierpallieters.be
May 24-25, 2008
Showcasing more than 70 different lambic based brews.
Karakterbier weekend H.O.P.
Zaal CC “De Stringe”
Vichte (near Kortrijk)
www.karakterbierweekend.be
June 7-8, 2008
Pleasant fest with more than 100 well-chosen brews, including many from
Wallonia.
Bruxellensis Biere Festival
Les Glacières de Saint-Gilles
Rue de la Glacière, 18 St. Gilles (Brussels) Belgium
www.festivalbruxellensis.be
Early to mid-September
A superb fest, featuring only beers with character.
Heikantse Bierfeesten
Zaal Familia, Berlaar-Heikant
www.heikantsebierliefhebbers.be
October 31-November 2, 2008
Friendly festival with a fine range of 75+ brews.
Herentalse Bierfeesten
Zaal ‘t Hof op de Grote Markt, Herentals
www.herentalsebierfeesten.be
Last weekend of October
A fine beer fest, run by the local scouts club. More than 100 beers on offer.
Het Weekend der Belgische Bieren
Zaal De Schakel, Rechterstraat 43, Hasselt
www.limburgse-biervrienden.be
First or second weekend of November
More than 120 beers on offer, with table service.
Brugs Beer Festival
Inner Court of the Belfry, Bruges
www.brugsbierfestival.be
November 15-16, 2008
Held outside the medieval bell tower of historic and beautiful Bruges. More
than 100 beers available.
O.B.E.R. Kerstbier (Christmas beer) fest
Heuvelhal, Kapelstraat 7, Essen (near
Dutch border)
www.kerstbierfestival.be
December 13-14, 2008
Quite simply the best winter and Christmas beer fest in Belgium. There were 125
brews, with 19 on tap, in 2007.
Categories: International
