Belgian Beer
Comments
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just for the name you should try mort subite, there's a cafe in brussels i remember from years ago that i think they named it after
you can get leffe beers all over the place
there are loads of trappist beers, heading for small places is the interesting way to get a random sampling
i was in mechelen a few weeks ago, umpteen small bars selling interesting beers - although some are very smokey - there's a brewery, het anker, you can visit toomy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
simonaspinall wrote:You do realise you'll get back to England and not be able to drink in an English pub and be satisfied ever again
The strange thing is that have tried few of those mentioned imported to here.
The taste experience just wasn't the same
May have something to do with not travelling well, or the location/ambience at the time.None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.0 -
Brasserie Dupont has some very good saisons. I had some Avril two nights ago and was very pleased with it. Citrusy but not sweet. Their Saison Dupont is also very pleasant
Piraat ale by Brouwerij Van Steenberge is a Belgian IPA0 -
No one's mentioned La Chouffe yet.
My faves though are Westmalle (both the dubbel and tripel), Gulden Draak, Karmeliet tripel, and the Rochefort 10. They are a good variety of styles, so would be a good place to start. I'm sure Karmeliet was voted best beer in the world??? probably, by the belgians though.0 -
Orval0
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millar time
agree Grimbergen is much under-rated and harder to find than Leffe Blond - for a sharper less sweet taste try Brugge Zot - my local (in the UK ) has it ice cold on draught - fabuloushttp://veloviewer.com/SigImage.php?a=3370a&r=3&c=5&u=M&g=p&f=abcdefghij&z=a.png
Wiliers: Cento Uno/Superleggera R and Zero 7. Bianchi Infinito CV and Oltre XR20 -
meanredspider wrote:Can't believe Corsendonk hasn't been mentioned. I stayed at the Monestary whilst doing a project management training course - lovely straight from the barrel.
My advice is to go for variety - I love Leffe myself but Grimbergen or any number of others would do fine. 3 years living in Brussels gave me plenty of time to learn about beer. Now I'm living in the Highlands, I'm learning about Scotch - it's a dirty job....
Sorry to hijack a little.
Meanredspider,
If you are learning about Whisky, may I suggest a weekend at the Cragellachie hotel. The Bar there has the largest collection of drinking Whisky in the world (or so they say).
Lovely place and an education!0 -
Nuggs wrote:
Hold on a minute, let's not get silly here.simonaspinall wrote:You do realise you'll get back to England and not be able to drink in an English pub and be satisfied ever again
Yes, Belgian beer is great but there are some FINE British beers as well. They're all different and there are times when only a good British pint hits the mark.
Let's embrace the diversity and enjoy all the beers on this Earth!
That is very true - There are some exceptional beers in Blighty - One of the great homes of brewing. I'm just being a fuddy duddy that so many pubs choose not to serve it.
If nothing else - Any bar or drinking establishment in Belgium chosen at random will have a much better standard of beer as a rule of thumb.
And you get the cycling culture too!!!!!!!!
In fact, it's difficult to see why Belgium gets such a bad press in the UK. Great beer, great food, great cycling, good standard of living, lots of picturesque towns and villages.
Hmmm...cobblestones may be a challenge.What wheels...? Wheelsmith.co.uk!0 -
Felt so Good wrote:millar time
agree Grimbergen is much under-rated and harder to find than Leffe Blond - for a sharper less sweet taste try Brugge Zot - my local (in the UK ) has it ice cold on draught - fabulous
They sell Grimbergen in Tesco now. Can't think of any other reason to shop there though.0 -
This is quite simple.
Most of the Belgian beers are pretty good, so, start the day with a sensible one (8-9% ish) then gradually throughout the day work up to the not so sensible beers (13% ish). My approach is generally to try the beers that you've never heard of.
If you're sensible and have small beers, you can try a fair few before you're dribbling in the gutter. If you're not so sensible, go for the large beers and you'll be in a mess after about 4
Last time I went to Brugge, I wasn't so sensible :roll: Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved0 -
Belgian beer is awesome! Leffe, Grimbergen, Duvel, Rochefort, Westmalle all great stuff - I generally prefer the trippel (strong blonde) to the dubbel (dark) but its all good. Even Stella tastes a million times better over there, are try Jupiler, Cristal, Maes, all good "session" lagers. For a similar strength alternative, I used to drink a lot (and I mean LOT) of Palm when I lived over there,and the white beers (Hoegaarden, Dentergems etc) are nice and refreshing on a sunny day and don't come with the comedy price tags you get here.
Final tip, if you see West Vleteren anywhere DO IT! Its extremely rare, I was lucky enough to be in one of my locals when they had a couple of crates delivered (along with some delicious Trappist cheese) and I managed to polish off the best part of a crate (double figures anyway), that was one hell of a night! Right up there with when me and The Stone started at the top of the beer menu and over the course of the next 12 hours got very close to the bottom...0 -
Stay in Kortrijk. Visit The Cafe Boulevard. Drink 5 beers from their list of 90. Next day Cycle to St Sixtus Abbey Brewery near Poperinge. Drink the best beer in the world. Walk to Poperinge, get train to kortrijk. Go back to Boulevard, try 5 more beers. Repeat. Ask me more.0
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Followiing on from the above, I seriously need to take a bike over to belgium for a week or so, to do some 'training'. Starting at In de Vrede at Poperinge and stopping at all points East, North, South, and if money, and liver allow, West!0
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink ... -Pint.html
According to this, many of us could be considered 'aesthetes'. Isn't that some sort of euphemism ? :? 0 -
Well, I'm back!
Armed with your advice, for which many thanks, I have to say it was quite a successful mission, although no West Vleteren to be seen.
Mrs Pneumatic stuck to the Leffe Blonde. I tried to have a different one every time we sat down. Leffe Brun, Leffe Trippel, Westmalle Trippel, Chimay Bleu, Hoegaarden, Grimbergen Blonde and Brun, Orval, a Gueuze I can't remember the name of, a large and very refreshing Zot in the sunshine opposite the brewery itself in Bruges and a Kriek.
The Kriek was the only disaster. I was being put under pressure by the waiter to make my mind up in a busy lunchtime cafe and it was the only one on a limited menu that I hadn't yet had. Problem is: I can't stand cherries. The Devil eats them (Witches of Eastwick was spot on!). Consequently, I had to hold my nose and quaff it quickly and then wash it away with a glug of Mrs P's Leffe Blonde. UUUURRGGh!
Hard to choose a winner. However, there is still one more to go. In my beer-fuelled reverie on Friday night, spurred on by Mrs P who had just re-mortgaged Chateau Pneumatic in the Leonidas chocolate shop (how much?!), I found myself buying a souvenir pack of Kwak with souvenir glass and souvenir holder at a very souvenir price. Had to carry the damned thing home in my rucksack, too (brought a whole new meaning to the prhase Back, Sack and Kwak!).
Back to work today. No beer at lunchtime. Starting to feel twitchy.0 -
Glad you had a successful trip!
I also enjoyed a Zot in that same location. Sitting in the sun. Very refreshing!None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.0 -
Aaah Jupiler on Alpe d'Huez, memories are made of this 0
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My favourite is Ename tripel which is generally found (and brewed) in the Oudenaarde region. Nectar of the gods :P0
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NapoleonD wrote:Leffe (brun or blond...) on draught. Boodiful!
Hoegaarden on draught. Boodiful!
Much nicer than the stuff here...
I only discovered Leffe on a trip to Amsterdam last December. It's lovely. I drink it most weekends now....only the Brun though.
My advice would be to find out what's available here and then avoid all of them and drink other stuff. try stuff you've never heard of. And then when you've found what you like - drink more of it.
EDIT - oh you've already been and come back. Never mind - still good advice.0 -
Agree with the maxim to avoid what you can get here anyway (if bottled, anyway). Have now attacked the souvenier Kwak - oh my goodness! I have to go back!
last night (on business in London) I found myself offered a choice of carling or john smiths. Pitiful. I went home sober. 0 -
Alternatively bring back samples of Continental beers that are also available here as "brewed in the UK under licence" –– such as cans of Stella –– then do a comparison tasting -- it will be enlightening as to just how bland UK mass produced lagers are!0
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3 tours in the Belgian province of Antwerp combine cycling and beer tasting!
The Duvelroute consists of 2 loops of 23 km in and around Willebroek, Ruisbroek, Boom, Puurs and Rumst. In Puurs you can pay a visit to the Moortgat Brewery where they produce Duvel, if you have registered in advance! http://www.duvel.com
http://www.beersofantwerp.be/be-nl/info/57/Fietsen.html (Dutch only)
Map of the Duvelroute: http://www.beersofantwerp.be/documenten/Duvelfolder%20Definitief%20klaar%20voor%20druk.pdf
The Bollekensroute is a 34 km tour in and around Antwerp
You can combine it with a visit to the De Coninck Brewery. Individuals are welcome on saturdays. Groups should register in advance! http://www.deconinck.be
http://www.beersofantwerp.be/be-nl/info/42/Fietsen.html (Dutch only)
Map of the Bollekensroute:
http://www.beersofantwerp.be/documenten/De%20Koninckbollekens%20route%203luik.pdf
The Westmalle Bierroute is a loop of 48 km in the region of Zoersel, Brecht and Malle. The abbey is not open to visits.
http://www.beersofantwerp.be/be-nl/info/88/Fietsen.html (Dutch only)
Map of the Westmalle Bierroute:
http://www.beersofantwerp.be/documenten/Westmalle%20bierroute%203luik.pdf60 bicycle trails along Belgian canals, rivers and former railway tracks : http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/by/fietslogies0 -
daviesee wrote:While in Brugge, I often enjoyed a Grimbergen.
The beer produced in Brugge, Zot, was very refreshing on a warm summers day.
Stile Brige - Hunton Nr Maidstone has this ice cold on draught - fantastic!0 -
Visiting active Belgian breweries is quite tough. The larger ones have a visitor's center and offer tours, but for family breweries and brewing abbeys, even a few prayers won't open the doors.
However, during the annual Heritage Days, three local breweries will open exceptionally their doors. That's on sunday 12th of september 2010.
These are the ones:
Brouwerij De Ryck in Herzele (East Flanders)
Kerkstraat 24
14.00-18.00
Guided tours, every half an hour
Beers: Special De Ryck, Arend, Steenuilke, different fruit beers
(At other moments and on request, the brewery can be visited (6 euro pp, min. 90 euro if you're less than 15))
Brouwerij Van Den Bossche in Sint-Lievens-Esse (Herzele, East Flanders)
Sint-Lievensplein 16
14.00-18.00
Guided tours, every half an hour
Beers: Pater Lieven, Lamoral
It's only 5 km between both sites!
Brouwerij Timmermans in Itterbeek (Dilbeek, Flemish Brabant)
Kerkstraat 11
13.00-18.00
Guided tours at 14.00, 15.00 and 16.00
Beers: lambiek, geuze, kriek
Tours will be in Dutch.60 bicycle trails along Belgian canals, rivers and former railway tracks : http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/by/fietslogies0 -
fietslogies wrote:Visiting active Belgian breweries is quite tough. The larger ones have a visitor's center and offer tours, but for family breweries and brewing abbeys, even a few prayers won't open the doors.
However, during the annual Heritage Days, three local breweries will open exceptionally their doors. That's on sunday 12th of september 2010. .
Oh rats! I am doing the Pedal for Scotland 100 mile ride that day. Of the two ways to end up speechless, half blind and severely lacking in motor skills, I think I would have preferred the brewery tour! 0 -
Rats +1. I'm heading out to watch the TOB - stage 2 that day. Maybe I'll find something Belgian at the pub in Meerbrook.0
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Having just moved to the Netherlands I find this thread very helpful - thank you...
Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs0 -
The reference to Puurs and the Duvel brewery brings back so many memories. I had to drive past it every day when I worked along from it in Bornem.
Hoegaarden with a wedge of Lemon in it.....mmmmmmmmm
Not been to it for a year or 2 but there is the Belgo restaurant and bar in London for a fix of mussels & frites washed down with a variety of Belgiums finest.
http://tragusgroup.s3.amazonaws.com/bel ... ntraal.pdf0
