The Rapid Rise of Belgian Beer

Belgium beers - via Wikipedia

Many countries are renowned for their beer culture: the Czechs have their pioneering Pilsner, the Irish have their bestselling Guinness, the Germans have their froth-filled steins and the British have their lukewarm ales. However, in the last few years there has been another European country that’s gained huge plaudits for its unique beer culture, and for its quantity of world-class brews… and that’s Belgium.

It may be one of the country’s smallest states, but Belgium is home to around 180 distinct breweries, ranging from big international companies like Stella Artois and Leffe to microbreweries and Trappist monasteries. However, unlike some of its competitors Belgian beer making isn’t a tradition that goes back for centuries and millennium… in fact, the very first Trappist brewery in the country (Westmalle) didn’t start brewing and selling until the 1860s, while brands like Stella are very much 20th century creations.

However, that might explain exactly why Belgian beer is so different. Having been able to look at what other countries around them were doing, the Belgian monks could mix-and-match techniques and styles they liked to create unique blends unavailable anywhere else. For example, Belgium’s famous ‘amber ale’ (such as Ambrée and Speciale) is very similar to the traditional pale ales of England, although with the added touch of being less bitter, while their ‘blonde ale’ is a lighter variations on the pale ale using Czech pilsner malts. Meanwhile, Belgian ‘wheat beers’ borrow an significant amount from their German and Dutch equivalents, while ‘lambic’ and ‘saison’ beers take great inspiration from light French lagers.

This experimentation, though, has also led to Belgium producing beers which have their own particular style. For example, the ‘Dubbel’ (Double) is a highly renowned Belgian brew that is characteristically brown, heavy and fruity (and a little bitter), with a high alcoholic content of between 6% and 8%. Then there’s the Flemish Red, which is created using specially-roasted malt and matured in oak, and has a unique reddish-brown color, plus a wide variety of fruit beers – including the strawberry-flavored Früli.

But it’s not just the beer that is distinctly brilliant… Belgian breweries are also world-renowned for the way they serve their products. Whether it’s the uniquely hexagonal glass of Hoegaarden, the tulip glass of Duval or the scientific-looking glass-and-wooden-stand combo of Kwak, almost every Belgian brewer has their own distinct way of serving up beer, which makes it quite unlike anywhere else in the world.

Yet despite all these brand differences, perhaps the very best thing about Belgian beer is the fact it can be easily brewed at home by anyone! Just search online, or in your local brewing store (if such a thing exists!) and you’ll come across a variety of suppliers selling ingredients for almost all types of Belgian beer – particularly the fruit ones – as well as kits to help make the production process idiot-proof.

So the next time you’re sipping a unique Belgian beer it could be one of your own. Just remember that, in time-honored Belgian fashion, you’ll need a uniquely-shaped glass before you really call it your own!

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