Belgian beer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belgian beer comprises the most varied and numerous collection of high-quality beers in the world [1], and 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 writers such as Michael Jackson. Although beer production in Belgium is now dominated by Inbev and Alken Maes, there are approximately 125 breweries in the country[2], producing about 500 standard beers. When special one-off beers are included, the total number of brands of Belgian beer exceeds 1000. Complete brewery lists can be consulted at the Belgian Beer Board [3] and the Zythos website.[4]
[edit] Distribution and availability
[edit] Outlets in Belgium
Belgium contains thousands of cafés that offer a wide selection of beers, ranging from perhaps 10 (including bottles) in a neighbourhood café, to over 1000 in a specialist beer café. Among the most famous are "Beer Circus," "L'atelier," "Chez Moeder Lambic," and "Delirium Café" in Brussels; "de Kulminator" and "Oud Arsenaal" in Antwerp, "De Garre" and "'t Brugs Beertje" in Bruges, "Het Botteltje" in Ostend,"Het Hemelrijk" in Hasselt and "Het waterhuis aan de bierkant", "De Dulle Griet", "Hopduvel" and "Trappistenhuis" in Ghent. 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.
[edit] Draught and bottled beer
The vast majority of Belgian beers are sold only in bottles. Draught beers tend mostly to be pale lagers, wheat beers, regional favourites such as Kriek in Brussels or De Koninck in Antwerp; and the occasional one-off. Customers who purchase a bottled beer (often called a "special" beer) can expect the beers to be served ceremoniously, often with a free snack.
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 bottle conditioned, in which they are reseeded with yeast so that an additional fermentation may take place. 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, usually being promotional items. 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] Serving and glassware
Virtually every Belgian beer has a branded glass. Beyond the basic shape of the glass (wide-mouth goblet, curvaceous tulip glass, tall pilsener, etc), each glass is imprinted with a logo or name. The brewery usually selects a glass form to accentuate certain qualities of their beer. A goblet, for example, lets the drinker's nose inhale the beer's aroma at the same time the mouth is drinking in the liquid. A tulip glass, for example, is very good for foam retention.
[edit] Internationally
Some draught beer brands produced by InBev — Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Leffe — are available in several European countries. Aside from these, it is mostly bottled beer that is exported. Cafés offering exclusively or primarily Belgian beers exist outside Belgium, in France, the United Kingdom and so on.
[edit] Types
[edit] Abbey
Distinct from Trappist beers (see below), Abbey beers (Bières d’Abbaye or Abdijbier) are brewed by commercial brewers, and license 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.
Abbey beers mainly came into being following World War II when Trappist beers experienced a new popularity. The Abbey beers were developed to take advantage of the public's interest in the Trappist beers. This is why the single key component of an Abbey beer is its name: there is always the name of a monastery (either real or fictitious). Like the Trappist beers, Abbey beers do not connote a beer style, but rather a general type of beer.
[edit] Amber
Modifications of British-style ales (hence top-fermenting) that were developed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the discerning Belgian taste. During the past 20 years, amber ales were gradually disappearing. When still produced in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Vieux-Temps was the perfect example of Brabant Wallon amber ale style . Nowadays, one can find Belgian Pale-Ale crafted with respect of the brewing tradition in different places. The undisputed market leader Palm has an extremely mouthy, almost gluey taste.[citation needed] 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. Another amber beer example is Gertrude, a real ale with distinctive bitterness that can be drunk only in the medieval town of Nivelles. The gravities are modest by Belgian standards, at about 5% ABV.
[edit] Barley wine
Barley wine is an internationally-recognized category which can be applied to some very strong Belgian beers, such as Bush ambrée.
[edit] British-type bitters and hoppy beers
A few Belgian beers are pale and assertively hopped, like an English bitter or India Pale Ale. De Ranke's "XX Bitter" wears its allegiance on its sleeve. Poperings Hommelbier is another example, hailing from Belgium's hop-growing district.
[edit] Blonde or Golden Ale
Duvel is the archetypal Belgian blonde ale, and the most popular bottled beer in the country as well as being well-known internationally.[citation needed] Its name means "Devil" and some other blonde beers follow the theme -- Satan, Lucifer, Brigand, Piraat and so on. The style is popular with Wallonian brewers, the slightly hazy Moinette being the best-known example. Delirium Tremens can be considered a spiced version.
[edit] Brown
Some brown ales are considered distinct from the dubbel style; for instance, Kwak, Gouden Carolus and Forbidden Fruit.[citation needed]
[edit] Dubbel
Dubbel has a characteristic brown color. It is one of the classic Abbey/Trappist types, having been developed in the 19th century at the Trappist monastery in Westmalle. Today, some commercial brewers using abbey names call 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] Enkel
This beer is the basic recipe for what is usually a range of three beers of increasing alcohol content. Unlike the words "dubbel" and "tripel", it is currently not in use by either Trappists or abbey breweries as the name of a beer.
[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' top-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, sour yet fruity and mouthy taste.
[edit] 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.[citation needed] 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] Oud bruin, or Flemish sour brown ale
This style, aged in wooden casks, is a fuller-bodied cousin to the sour red style. Examples include Goudenband and Petrus.
[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.[5] 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] 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 (by Belgian standards) and are characterized by a light to medium body. The lighter and often fruitier taste makes them ideal for the warmer season.[6]
[edit] Scotch ales
These sweet, heavy-bodied brown ales represent a style which originated in the British Isles, but is now defunct there. The Caledonian theme is usually heavily emphasised with tartan and thistles appearing on labels. Examples include Gordon's, Scotch de Silly and Achouffe McChouffe.
[edit] Stout
Belgian stouts subdivide into sweet and dry versions, with considerable variation in strength. Examples include Callewaerts and Ellezelloise Hercules. The sweeter versions resemble the almost-defunct British style "Milk stout", while the stronger ones are sometimes described as Imperial stouts.
[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 decade 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 1970s; in the early 21st century, several organizations made proposals to reinstate this custom as the table beer is considered more healthy than soft drinks. [7] [8]
[edit] Trappist
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 producers are Achel, Chimay, Koningshoeven (the Netherlands), Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren. The Trappist beers have very little in common with each other aside from the place of origin. The traditional "Holy Trinity" of beers (enkel, dubbel and tripel), for example, are now brewed by only two monasteries. Beers produced by commercial brewing companies on assignment from or in partnership with monasteries (Trappist or not) are called Abbey beers.
[edit] Tripel
This is, traditionally, the strongest (in alcohol) of a range of Trappist beers. Although the version developed by Westmalle in 1934 was blond, the color can range to near-black (Westvleteren and Rochefort). The term "tripel" has since been adopted by non-Trappist breweries to signify a strong ale.
[edit] White
A particular kind of wheat beer, commonly called witbier in Dutch and biėre blanche in French, 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, Fruli 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 can be served with a slice of lemon or orange.
[edit] Winter ales
Many breweries produce special beers during December. Some are stronger than the usual beers, others are spiced.
[edit] References
- ^ Testaankoop nr.517, feb. 2008
- ^ Home
- ^ Belgian Beer Board - Home
- ^ Zythos, de bierconsumentenvereniging van Belgie
- ^ Belgian Breweries - Statistics. Retrieved on 2006-11-16.
- ^ 'Jeannie Bastian'. Belgium Brewha!. Accessed November 15, 2006.
- ^ Guardian article retrieved 2007-03-27
- ^ Dutch article retrieved 2007-03-27
[edit] External links
- (English) Belgian beer website - An Index of Belgian Beer
- Belgium's Great Beers
- How to pronounce Belgian beer names
- Brewers in Belgium at the Open Directory Project
- All about trappist beer !
- Beers of Abbey
- The Belgian Beer Board
- The Belgian Beer Pub Map
- Belgian Beers, one by one
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