Antwerp 's leading brewery, De Koninck, is something of a Flemish institution — and for some a way of life. Its standard beer, De Koninck, is a smooth, yellowish pale ale that is better on draft than in the bottle. Very drinkable and with a sharp aftertaste. Specific to the Brussels area and representing one of the world's oldest styles of beer making, lambic beers are tart because they are brewed with at least thirty percent raw wheat as well as the more usual malted barley.
The key feature is, however, the use of wild yeast in their production, a process of spontaneous fermentation in which the yeasts of the atmosphere gravitate down into open wooden casks over a period of between two and three years. The bottled varieties are often modified, but Cantillon Lambik is authentic, an excellent drink with a lemony zip. It is produced at the Cantillon brewery, in Anderlecht, which is home to the Gueuze Museum see below.
Lindemans Lambik is similar and a tad more commonplace. Another type of Belgian beer rather than an individual brew, gueuze is made by blending old and new lambic to fuel re-fermentation, with the end result being bottled. This process makes gueuze a little sweeter and fuller-bodied than classic lambic. Traditional gueuze can be hard to track down and you may have to settle for the sweeter, more commercial brands, notably Belle Vue Gueuze 5.
The role model of all Belgian wheat beers, Hoegaarden — named after a small town east of Leuven — is light and extremely refreshing, despite its cloudy appearance. It is brewed from equal parts wheat and malted barley and is the ideal drink for a hot summer's day. The history of wheat beers is curious: in the late s, they were so unpopular that they faced extinction, but within twenty years they had been taken up by a new generation of drinkers and are now extremely popular.
Hoegaarden is as good a wheat beer as any. Once again a type of beer rather than a particular brew, Kriek is made from a base beer to which cherries are added or, in the case of the more commercial brands, cherry juice and perhaps even sugar.
It is decanted from a bottle with a cork, as with sparkling wine. The better examples are not too sweet and taste simply wonderful.
Other fruit beers are available too, but Kriek is perhaps the most successful. This Flemish beer, the main product of the family-run Bosteels brewery, is not all that special — it's an amber ale sweetened by a little sugar — but it's served in dramatic style with its distinctive hourglass placed in a wooden stand. Brewed in Leuven, just to the east of Brussels, Leffe is strong and malty and comes in two main varieties.
Leffe Blond is bright, fragrant, and has a slight orangey flavour, whereas Leffe Brune is dark, aromatic and full of body. Very popular, but a little gassy for some tastes. As was the beer — estery, warming alcohol and mellow, sweet spiciness. The perfect meeting of brewing and context. It was, and remains, the best beer I have ever tasted. Richard Taylor is a beer writer and blogger based in Edinburgh, and has been writing about beer since starting the BeerCast website in mid As well as this, he now works for Brewdog , where he writes everything from magazines to beermats beermats are harder.
Chosen by Melissa Cole. Melissa was also identified as one of the Most Powerful Women in the Drinks Industry by Channel4 Food and won the acclaim of her industry peers when named Educator of the Year by Imbibe magazine in Today, wort is produced to Oud Beersel specification and the Beersel brewery transfers it to oak and ferments.
This Kriek is very rounded. It should appeal to geeks and newbies alike — the sharp acidity tempered by the natural sweetness of the cherries. I think it is the perfect introduction as it is old, new, contract and craft all rolled into one!
Added to that, the increased interest in lambic and fruit-lambic is pushing the price of authentic products upward.
This beer is a bargain when compared with Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen. Russell Erskine started as an Assistant Brewer with Brewdog at Fraserburgh in September , having had no previous brewing experience or qualifications. He has worked his way up over subsequent years to his current position as a Senior Brewer in Ellon and will be studying towards IBD Diploma in the coming years.
Russell has visited Belgium several times which has cemented his preference for Belgian beers. Chosen by David Le Roy. And so the history of the Contreras brewery in the small village of Gavere took a new turn. The Valeir Extra is his flagship beer. The delicate use of American hops like Amarillo gives it beautiful citrus and grapefruit aromas, and a taste that makes this beer loved by amateur and experienced beer drinkers alike.
Chosen by Zak Avery. As blenders rather than a brewers, Tilquin purchase worts from Boon, Lindemans, Cantillon and Girardin, and ferment them in their own oak barrels. Magma is a massive exception, displaying all the mouth-watering juicy new-world fruit of a modern IPA with the warmth and nuance of classic Belgian strong ale.
Bold yet accessible; strong without being heavy: a real beer for all seasons. The monks of the Abbaye St. Remy near Rochefort only make three beers, with Rochefort 10 being the ultimate expression. Its rich, deep brown colour and multi-faceted aroma evoking rich red wine, bonfire toffee, almond and smoke are mysteries waiting to be solved by those who can wait. The reason I love this majestic Trappist beer is because it rewards patient drinkers, and once warmed a little, its raisiny, toasty body reveals decadent, rum-like flavours of leather, cocoa, fig, vanilla and gentle spice.
With its aromatic hoppy nose, wheat accents and crisp, refreshing taste it not only smells and tastes good, but it also looks good: in the bottle thanks to the fabulous emblematic artwork and in your glass because of that big, white creamy head over a pale, golden and hazy beer.
With its lowish ABV of 4. Kevin Desmet , a 30 something lover of Belgian beers. He turns his love for beer into words on his blog Belgianbeergeek. Married and father of 2, he has a soft spot for bitter beers, sour beers and pitch-black, thick stouts. He has yet to refuse a beer. It was brewed first in to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Brussels Gueuze Museum.
It is a complex brew with a unique taste. Lorenzo Dabove , aka Kuaska, is an Italian professional beer taster, beer writer and judge in major international beer competitions. It is slightly peppery, sometimes but not always has a subtle whiff of banana, with a sherbet fizz. Boak and Bailey are beer bloggers and authors of the book, Brew Britannia.
Chosen by Erik Verdonck. This beer is produced using three varieties of malt and three strains of Belgian hops. Surfine owes its lovely balance to the alchemy of its ingredients. Remarkably, the Surfine is subject to three fermentation stages, using a different yeast each time. The third and final fermentation stage uses wild yeasts that convert the remaining sugars into carbon dioxide, giving the beer its dry character.
This is a fine example of innovation out of tradition, typical in family breweries such as Dubuisson. Erik Verdonck is content manager for www. He is an experienced writer in travel, beer and gastronomy. Erik has been a freelance editor, writer and photographer for years.
He has collaborated with numerous Belgian magazines. His main focus is story telling with Belgian beers. Which Belgian beers would you recommend people try? Are there any you think should be added to this list?
Leave your suggestion in the comments below with your reason as to why you think it should be included. The 37 amazing Belgian beers you should try: 1. See all results. Award-winning stories, podcasts, and resources about Belgian beer and culture. Straight to your inbox. For Free. Join Thousands of Others. Award-winning stories, podcasts, and resources about Belgian beer, straight to your inbox. For free. This website uses cookies to improve user experience. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.
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