Still, Belgian beer is wonderful, and it can take you places you never expected. The range of flavors and aromas, like with wine, can be surprisingly complex and mysterious. To dive in, all you need is a little background and the curiosity to begin tasting. Whether you’re a fan of rich, dark ales or light, effervescent quaffers, there are delightful examples to be found. We’ve put together this primer on the various styles and where to locate them stateside to get you started.
MAIN STYLES
Not all Belgian beer is craft beer: Belgians drink crappy beer sometimes just like Americans do. And among the craft options there’s a fallacy, says Dan Shelton, owner of Shelton Brothers, one of the primary importers of small-batch Belgian beers for the U.S. market, which is that they’re all ultrasweet, strong, spicy, or fruity, rather than hoppy or light. Not true.
Saison
Historically, saisons were made on farms with whatever grains were on hand to supplement the malted barley, so there was a lot of variation. (“Malted” means the grain has been moistened, allowed to germinate—which makes its starches more readily available for the brewing process—and then heated to stop it from sprouting.) They are refreshing, light in body, dry, golden to orange in color, effervescent, relatively low in alcohol (around 5 percent), and moderately hoppy. They may or may not have spices added (some take on a spicy flavor naturally from phenols produced during fermentation), and can be citrusy and floral.
TRY: Saison Dupont; Fantôme
Witbier or Bier Blanche
These are Belgian-style wheat beers made with a relatively high percentage of unmalted (raw) wheat and some lightly malted barley. Witbiers are pale to golden in color but can be cloudy because they’re unfiltered. Most, like Hoegaarden, are flavored with coriander and orange peel, but they don’t have to be. Like German hefeweizens, witbiers are refreshing, citrusy, relatively low in alcohol (4 to 5 percent), and easy to drink.
TRY: Vuuve 5 (spiced); Saisis Blanche (unspiced)
Trappist/Abbey
Trappist beers are brewed by a Benedictine order of monks. The tradition of creating products like beer, cheese, and bread dates back to 1098, to fund social work and make the monasteries self-sufficient. There are Trappist monasteries all over the world, but only seven brew beer, six of them in Belgium: Achel, Orval, Scourmont Lez Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren. The seventh, Koningshoeven, is located in the Netherlands. You’ll often see Trappist beers labeled “double” or “triple,” and sometimes “single” or “quadruple.” The terms indicate alcohol content (double is stronger than single, etc.). Some Trappist breweries, like Rochefort and Westvleteren, skip this naming convention and use numbers; higher numbers indicate higher alcohol content (though they don’t directly correlate to the actual percentage).
“Abbey” is a term applied to beers made in the Trappist styles but not necessarily in an abbey. There are no regulations for what these styles should taste like, so they vary greatly. Here’s a rough generalization of what to expect:
SINGLE A.K.A. SINGEL: There aren’t very many singles, but the ones you can find are lighter, easier-drinking beers, almost like pale ales, with 4 to 5 percent alcohol.
TRY: Witkap-Pater Singel (not from a Trappist monastery)
DOUBLE A.K.A. DUBBEL: Between 5 and 8 percent alcohol, often amber to brown, with a malty aroma and flavors like raisin, fig, date, caramel, plum, and even toffee and chocolate. They can be on the sweet side.
TRY: Westmalle Dubbel
TRIPLE A.K.A. TRIPEL: Usually a strong golden ale, around 8 to 9 percent alcohol. Triples are fruitier and crisper than doubles, and often more refreshing.
TRY: Achel 8° Blonde; Orval (a unique Trappist brew similar to a triple but considered a Belgian pale ale by some)
QUADRUPLE: Very high in alcohol content (10 to 12 percent), sweet and raisiny, sometimes chocolaty. Kind of like a double on steroids.
TRY: Urthel Samaranth (not from a Trappist monastery)
Thanks for the great article. It should be mentioned that the Belgians make, hands down, the best gluten-free beers out there. I now understand why. Again, thanks.
not to forget one of the original American "Belgians" Ommagang in Cooperstown NY. Very good.
Don't forget Brick Store Pub's Belgian Bar in Decatur, GA. It beats nearly every where for its belgian and belgian style beer selections on tap and in the bottle. I can't believe they got passed over for a mention.
Nice picture of an Orval glass, but no mention of how good the contents are in the bottle. I find Fantome's products to be seriously lacking in quality control issues and have stopped buying them. For the ABV big boys, I am surpirsed they mentioned Urthel. I would go with the Westmalle Triple, Rochefort 10, and the St. B Abt 12 as the "go-to" Belgian strong beers.
I started drinking craft brews a few years ago, and even after lots of research and "taste-testing", getting a handle on the different types of Belgian brews is dizzying. Definitely a good article for a rookie and seasoned craft brew drinkers alike, and even more so for the weekend beer nerds like myself. Awesome reference material guys, keep it up.
Another thumbs-up for Ommegang of Cooperstown. We just spent a weekend there at the <a href=http://www.innatcooperstown.com/bed-and-brew-getaway-packages-upstateny.html>Bed and Brew</a> event. Great brewery tour and tasting dinner, and a fun opportunity to spend the weekend with other beer-lovers, including a BYO night with brews from all over.
Hey swampy, can you elaborate on the GF beers???
You can find out more about gluten free Belgian style beer here: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/a...
I can't believe the article didn't mention Chimay! 25+ years in the USA, baby!
send me a message , pininex .. i do my best to .. but .. a bad Ft bootle . tell me a few more ! thanking you !!
Dany, Fantome brewer..
contact@fantome.be
There's only one Belgian company exporting GF beers to the US, Green's. While the pilsner style is better than most US GF beers, the amber ale and the dark beer is to die for. It's available in the Northeast and in the Chicago/Milwaukee area--I don't know about the west coast.
http://www.glutenfreebeers.co.uk/gree...
very good article.
Here in Florida you can find an amazing selection of Belgian beers (supposedly the widest in all of Florida) at Redlight Redlight, a bar in Winter Park (Orlando area).
I've become a fan of the saisons and the Flemish Sour Ales there, and by golly the bartenders have tried to teach me but I just don't get it.
Ready about all the Belgians sober has been much more informative.
I'm a crafted beer fan AND I live just up the street from Lucky Baldwins Delierium Bar -life IS good!
Great place to enjoy great beers from around the world!
Nice story, thanks!
-chris
As a Belgian, I think this article contains too many flaws and mistakes to be taken seriously.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing...
Although I'm Dutch (the country north of Belgium) I've got to agree with Ketchup. This article contains too many mistakes and leaves out a lot of important beers, not the least of which is the king of Belgian beers, Leffe.
While I think its a great thing that someone from the States actually takes an interest in premium beers, there's definitely room for improvement.
But ... I have a question: What can I serve as after dinner nibbles with Stella Artois? In view of previous posts on Stella Artois, I am couching behind the couch as I pose this question. I've got a case of Stella and two Stella goblets standing ready for my Valentine, but I am at a loss as to whether I can serve Stella with summer sausage and cheddar or what. Can anyone help me with this? My apologies if this is the wrong venue for this question.
'Flamingo' Stella is a good standard drink but if you want to serve something special for your valentine I have a suggestion. Pick up a six pack of a delicat belgian white (wheat) beer--like Hoegaarden, Witecap, Blanche De Bruxelles, Allagash White, or whatever you can get your hands on last minute. Then pick up a nice bottle of Lambic--whatever flavor you think she will like.
Ok here's where the magic happens. Pour the whole white beer into a glass--use those stella glasses if you like. Next, open the Lambic and add just a dash into the glass white beer. Do a test before you present it, figuring out just how much is desired. I prefer about a 1:12 ratio. If you want to make it even more special, muddle some fruit into the beer also! My fav is blackberries muddled into framboise or peach lambic...
cheers,
chris
CHOW Photographer
Hello Helmut. I looked up your Lambic idea. Excellent suggestion! Our anniversary is coming up in a few months, when a nice Framboise or Cassis Lambic in a pint of Hoegaarden, or the like, would be just the thing. Thank you!
As to the Stella, I ended up making an apricot/almond Baked Brie last evening, and serving it with the Stella along side some apple slices and water crackers. It was pretty magical for a last minute job. My Valentine was very pleased with it.
I'm off to BevMo now to view their Lambic selection, pick up some Hoegaarden, and begin experimenting. I should be ready by early April to spring this one on my mate. Thank you for this suggestion!
@ Ketchup: Being a Belgian too, I think this is a good introduction nevertheless. I agree the choice of examples isn't all that great but a good laymen's explanation.
@ scratzin: Leffe is arguably the king of Belgian beers. Mass produced by Anheuser-Busch InBev, a company that takes its marketing more serious than the actual brewing.
"Belgians drink crappy beer sometimes just like Americans do." Yeah, Stella Artois is one of them and it get's marketed as a premium beer outside Belgium. Irony .... most popular pilsener beer in Belgium is Jupiler.
But I second that not all Belgians are craft beer drinkers. Often the type or brand of beer is closely linked to the geographical location. (even for such a small country) E.g. Rodenbach is more popular in the west of the country (West Flanders), the pilsener of choice in the east (Limburg) is Cristal Alken, Gueuze/Lambic is more popular in Brabant, etc.
Maybe worth mentioning is that I used to drink beer (0.5% - 1%) as a kid. It was a sweet brown beer (Piedboeuf) and a healthier option than pop!
Anyways, you guys in the USA are quite lucky with all the Belgian imports. I live in Montreal, QC Canada and choice is very limited when it comes to Belgian imports. Luckily this week there is an international beerfest in town, so I will get my fix!