Belgian Specialties: Part 2 - Beer

Now, I really respect the Belgian appreciation of gastronomy. Unlike the French, who have fantastic wine down to a science, the Belgians have chosen to make beer their specialty. Beer has been made and drunk here since the Middle Ages when water was of questionable hygiene. After the breakout of the plague, St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewers, convinced locals to drink beer rather than water. Since beer was boiled and water wasn’t, the “cure” worked. Drinking beer instead of water curing the plague?…very interesting. There is a joke here in which I will refrain from making now, but feel free to do it yourself next time you partake in this beverage of choice.

The alcohol content of these beers is also significantly higher than most beers (ALL beers in the US) ranging from 6-12%. There are a couple that are even higher, but they are like a cross between beer and wine and are called “Lambics.” They are made with fruit and are extremely sour/tart, which puts off most serious beer drinkers. We have tried them. The high end ones are almost undrinkable. The low end variety is like a wine cooler, which I liked very much.

Legend has it that the alcohol content has increased since its origins in response to a government ban or restriction on the sale of liquor. Since the Belgians couldn’t get their other spirits when and how they wanted them, they increased the alcohol content of the beer, hence making up the difference. I have searched for corroborating evidence on this, but even Wikipedia has let me down. That may well mean that it is an urban myth instead of truth. Either way, it is a fun story.


Belgium has a rich history of making beer. They had up to 3 thousand of different breweries at its height (the early 19th century), only about 775 after WWII, but now down to about 100. Having said that, it is hard to keep a count on how many beers Belgium produces. There are seasonal beers, made only at particular times, and I believe, smaller breweries that are more cottage industries, somewhat like Oregon. Overall, I would say that there is wonderful depth and character to the beers. We have been keeping a spreadsheet on the different beers we have tried, whether we like them or not, a rating system and notes as to what might make it different from the others. We want to make the most of our time here and after appreciating the microbrew tradition in Oregon, we felt it only right to be able to state why and how we liked one over another. (My personal favorite is the Gordon Scotch Ale and D doesn’t have one yet. He did say, though, that the "Brigand" ale we tried was probably as close as he has to a favorite, so far.)

Among the dozen or so surviving abbey breweries in Europe, six are Trappist and located in Belgium, all established in their present form by Trappists who left France after the turbulence of the Napoleonic period. Rich dark ales produced solely by monks according to centuries-old methods in the six following monasteries; Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren and Achel. Only Orval is open to the public. We are hoping to make a trip down to see it. Westvleteren is the most exclusive. The monks only make 500,000L a year, which sell out within days of being on the market. The monks currently have no plans of upping production to meet demand, which makes finding Westvleteren difficult. They also do not have labels for the bottles, but the glass is stamped "Trappist" which is cool. The bottle cap tells you which beer you have. D and I hunted down a beer specialist in Brugge and bought 2 of the 4 Westvleterens. We haven’t opened them yet, but the www.beeradvocate.com rates the Westvleteren 12 as #1 and the Westvleteren 8 as #7. I look forward to seeing if the Avillas rate it as well. (UPDATE: Tried the Westvleteren Blonde last night, wasn't that impressed. It was a nice beer, but I would only give it a 3 out of 5. A bit too bitter for me. Nice and sweet, but the bitter after bite left me dissatisfied.)


The Belgian tradition is to have a special glass for each different beer – the logo of that beer on that glass, which has been especially designed to help the drinker appreciate the unique characteristics of that beer. It is AMAZING to go into a bar with hundreds of Belgian beers and see the hundreds of glasses hanging up over the bar. A definite up side is that it is much harder to get the wrong drink. We were told at our Brewery tour in Brugge that Belgians nurse a single beer all night, that they have a relationship with it and don't want to rush things. I do have to say, given the alcohol content, that is a good thing. We have noticed this tradition and therefore, really haven't seen much drunkenness, which is nice.

I could clearly go on and on, but I need to get on to my favorite Belgian speciality, Chocolate.