Beers

There are 12 Trappist breweries in the world. Only beers brewed in an abbey, under the supervision of a anastic community of the Cistercian tradition, have the right to this rigorously controlled label of origin. The 6 trappist beers in Belgium are Achel, Orval, Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren. Of the 6 Belgian trappist beers, 3 are brewed in Wallonia. We find the other Trappist breweries in Austria, France, Italy, USA and Holland (2). These are top fermentation beers with after-fermentation in the bottle.

As the designation " bière d'Abbaye" ( abbey beer) has always been synonymous with quality and tradition, many breweries have used it. In fact these beers are not brewed by monks. Some even carry the names of abbey which have never existed. The term abbey may indicate that the beer is brewed in the way used by monks, that there is an abbey nearby or, simply, that there is a monk on the label. These beers have no specific characteristics. In the last few years, a new category of Abbey beers has appeared. These are beers produced by a private brewery, installed within the confines of a abbey deserted by the original occupants in the past ( Abbaye des Rocs, Val Dieu, Abbaye d'Aulne...)

Many breweries produce special beers during December. Some are stronger than the usual beers, others are spiced.

A Flanders Red, are commonly referred to as the "red" beers of West Flanders. Belgian Red Beers are typically light-bodied brews with reddish-brown colors. They are infamous for their distinct sharp, fruity, sour and tart flavours which are created by special yeast strains. Very complex beers, they are produced under the age old tradition of long-term cask aging in oak, and the blending of young and old beers.

At 400 years old, Lambics have been in production longer than any other commercially brewed beer. They are brewed in Brussels is much the same way as they have been since the 16th century. Lambics are unique among other beers in that they rely on spontaneous fermentation to brew. Yeasts aren't added into the kettle like other beers, the nfermented brew is instead run into an open copper tank that is stored in the attic of the brewery. The windows are left open to allow the brew to cool. This is where the wild, airborne yeasts interact with the beer. Later, it is stored for up to three years in wooden barrels, compounding the process and giving lambics their completely unique and unforgettable flavor and body. This unique brewing style also leads to a unique drinking experience. Lambic bears little resemblance to most beers you have probably tasted. Crisp, earthy, dry, tart, sometimes bordering on downright sour. Unblended lambics are a rarity. Usually, lambics are blended with fruity flavors to make them more accessible. Remember, though, not all fruit beers are lambics.

Gluten-free beer is beer made from ingredients that do not contain gluten such as millet, rice, sorghum, buckwheat or corn (maize). Gluten-free beer is part of a gluten-free diet. People who have gluten intolerance (including celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis sufferers) have a reaction to certain proteins in the grains commonly used to make beer, barley and wheat. The hordein found in barley and the gliadin found in wheat are types of gluten that can trigger symptoms in sufferers of these diseases. 

Non-alcoholic beer has become increasingly popular in recent years. Actually, 'low alcohol' is a better name, because the beer still contains alcohol, but an extremely low percentage. Non-alcoholic beers may contain up to 0.1% alcohol, which is fifty times less than the alcohol percentage of an average lager.

Pils is the all-around beer. It is the most produced and most consumed in the world and the largest international breweries are essentially based on this type of beer. Helping along its wide popularity, it is considered by a large number among us to be an excellent beer to accompany daily meals, as an alternative to wine or "table beer". But a lesser-know fact about Pils is that it is above all a "modern" beer since it is produced using techniques discovered just at the end of the XIXth century. Since then, through no real effort of its own, it has driven a series of other beers into oblivion. And althought it seems to be slowing slightly in recent times, due to specialty beers being drunk in higher quantities than ten or twenty years ago, it still leads the pack and is the preferred beer of Belgians in terms of litres consumed.

There are many beers with different characters, whether due to their flavour, level of alcohol, region of production, colour, etc. One might think that the belong to no category. In reality, there are all placed in a category know as " Belgian Specials" , a bit of a catch-all, but distinguished by the fact that these beers are found only in Belgium.

These beers are particularly brewed in the Hainaut province. Originally they were produced by brewer farmers during the winter months, then kept for consumption in the summer. The beer had to be robust enough to keep for several months but not too strong, as it was to serve as a thirst-quenching drink for the harvesting period. Season beers are generally orange-tinted. They are top fermented and bottled in champagne-style bottles. Their carbonisation and sharpness are very refreshing. There is an emphasis on fruitness in the flavour. They are sometimes spicy .

This is a category of beers based on wheat, which are very refreshing, generally flavoured ( coriander, orange peel, etc..). Specialities of the Louvain region, the white beers, which are so called because their pale colour, were originally made from barley ( about 45%), wheat ( 45 %) and oats ( 10%). After the First World War production was stopped, following restrictions on oats and wheat. Since then production has started up again in the region, but only with barley and wheat. Hoegaarden is the beer mainly concerned.