Many moons ago i travelled to Belgium twice a month for work so I had plenty if time to get to know Belgian beer. Favourites were Kwak hoegaarden Hoegarden grand cru Westmalle dubbel and triple duvel Elephant beer was very dangerous at about 12%. Don’t recall having a bad one. jeez I had some good nights in Antwerp. Usually ended up in a bar beside the cathedral Which had a menu of 100 beers. often on customer trips the guys would ask for a Stella, for which the would get of a bit of a ribbing for and told “that’s what Belgians put on their corn flakes! Try something different and if you don’t like put it to the side and I will get you a Stella”. No one ever went back to Stella. Beer and brickwork are the passion of the the Belgians
I got into it on my 1st scooter trip to Ypres around 2013. You couldn't educate some of the knuckle draggers on the trip who were knocking back Steins of Bockor , but the more cultured of us were trying the vast variety of Trappist beers over a few days. It's the only beer I'll drink now.
the Belgians know beer the way the French Know wine. The Trappist beers are great and their brewing facilities are first class. I Imagine they had no bother getting the finance for it from the bank. Primary ingredient - Water Labour costs - food and lodging premium product. I do miss my trips to Belgium. Nice people in Antwerp.
To keep track of beers you´ve had and how you rated them i can highly recommend an app called Untappd. It can scan product barcodes, suggest beers, and even suggest beer serving places near you when you are travelling. I am ´noaseil´ on it come say hi (or cheers!)
If you like chocolately beers, you need to try Wild Beer Co. 'Millionaire'. If you like saison, you need to try their 'Modus Operandi'. I drank only spirits until I tried these - I couldn't get on with beers up until I tried those (and that led me to Belgians too).
Aldi and Lidl are easily the best UK supermarkets and don't deserve the cheap jibes. Not claiming they're the best for beer, though, although they sell some drinkable stuff. The range of beer available in Belgium is fantastic, I can still remember sitting outside in the sunshine in the town square in Iper, drinking cherry beer (somehow I made it there and back on a Triumph Bonneville (proper one!), with my young son on the back!). However, I can't speak for the alcohol capacities of you guys, but I'm seldom interested in beers of 7 or 8%, let alone 11 or 12%. I want to be able to drink more than one of them! And there a plenty of good and interesting beers being produced right here in the UK as well, and, I might add, plenty of fledgling small businesses selling them by mail-order who would appreciate your support in these difficult economic times.
I should have included the news report, basically Aldi cloned a Brewdog beer so they simply returned the favour.
So do the Belgians. That's why they serve it in 1/3 or 1/2 pint glasses. They do say they would rather have quality than quantity, though.
Oh yes sure, I'm not implying Belgians are all alkies. I'm just saying my preference is for beers closer to 'normal' British strength, which can be drunk in reasonable quantity. Out of interest, what is the 'Aldi cloned Brewdog beer' called? I hadn't heard about that.
