Brew Basics: How to Become a Belgian Beer Connoisseur

Image via Complex Original

Styles: Single, Dubbel, Tripel and Quadrupel
Defining qualities: unpasteurized, top-fermented, bottle-conditioned, made with no chemical additives

If there’s one thing most people identify with Belgian beers, it’s those men of the cloth who brew. The only quality that is required to label a beer as Trappist is that the beer was made within the walls of a monastery. Traditionally, monks would brew beer to help cover the costs of running the monastery, and all profits were for charity. The club is very exclusive and becoming a member of the International Trappist Association is a prize that several monasteries covet. Since 1997—when the designation was made official—only eight monasteries in Europe have been designated as “Trappist” from the 170 monasteries worldwide.

The six Belgian monasteries that brew beer for commercial sale and may lawfully attach the hexagonal Authentic Trappist Product logo include Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren.

Jimmy remembers his introduction to craft beer was via Trappist ale. “The first experience I ever had with really great beer was Chimay.”  

Defining qualities: Warm-fermented, heavy fruit or spice tones, not neccesarily bottle conditioned

Because it takes a lot of bureaucracy—not to mention holy men—to have a Trappist label, many Belgian brewers have taken to making “Abbey” beers. Many of these Trappist-style beers are adorned with bright labels of Frocked Friars and given beatific names, such as St. Bernardus.

Because they’re not constrained by strict monastic rules, Abbey beers may be filtered and not bottle conditioned. They typically are warm-fermented beers, which combine well with Belgian yeast strains to give off heavy fruit or spice tones.

While Abbey beers are made by many secular and non-“Trappist” monasteries, the Belgians react to foreign entries the way the French do to foreign words. In 1999, the country came up with yet another official designation when the Union of Belgian Brewers introduces the Certified Belgian Abbey Beer trademark.

Still confused? Check out “Class 6” in Josh Bernstein’s new book, The Complete Beer Course. His “Toasting to a Higher Power” chapter is all about Trappist and Abbey-style ales.

Defining qualities: yeasty, peppery, slightly tart

Saisons are largely believed to have originated in the French (Flanders) area of Belgium, being a farmhouse ale in the Bières de Garde vein. These “beers to store” were typically brewed in the winter and aged throughout the spring finally to be drunk during summer “in season” (i.e. saison).

One of the key qualities of a Saison is its yeast, believed to be related to the red wine yeast of the Flanders region. Saisons are frequently peppery with a slight tart quality. Many brewers are now experimenting with the wild yeast Brettanomyces in their saisons. 

In fact, the Saison almost stayed a farmstead brew. Wendy Littlefield of Vanberg & DeWulf importers happened upon Brasserie Dupont in the 1980s when the brewery was struggling with its now-famous beer. They had already planned to cancel production of their Saison when Vanberg & DeWulf decided to bring the beer stateside. The rest, as they say, is history.

While the Single-Dubbel-Trippel-Quad run of Belgians are delicious, it’s not particularly stretching your craft beer taste. Stopping there is akin to dropping out of school—after 8th grade.

You’ve probably heard of a “Flemish Red.” These are sour beers that have been aged for a prolonged period, allowing lactic acid to develop (courtesy of lactobacillus) in the fermentation process. These sour beers are a great way to introduce a wine drinker to craft beer. While the flavors can be quite strong, the ABVs are typically moderate (approximately 5%) with almost no bitterness typically associated with a hopped beverage.

Probably the most famous of these is Rodenbach (original or Grand Cru). No one who has had a Flemish Red will ever think of beer in the same way.

Making beer is not rocket science. All beers require four ingredients: water, hops, malt and yeast. While there are variations among the first three ingredients, its with yeast where things can really get wild. Literally. 

While brewer’s yeast typically tries to control the wild variables, some Belgians are brewed throwing caution to the wind. Enter “coolship” brewing, whereby the fresh wort (pre-fermented beer ingredients) is left out in a large, shallow open fermenter where it is exposed to wild yeast and microfauna.

The result is a beer that takes its time to ferment and can yield spectacular results. In fact, great Lambics vary from batch to batch. This is due in part to the finishing process, whereby fruits are added to the brew. Hence, Lambic fermented with black currants (Cassis), raspberries (Framboise), cherries (Kriek), peaches (Pêche), apples (Pomme) or pasteurized with sugar (Faro). 

Different aged Lambics can also be blended fermented a second time to create Gueuze, a dry, often super tart, effervescent brew that earns its nickname, “Brussels Champagne. 

And speaking of Champagne, just as non-French sparkling wine cannot call itself “champagne,” only wild sours made in Belgium can be authentically called Lambics. Thus, there are very few true Lambic producers. Among them are Hanssens, Cantillion and Drie Fontaine.

Yes, we know about Stella Artois. But these are mass-brewed commercial beers that don't do justice to the Belgian higher standard of beer making.

Which isn’t to say we don’t love a great, hoppy pale ale. But think beyond Stella. Try Taras Boulba from Brasserie de la Senne. This is also a style that many U.S. brewers are making with great success (see Lesson 9). 

If you are looking for something stronger, seek out a Belgian Golden Strong Ale, such as Delerium Tremens from Brouwerij Huyghe or Brouwerij Boststeels’ Pauwel Kwak.

The path of the Belgian Witbier (“White Beer”) crosses through Hoegaarden. The city and monastery that carries its name is the home to this beer spiced with orange and coriander with a higher viscosity, often owing to adding flour into the boil. Hence the haziness in Witbier and its “wheat” beer equivalent in the U.S.  

While Hoegaarden is the mother of this beer style that incorporates wheat, many great Belgian brewers are making Witbiers today, including St. Bernardus and Brasserie Fantôme. 

As the Belgian revolution came stateside, more and more American brewers have established traditional brewing techniques, either for individual batches (e.g. Peekskill brewing has a coldship area for wild-fermented beers a la Lambics) or as their brewery business model.

Two of the most Belgian-like American breweries are Brewery Ommegang outside Cooperstown and Allagash Brewing Company in Portland Maine. Among these breweries best offerings include their Dubbels: Ommegang Abbey and Allagash Dubbel Reserve.

As noted previously, American brewers are doing well with Belgian-style pale ales. Among the best are Brooklyn Brewery’s Local 1, Harpoon’s Belgian Pale Ale, Russian River Salvation, and—as you can probably guess—pretty much everything from New Belgium Brewing. 

What separates craft beer from a kegger and Belgian brews from Budweiser is great food. While many countries can boast of great beer that pairs well with food, Belgium actually has a foodie culture that has gone hand-in-hand with its beer production.

Some key dishes from Belgian cuisine to try:

For your first course, try a robust cheese spread on dark bread open-faced sandwich (Tartine). Pair with Gueuze. Or try headcheese (an unfortunate name, but you can get all French on that and call it paté if you like) paired with Rodenbach.

For your main course, try the fries! We won’t call these French because it’s believed the deep fried potato wedge was born in Belgium. Get a serving of steamed mussels and you’ll have the national dish, Moules et Frites. Go the full Belgian and dip those fries in a mayonnaise-based aioli dip. Pair with a Witbier.

And for dessert, you can’t go wrong with the traditional offerings of waffles or chocolate. Pair the former with a Lambic or the latter with a Dubbel.