BELGIAN BEER

Brewing represents an extremely important part of Belgian culture, with the country producing some of the world’s most respected beers. One of the most famous types is Trappist beer, which must be brewed in a Trappist monastery, with monks involved in production, and with profits being used to support the monastery or local causes. Who knew that drinking beer could be deemed a charitable donation! Another key group are Lambic beers, which go against all principles of modern brewing science by relying on wild airborne yeast to achieve fermentation, rather than the meticulously-controlled conditions observed in most breweries. It is believed that the perfect mix of yeast species can only be found in Belgium’s Zenne valley, with the resulting beers being dry, sour, and often reminiscent of cider. Taking things further, “young” and “old” Lambics are often blended together to make Geuze – an even-more complex, revered style of sour beer. That said, there’s far more to Belgian beer than these two styles alone… we highly recommend extensive “research”!