Newbie to Newbie: A Belgian Beer Guide

I was fortunate to come of age in the company of two proper Belgians (my now husband and the best man at our wedding), so when I first learned to drink beer, I benefitted from their expertise. What this developed for me was not necessarily the most refined beer palette—I still consider myself quite amateur—but rather a solid sense of the varieties of beer I like and what is not worth ordering for myself, no matter how trendy. But since we recently traveled to the motherland, I took the opportunity to try as many different beers as social responsibility for a person of my stature would allow. Here, I offer my completely amateur opinions of the experience.

I started out our Belgian tour du taste with a Cantillon Cherry Lambic and a sip of Phil's Rochefort 10 (more on Trappists later). A lambic is a beer brewed with fruit, so this one was a beautiful deep red and of course, tasted like sour cherry. Lambics are a fun beer variety, especially for those that claim to dislike beer. Since they have such a different taste, they are certainly worth a try.

Smiske was another cherry infused beer, but from what I understand, brewed a bit differently than a lambic, so it still actually tasted like a beer. I would take this one over the Cantillion because the flavors were more complex, and well, I do want a beer that tastes like beer.

Fils á Papa was definitely oaky, as you would expect from the label and had a little bit of a bite. We determined that it would be a good pairing with raclette night if we can figure out how to get it in the states.

Delirium Red was little bit sweet and also sour but finished clean. I'm not particularly won over by sour beer, but the fact that the sourness didn't linger made this one pretty enjoyable.

The Brugs Beertje was the house beer for the bar in Bruges we went to most evenings. The beer was clean and light, with just a bit of spices. I would guess that going with the home brew at any place in Belgium is a safe bet, and of course this famous bar was no exception. Unfortunately the jig is up on this hip joint (thanks, Rick Steeves), so watch out for Americans if you go here. I learned the tell-tale sign of an American is that we apparently have no volume control. I didn't want to believe it, but we saw it time and time again. So if you visit the Brugs Beertje, do yourself (and the hardworking bartender) a favor: hide away quietly in a back corner and enjoy the classical music. Also, fun fact—glassware is designed individually for each beer variety in order to best bring out its flavor, so you know a place is legit when they can stock enough of the proper glassware to coordinate with over 200 varieties of beer.

Leffe is a brand that we can get here in the states, but to my knowledge, we only import their traditional blonde, so it was fun to try a couple of the other varieties. The Ruby reminded me a bit of the Delirium Red, but slightly less flavorful and complex; however, the Radieuse (or "radient") was true to its name.

On our day in Ghent, we happened upon a local brew festival, showcasing beer from that particular region. You bought a glass for 5 euro, then each beer was 2.50. Major score. Phil started with an Arend Tripel (not pictured) which recently won best in Europe. Tripel refers to the number of times the beer was brewed (Dubbel is 2x, and so on). Repeat brewing is supposed to make for a cleaner beer. I found this one a little sharp up front, although that could have been my waffle.

Once my palette was a bit more clear, we tried the Gentse Strop—another classic, lovely beer that lingers a bit on the palette.

Next up came the Dark Blonde Gentse Gruut. At this point in the trip, I've sampled so many wonderful beers, that I'm struggling to describe some of the nuances. I could tell you that it is also one that lingers, but cannot really figure out how to put into words the uniqueness of the taste. Overall, though, this one didn't stand out much for me.

What really got me excited (enough for a full glass!) was the LeFort Tripel (again, not pictured). It is supposedly brewed with banana and apple, and whether or not it was by power of suggestion, I could just notice the flavors. This might have been my favorite beer of the trip.

Since the LeFort was so good, we also had to try the flagship beer from the same brewery: Omer, named after the brewery's founder and every son who has run the company since. This one was also an award winner, though I cannot remember now of what. Both beers from Omer Vander Ghinste were good enough to justify the baggage weight to bring back a bottle.

Back in Bruges for dinner, our waiter recommended De Poes, a local specialty of the Bruges region. Nothing necessarily interesting to note about this brown, except that it was, again. So. Good. Beer here is just redundantly good.

The Brugs Witbier tasted most like my beer of choice here in the US, Hoegaarden. A classic pick if you find it on a menu elsewhere, but I'd say there are more exciting beers to try in Belgium.

Our lunchtime choices on this particular day were Brugse Zot, another local beer that was on tap most places in Bruges. Both the brown and blonde of this brewery were fine, but not noteworthy. I opted for an Orval, which is a Trappist Ale. The interesting thing to note about Trappist beers is that there are very strict standards for a beer to be allowed the Trappist label—they must be brewed by real monks in a monastery that has been approved by an international association of Trappists.  In all, there are six Trappist beers in Belgium, including the four oldest. In recent years a few other monasteries have been allowed to claim the Trappist title, including one in America, to bring the world to a total of 11 Trappist beers.

The Forestinne Mysteria was actually rather mysterious, including a very subtle tail of maybe berries? I didn't try the Gaulouise, but notice—shame on the Delirium Bar in Brussels for serving it in the wrong glass ;)

My beer of choice for our last night in Belgium was the Le Fort Donkle, since I had been so charmed by their brewery. It was beautiful, dark, complex, and the perfect way to finish our trip. That is, until...

When visiting our friends in Paris, they shared a precious bottle of Westvleteren, which is touted as literally THE BEST BEER IN THE WORLD. In order to purchase this beer, you have to actually go to the monastery itself (they don't export or ship), so it's considered a bit of a beer rite-of-passage. And though it actually wasn't my favorite (I chalk that up to my newbie tastebuds), it was quite a privilege to enjoy.

Total New Beers Tasted: 21

Summation If you are traveling in Belgium, or find yourself somehow in a magical place in America that is loaded with Belgian beer (first, tell me where it is!!), then I would suggest the following: Start with their local brew on tap just to get a sense of place. Afterward, get yourself the Omer or any LeFort. And if you have the capacity, finish with a Smiske Kriek (or your favorite fruit) for dessert.

Goals for the Next Trip Explore some of the darker brews available and round out my collection of Belgian Trappists with an Achel and a Westmalle.