Belgium

La brasserie Abbaye des Rocs started his activities in 1979. The Abbaye des Rocs beer is a pure malt beer, with no added sugar

The newest trappist brewery opened in 1998, but the monastery has been here since 1845. The Achel brewhouse is modern and in the centre of the village, in a space that was once a dairy. The brewing consultant is the recently retired father Thomas of Westmalle. Achel Blonde and Achel Brune are available.

At the end of the 70's, Pierre Gobron and Chris Bauweraerts, decided to create their own beer in the small village Achouffe in the Ardennes (Belgium). They use spring water and crushed malt barley in the brewing process. This liquid, called “wort”, is pumped into boiling vats, where 2 types of hops (Styrie & Saaz) are added, as well as sugars and, for LA CHOUFFE, coriander. By the way, you certainly want to know what is a chouffe? It is a red hatted, long-bearded gnome. La Chouffe & Mc Chouffe are available.

Only 6 Trappist breweries still exist in Belgium. The last to cease production was the Benedictine monastery at Affligem (during WWII). Their beers are still available made by the De Smedt brewery under license of Affligem. These beers cannot be called "Trappist", but usually derive their name from a monastery. Affligem Blonde is an Abbey ale.

Arabier is one of the two main beers from De Dolle Brouwers.

In 1996, the Lefebvre brewery, located at Quenast (in the Brabant region of Wallonia, the French speaking district of Belgium) innovates and launches Barbãr, a lager with honey.

The name Boskeun means rabbit of the wood (virgin wood, maybe?) and the label shows it, sampling the last brew. Boskeun is a special Easter beer, one of the first real Belgian Easter beers. It is brewed by De Dolle Brouwers.

In 1798, the Flemish peasants (the "brigands") drove the French soldiers (the) out of Ingel munster. Following the example of these defenders of liberty of the past, Brigand beer is strong and potent and is made in west Flanders by Van Honsebrouck.

Enjoying Brugge starts with nosing and inhaling the rich aromas and then sipping to set the Burgundian taste of Brugge free in your mouth. Bruges is tasting and enjoying Brugge.

In 2005, Xavier Vanneste, son of Mrs Véronique Maes, restarted the old ‘De Halve Maan’ brewery after a thorough renovation of the remaining installation. He launched this new beer under the name ‘Brugse Zot’ for which a unique recipe has been developed. Today Brugse Zot is the only beer really brewed in Bruges’ towncenter !

Here are 2 high-quality beers produces by the Dubuisson brewery: Bush Scaldis Amber (12%) and La Cuvée des Trolls. These 2 Bush beers are high fermentation beers which means that high temperatures are involved in the process. No additives are used in the production process, making them perfectly natural beverages. Both are filtered.

In the 18th century, a Benedictine monk, dom Pérignon, discovers the champaign method by blending different non sparkling white wines. One century later, a Brabant brewer blends different lambics and brings about a spontaneous fermentation in the bottle. The Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic was born.

Chimay is an authentic Trappist beer that is it is brewed within a Trappist monastery, under the control and responsibility of the monastic community. Chimay Blue, Chimay Triple (white) and Chimay Red are three great beers with strong personalities.

Since 1982, Corsendonk beers are brewed and bottled in the craft brewery of Du Bocq in Belgium. Corsendonk ales inlcude: Corsendonk Agnus Tripel and Corsendonk Pater Dubbel.

A strong pale ale with a lot more bite than the normal brew. First produced in 1993 by this excellent family brewery. The Van den Bogaert family still run the business very hands on.

Huygues brewery is the oldest brewery in activity in Ghent. The Famous Delirium tremens was created in 1989. Then they created the Delirium Nocturnum.

Not beer but the divine drink made of barley! In a bottle looking suspiciously like Dom Perignon this is a heavenly drink. Serve ice cold in champagne flutes. Brewed in Belgium the beer is then sent to the Champagne area of France and treated in exactly the same manner as champagne - long maturation, refermenting in the bottle, turning of the bottles, yeast removal and dosing. It serves in the same way too, lots of carbonation and very pale in colour. An extraordinary product new in 2001 - innovative and exceptional.

In the style of a Flemish red ale aged for 18 months in oak vats at Verhaeghe brewery in West Flanders. A well respected small brewery making interesting beers Duchesse is no exception.

The classic strong golden ale with a large creamy head. A subtle fruitiness and distinctive delicate taste will lead you into temptation. One of the world’s great beers - Duvel means devil in Flemish and it is certainly sinfully deceptive - light in body, pale in colour.

Loads of hop flavour but balanced by a little sweetness. Nice orange colour and with the house character of lemony flavours.

A delicious dark all malt strong ale spiced with coriander and aromatic hops. the label is based on Rubens’ Adam and Eve.

Geuze is a blend of young and old lambic beer, producing another fermentation and more maturation (for up to another year). A fruitier taste and champagne sparkle emerges and a slightly sour flavour is a characteristic of this style of beer. A clean tasting slightly sweet unfiltered gueuze, with a soft floweriness of rhubarb like aroma.

Gordon Finest Gold and Gordon Finest Scotch Ale.

Gouden Carolus Ambrio, Gouden Carolus Classic and Gouden Carolus Triple.

Brewed by Alken-Maes, Grimbergen Ales are Abbey beers filled with passion. Grimbergen Blonde, Grimbergen Dubbel, Grimbergen Optimo Bruno and Grimbergen Tripel are available...

Powerful dark ale in a painted bottle. Golden dragon in English is more like herbal medicine!

Big assertive and fruity. Reminiscent of sweet oranges. Also has a earthy fresh complex hop aroma. Brewed by Alken Maes – now part of Scottish Courage.

Rumoured to originally to be Courage Bulldog exported – an English style pale ale blurring the definition of a Belgian beer!

Made by the small brewery Bosteels, the makers of Kwak, Karmeliet Tripel is a new beer made unusually using three types of grain. The Carmelites apparently made a three grain beer in the 1600’s and the recipe was stumbled on by accident. The 3 grains are barley, wheat and oats in both raw and malted forms.

Kasteel Bier combines the unparalleled quality of the past and a resolutely modern taste. Available: Kasteel Triple Blonde and Kasteel Bruin Brune.

This Flemish speciality is a hearty warming brew, dark and strong. It will win attention when served in the most unusual glass. Allegedly held on the sides of stagecoaches in times past in the stirrup cup. Pauwel Kwak, an innkeeper, once brewed this beer which was revived by Bosteels brewery in east Flanders.

The name refers to the halo that radiates round the head of a saint. Leffe beers are very popular belgian abbey beers . Leffe Blonde, Leffe Brune, Leffe 9°, Leffe Radieuse and Leffe Triple are available.

In the mid 1800’s the most popular brew in the Brussels area was faro. With the base lambic beer being very tart lambic beer is sweetened with candy sugar and caramel.

Regardless of what colour or taste you choose, the Maredsous range has everything to intrigue you. These aromatic, delicate, fruity and velvety abbey beers supplement each other in a perfect harmony as far as both colour and taste experience are concerned. Available: Maredsous 6, 8 and 10 in 33cl and 75cl bottles.

Situated in Tourpes, in the centre of West-Hainaut, and incorporated in an old farm, originally dating from 1759, the brewery Dupont has been going on since 1844. The original beer was a “Saison Beer”, meaning that this beer was brewed in the winter, to be drunk in the following summer by the workers (seasonworkers) on the fields.
Ever since 1950, the brewery Dupont has been specialised in the production of top fermentation beers with refermentation in the botlle: Moinette Blonde and Moinette Brune.

Oerbier means original, from the source. The little person on the glasses is the Oerbier man, a simple creature who holds a brewers fork in his right hand, symbolizing the work and science. It is brewed by De Dolle Brouwers.

The name means Golden Valley. The abbey was founded in 1070 when Countess Mathilda of Tuscany lost a gold ring in the local lake. She pledged that if it were returned she would thank God by building an abbey. A trout returned the ring! Hence the beer label. An intensely bitter orangey coloured ale with three fermentations.

Palm is is Belgium's top selling ale.

A nicely brewed beer in the strong golden ale style. Lots of Saaz hop character and a gold to bronze colour. Brewed by Van Steenberge in East Flanders.. Also known in French as Bouccanier.

Although in the province of West Flanders Hommel is brewed only a stone’s throw from France. The intense bitter taste comes from the local hops - this area is Belgium’s biggest hop growing area, and is celebrated each year with a hop festival.

A small farmhouse brewery started in 1993, the name coming from a local folklore witch called ‘Quintine’. This blonde has a dry maltiness with a tasty hoppy finish.

A small lesser known Trappist monestry in the Ardenne region. All there beers are typically 'Trappist' - dark and sweetish in style. The 6 is a dark amber colour with a soft body and an earthy, herbal taste with a rich and fruity finish

A blend of fully matured and young beer - sweet and sour flavour with a certain sharpness

Aromatic and fresh with a peachy fruity aroma. Bronze in colour and distinctly hoppy and dry.

Typical for the countryside of Hainaut, a Province of Belgium, the Saison beer style is a blend of 2 or 3 beers, with one of them being an old slightly sour beer.

St Bernardus Abt 12, St Bernardus Pater 6, St Bernardus Prior 8, St Bernardus Tripel.

Strong, well-rounded, top-fermented blond beer with a soft and sweetish malty flavour.

Gueuze is a blend of young and old lambic beer, producing another fermentation and more maturation (for up to another year). A fruitier taste and champagne sparkle emerges and a slightly sour flavour is a characteristic of this style of beer.

Val-Dieu Blonde, Val-Dieu Brune and Val-Dieu Triple.

Fruity with a red brown colour. Flavours of raisins and chocolate from the dark malts but still refreshing on the finish.

This is rumoured to be the first beer in the triple style before being taken up by Westmalle. The name alludes to the white cowls of the Cistercians, but without identifying a particular abbey.