Belgium Beers in Belgium

The Belgium Beer Festival

Thanks to my friends Neil and Kay?! I am getting more and more into Belgian beers now.

It suits me good as I like to sip than gulp, I like to enjoy the aroma and flavour than just gassy alcohol lagers. Mind you, if you're one of 6pints a night lager drinker, take it easy on Belgian beers, most (except lagers/pils like Crystal, Jupiler, Stella Artois etc) have 6% to mighty 13% alcohol in it, think it as wine to sip slowly.

No wonder in Belgium, people snack on cheese with beer like with wines. (with mustard!)

My beloved IV saison with cheese board at Moeder Lambic bar in Brussels, one of only places they have IV on the tap

This year on 11-12th September, we went to the annual Belgian Beer festival in Bruge. This was my second time there, same lovely city hall on Bruge's most beautiful Markt De Bruge.

Last year was in November, so this year, everyone was enjoying the summer feel in the courtyard sitting space to enjoy the dark/amber/blonde/fruits/pale beers in their hand.

Only pity thing for me is that, beers are served in a small wine glass (BAB brewery logo glass seen in the photos) so I easily forget which one was that I liked when it comes to buying it in a shop.

Courtyard of the festival

How it works here at the festival is that we buy tokens and a glass and a info leaflet about the beers, then go visit each brewery booth to try out, a portion is small and they offer plain bread to wipe off the taste and they wash the glass for you to pour the new beer, so you can go around and try as many as you want.

It's not like Oktoberfest in Munich where people just drink and rave (!), Belgian Beer festival is more like a emporium for beer connoisseurs from all over the world. (I was interviewed by Belgian TV company last year as a representative of a Japanese national!)

As a pale ale/blonde beer lover, I go for 6-7% beers which seem to be the perfect alcohol amount to enjoy the refreshing aroma without leaving strong taste in my mouth.

Slaapmutke Blond

Bos Keun

Bloemen Bier

My favourites so far are
Valeir Extra (Pale Ale, 6.5%, Very smooth and naturally sweet hop with hint of citrus, very similar to Sierra Nevada, American Pale Ale which is getting more and more available in London)
IV Saison (6.5% Blonde Ale, also similarly fruity/citrusy flavour as Valeir Extra but more depth)
Saison Dupont (6.5% Ale, slightly more spicier than other of my favourite listed here, very crisp and moderate hop) 
Moinette,(8.5% Blonde, fermented beer, despite the strong alcohol rate, this is very easy to drink and refreshingly sophisticated blond beer)
XX bitter, (6.2% IPA, mild and bitter at the same time, very earthy smell and taste), Slaapmutke Blond.(6.4% Pale Ale, the design of the bottle has this sleeping moon, apparently it means "night cap/hat", I like it with little more form on top yet smooth and fruity)
Bloemen Bier (7% Ale, literally means "Flower beer" and it certainly smells and taste like flowers-not that I eat flowers!- very sweet and tender. I love it but when it's warm, it gets too sweet for my liking)

I have tried some weird beers from pure curiosity such as Mustard, Banana (not yet to taste Chocolate!) but I always settle in Blonde/Pale Ale or IPA style.

In 3 days of Belgium stay, I had (or tried off my friends) 15 kinds of beers. Did you know that Belgium produces the biggest amount of beers in the whole world, over 8700 of them! (of which over 800 is standard, others are on-off beers such as Christmas beers and seasonal/event beers) If you take the fact that Belgian population is about 10.7 million compared to 2000 beers for the population of 58 millions in the UK.