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Three gateway brews into Belgium's beer culture - Simon's pick for beginners (the third one might surprise you!)

Writer's picture: SimonSimon

When you grow up in Belgium, you never have to walk far to find a pub. And most of those pubs - even the small ones - have at least 10 different craft beers on their menu. But even with all of this beer available, there's those special ones that you will never forget - and set the course for a life of beertasting adventures. Today tour guide Simon talks about the three that got him into the lifestyle of Belgian beers.



Belgium beer tasting guide


My favourite beers from Belgium for Beginners? And I may only mention three drops of the Gods' finest ambrosia? That's a Belgian heresy, lad.


Quite by accident, most of my favourites are brewed by monks. Who tended to brew beers with the highest percentage of alcohol. There goes the idea of moderation.


I'll sketch three miniatures for you, each one calling for a different method of assuaging my incessant thirst.


You enter a pub. One of those old ones, with metal plaques on the wall that advertise beers that haven't been drunk in ages; a piano stands in the corner, probably as off-key as the patrons in the wee small hours... You don't need a fancy, brushed steel bar here, wood and tiles are just fine and dandy. Perch yourself among the locals, sit on a crooked stool but talk straight.



  1. Spécial Belge, style of beers like Palm, Bolleke De Koninck, ...

Bolleke De Koninck Belgium beer Antwerp

I happen to know the barkeep. He knows. I want a "specialleke". Spécial Belge was our answer to Czech pilsners and British ale around the turn of the previous century. If you're a beginner and want to explore Belgian beer, this would be it. The old man at heart that,I am, I still enjoys those amber waves of rye. It goes well with the pipe and the reminiscing about the days of yore. Especially if I see the photographs that are plastered on the wall, Saint-Nicholas around 1900. It's a good thing that I know the barkeep, or he would've thought me a silly goose for blathering about such foolishness as being our stubborn own.


Now, in my family we have a saying: "na paterwater volgt katerwater" (after monk's water, you get the cat's water). Remember those monks? I should ask them to pray for my liver. In English that saying would be something like this: "After the monks brew, drink water for the headache to subdue".


I'd be hard pressed to pick one favourite among those divine batches, so I'll go with an abbey that happens to make a fine cheese as well, they even wash the rind with their beer!


  1. Chimay bleue, 10% (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont)

Chimay blue Belgian beer Trappist Ghent


Chimay, Chimay Bleue to be precise. It's as dark as our autumn evenings, hits as heavy as the rains that come on those as well. But when it's a midnight dreary, and you are pondering over your pint, weak and weary; it warms the cockles of your heart, it does. Just don't overdo it, or you'll find out about another saying, not from my family but more generally from Belgium: "God straft onmiddellijk", God doesn't faff about, he swiftly punishes a sinner.


Luckily, the monks also started selling their own "patersbier" that they drink themselves, which is quite a bit lighter but just as nice: Chimay Dorée. If you can find it out and about in your travels, you've been blessed. As it is quite a rarity.






  1. Leffe Dubbel, 6,5% (ABInbev)

For my third beer, I'll go for an odd choice. It's not a beer that I actually drink a lot, but I always have it at home because I cook with it. The old reliable dubbele Leffe, also a concoction that comes from monks.


If you find yourself hungry in our Burgundian lands, I advice you to seek out the local "frietkot". Basically a garden shed from which we sell fries and snacks. These snacks include Flemish stew. Every family has its own recipe, we happen to use Leffe in mine. Every family believes they have the best recipe in the country, and I won't lie to you: my family is right! If you want to check out the Beardbarian's recipe, click here!


Friends enjoying Belgian beer in castle


Get yourself some fries, ask for stoofvleessaus (gravy from Flemish stew) and mayonnaise and prepare yourself for an authentic Flemish sunday-evening experience. And while you're taken away by the potatoes, the rich gravy and slightly tart mayonaise (we use lemons!)... Why not pour yourself a nice beer to drink with it as well?


So, there you have them: Simon's unique perspective on Belgian beers culture. So if you're a beginner and you want to get your own taste of Belgian beer, you know where to start! Want to learn more about Belgian beers? Stay tuned for more posts in this blog. Or book yourself one of our beer tours and brewery visits!

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