Favorite Belgian beers
Everybody knows that Belgium is famous for its beers. There are over 1500 different beers in this little country. And there is definitely a beer for every taste because of the different beer styles: sweet, sour, dark, blond, bitter, smooth, with herbs, … I try to track all my beers on Untappd (you can always follow me there 😉 )
If you want to try the not-so-typical Belgian beers when you are visiting Belgium, you have to visit a beer bar. They often have a very nice variety of different beers, beers that you don’t find at regular cafés. You can find an overview of my favorite beer bars here.
But now on to my favorite Belgian beers:
Oude Kriek by 3 Fonteinen Brewery
I am a big fan of sour beers, and this one is really sour but still with some hints of other fruits and flavors. It’s also a very light beer and perfect for summer, I think. Kriek beer is made by refermenting lambik with sour cherries. It’s a type of beer that can only be found in the Zenne Valley near Brussels in Belgium, and is fermented through exposure to wild yeasts and bacteria native to this region. This gives a distinct smell and taste to the beer. When you mix young and old lambic and bottle it for a second fermentation, you get gueuze beer (which can be kept for 10-20 years).
3 Fonteinen brewery is a traditional lambik brewery and geuze blendery that has been around for more than 135 years. I also like their gueuze beers.
Some other sour beers I like are all beers by Guezuerie Tilquin, Oude Kriek by Timmermans, Kriek De Ranke by De Ranke Brewery, and Omega by Alvinne Brewery.
Gouden Carolus Whiskey Infused by Het Anker Brewery
This is a very dark and strong beer (11.7% ABV) by Het Anker Brewery. A dark beer is enriched with an infusion of Single Malt Whiskey. It’s perfect to enjoy with friends in the evening. The name “Gouden Carolus” (Golden Charles) is derived from Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who was born in Mechelen.
Brewery Het Anker is located in Mechelen and offers a diverse selection of beers and whiskey. It was founded in 1471 by a community of Beguines.
If you want to learn more about the history of Mechelen while tasting some good beer, you have to do a beer tour in Mechelen with BeerWalk!.
Bush de Noel by Dubuisson
Again, a dark and strong beer (12% ABV) with some hints of caramel. It’s a little bit more bitter than Gouden Carolus but still has some sweetness. It’s only brewed during winter at Dubuisson, so it’s only available for a limited amount of time.
Dubuisson Brewery was founded in 1769 and is most famous for Cuvée de Troll. If you want to try something special, you also have to taste Rasta Trolls, a blond beer with 7% ABV. Its unique flavour profile is the result of apple extract and dark rum that is added to the beer during boiling. And also Bush de Nuits is delicious if you like dark beers.
Wild Blond by Eylenbosch Brewery
This beer is a blend of one-third Eylenbosch lambic and two-thirds of the blond beer Patience, and then aged in oak barrels for 6 months, and a refermentation in the bottle. This gives the beer a little sour taste, combined with some hints of bitterness.
Eylenbosch Brewery was founded in 1886 but closed again at the beginning of the 1990s because lambik beers lost their popularity. In 2018, they started again, first with “regular” beers because they had to wait for their lambik beers. But now they are back with gueze beers as well as their unique blends.
Vleteren Alt 8° by Deca Brewery
This red-brown beer (8% ABV) has a combination of fruit, sour, and herbs. It’s a really interesting mix that is the result of adding a little bit of port when the beer is aging in the oak barrels.
Deca Brewery is a little brewery that is now being run by the 5th generation.
How to organize a Belgian beer tasting at home?
If you like Belgian beers, it’s always fun to organize a little beer tasting at home with friends and/or family. If you don’t have access to a lot of Belgian beers, you can always look for Belgian-style beers.
- Choose a theme: will you go for Trappist ales, spicy Witbiers, Blond beers, or a mix
- Select 4-6 Belgian beers (depending on your audience)
- Buy the proper glassware
- Buy some simple food pairings like cheese, cured meats, or chocolates
- Provide some palate cleansers, such as bread and water
- Order to serve: light to dark beers, low ABV to high ABV. Sours always go at the end
- Enjoy your beers while taking notes (or not)
- Make sure everybody can get home safely, or provide beds for everyone
You can buy your beers at a bottleshop or liquor store nearby if they have a decent selection. They can also help you decide on the beers if you have any questions. Another option is to order beer online (if possible), like from Belgian-Style Ales. Or if you like to be surprised, you can order a box of craft beers based on your tastes at Beer Drop.