Contents Articles Overview 1 Beer in Belgium 1 Some Types of Belgian Beers 13 Trappist beer 13 Pale ale 18 Oud bruin 24 Stout 25 Dubbel 29 Tripel 30 Saison 31 Wheat beer 33 Flanders red ale 37 Lambic 38 Notable Beer Products 43 Delirium Tremens (beer) 43 Delirium Nocturnum 45 References Article Sources and Contributors 48 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 50 Article Licenses License 51 1 Overview Beer in Belgium Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. There are approximately 178 breweries in the country,[2] ranging from international giants to microbreweries.[3] History Beer in Belgium, dates back to the age of the first crusades, long before Belgium became an independent country. Under Catholic church permission, local French and Flemish abbeys brewed and distributed [1] beer as a fund raising method. The relatively low-alcohol beer of that Belgium brewed Westvleteren beers. time was preferred as a sanitary option to available drinking water. What are now traditional, artesinal brewing methods evolved, under abbey supervision, during the next seven centuries. The Trappist monasteries that now brew beer in Belgium were occupied in the late 18th century primarily by monks fleeing the French Revolution. However, the first Trappist brewery in Belgium (Westmalle) did not start operation until 10 December 1836, almost 50 years after the Revolution. That beer was exclusively for the monks and is described as "dark and sweet." The first recorded sale of beer (a brown beer) was on 1 June 1861.[4] Trappist beers The brewing of Trappist beers takes place in Trappist monasteries. For a beer to qualify for Trappist certification, the brewery must be in a monastery, the monks must play a role in its production and policies and the profits from the sale must be used to support the monastery and/or social programs outside. Only seven monasteries currently meet these qualifications, six of which are in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. Trappist beer is a controlled term of origin: it tells where the beers come from, it is not the name of a beer style. Beyond saying they are mostly top-fermented, the beers produced by the Trappist have very little Beers from all seven Trappist breweries available in in common stylistically. 2009. The current Belgian Trappist producers are: • Achel, sells Blonde (8% ABV), Brune (8% ABV), Extra Blonde (8% ABV), Extra Brune (8% ABV). • Chimay sells Red Label (dark, 7% ABV), White Label (Blonde/Tripel, ABV 8%) and Blue Label (dark, 9% ABV). • Orval sells a "unique"[5] dry hopped 6.2% amber beer. • Rochefort sells three dark beers, "6" (7.5% ABV). "8" (9.2% ABV) and "10" (11.3% ABV). • Westmalle sells Dubbel (7% ABV) and Tripel (9% ABV), • Westvleteren sells Green Cap or Blonde, (5.8% ABV), Blue Cap (dark, 8% ABV) and Yellow Cap (dark, 10.2% ABV). Beer in Belgium 2 In addition to the above, a lower-strength beer is sometimes brewed for consumption by the Brothers (patersbier) or sold on site. Abbey beers The designation "abbey beers" (Bières d'Abbaye or Abdijbier) was originally used for any monastic or monastic-style beer. After introduction of an official Trappist beer designation by the International Trappist Association in 1997, it came to mean products similar in style or presentation to monastic beers.[6] In other words, an Abbey beer may be:- • Produced by a non-Trappist monastery — e.g. Benedictine; or Augustijn and Augustijn Grand Cru are brewed • produced by a commercial brewery under commercial arrangement by Van Steenberge with an extant monastery; or • branded with the name of a defunct or fictitious abbey by a commercial brewer; or • given a vaguely monastic branding, without mentioning a specific monastery, by a commercial brewer. In 1999, a "Certified Belgian Abbey Beer" (Erkend Belgisch Abdijbier) logo [7] was introduced by the Union of Belgian Brewers to indicate beers brewed under license to an existing or abandoned abbey,[8] as opposed to other abbey-branded beers which are marketed using other implied religious connections, such as a local saint.[9][10] The requirements for registration under the logo include the monastery having control over certain aspects of the commercial operation, and a proportion of profits going to the Abbey or its designated charities. Monastic orders other than the Trappists can be and are included in this arrangement. What are now recognized as Trappist breweries began operations began in 1838. Several French monasteries, however, maintained "working" breweries for 500+ years before the French revolution (1789–1799) disrupted religious life across the northern French province of Wallonia. Even then, some Abbey beers such as Affligem Abbey,[10] whose name now appears on beers made by the Heineken-owned Affligem Brewery,[11] resumed brewing from "working" monasteries until Belgium's World War I occupation. Commercial Abbey beers first appeared during Belgium's World War I recovery. Although Abbey beers do not conform to rigid brewing styles, most tend to include the most recognizable and distinctive Trappist styles of brune (Belgian brown ale, aka dubbel), strong pale ale or tripel, and blonde ale or blond.[6][10] Modern abbey breweries range from microbreweries to international giants. As of 2011, the eighteen certified Abbey beers[12] are:- • Abbaye de Cambron is brewed in Opzullik (Silly) by Brasserie de Silly.[13] • Abbaye de Bonne Espérance is brewed in Quenast by Brouwerij Lefebvre.[14] • Abdij Dendermonde is brewed in Merchtem by Brouwerij De Block.[15] • Abbaye de Saint-Martin, historically referenced to 1096, is brewed near Tournai by Brasserie Brunehaut. • Affligem, produced for Affligem Abbey by a Heineken-owned brewery. • Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu is located on the grounds of a former abbey. • Bornem is brewed in Oost-Vlaanderen by Brouwerij Van Steenberge.[16] • Ename is brewed in Oost-Vlaanderen by Brouwerij Roman.[17] • Floreffe is brewed to fund a school housed in a former monastery. • Grimbergen, made by the large Alken Maes brewery for an extant Norbertine abbey. • Keizersberg is brewed in Oost-Vlaanderen by Brouwerij Van Steenberge.[16] • Leffe, the Abbey brand of Stella Artois, itself part of the multinational Inbev corporation, is brewed under licence from an extant brewery. It is thought to be the first such arrangement. Leffe has global distribution. Beer in Belgium 3 • Maredsous, the Abbey brand of Duvel Moortgat, Belgium's second largest brewer, licensed from Maredsous Abbey. • Postel is brewed in Opwijk by Brouwerij De Smedt.[18] • Ramée is brewed in Purnode by Brasserie Du Bocq.[19] • St. Feuillien is a small independent brewery. • Steenbrugge is brewed in Brugge by Brouwerij De Gouden Boom.[20] • Tongerlo is brewed in Boortmeerbeek by Brouwerij Haacht.[21] Other non-certified Abbey beers include:- • Abbaye des Rocs is made by a farmers' co-operative and named after a local ruined abbey.[22] • Kasteelbier, monastic style beers brewed in a castle. • The St. Bernardus brewery, based on Watou originally brewed under contract for the abbey of St Sixtus at Westvleteren, but now continued on an independent basis, in parallel with production at the monastery itself. Their range is considered a close match in recipe and style to the St Sixtus beers, which can be hard to obtain outside the area. • Tripel Karmeliet, wirh a three-grain recipe, is produced by Bosteels, an independent brewery who also make Pauwel Kwak. NOTE: At least one beer writer warns against assuming that closeness of connection with a real monastery confirms a product's quality.[23] Belgian beer types Amber ales (Ambrée and Speciale) These are beers similar to the traditional pale ales of England, although somewhat less bitterly hopped.[24] A notable example is the 5% abv De Koninck brand, with its distinctive spherical glasses (called 'bollekes'). It is popular in its native city of Antwerp. Another is Palm Speciale. Some, such as Vieux Temps, were based on British styles to please troops stationed in Belgium during World War I.[25] Others were introduced by the UK-born brewer George Maw Johnson in the late 19th century.[24] A very strong ambrée is brewed by "Bush" (Dubuisson), another brewery influenced by British styles. Wallonian amber or ambrée ale, such a La Gauloise Ambrée, is considered to be somewhat distinct by some beer writers, and to be influenced by the French version of the ambrée style.[26] Beer in Belgium 4 Blonde or golden ale These are a light variation on pale ale, often made with pilsner malt.[23] Some beer writers regard blonde and golden ales as distinct styles, while others do not. Duvel is the archetypal Belgian blonde ale, and one of the most popular bottled beers in the country[27] as well as being well-known internationally.[28] Its name means "Devil" and some other blonde beers follow the theme—Satan, Lucifer and Judas for example. The style is popular with Wallonian brewers, the slightly hazy Moinette being the best-known example. Chouffe can be considered a spiced version (with coriander). Brown ale Regular bruin or brune beers such as Grottenbier are darker than amber ales, less sour than Flemish brown ale, and less strong than dubbel. Champagne beers Duvel, a typical blond Belgian ale Champagne style beers are generally ales that are finished "à la méthode originale" for champagne. Examples include Grottenbier, DeuS and Malheur Bière Brut. They receive a second fermentation much like Champagne[29] does and are stored for several months "sûr lie" while the fermentation lasts. This creates the smaller, softer bubbles that we know from Champagne, but maintains the beer flavor and style. Dubbel Dubbel (double) has a characteristic brown colour. It is one of the classic Abbey/Trappist types, having been developed in the 19th century at the Trappist monastery in Westmalle.