Any Belgian beer recommendations?

maskaggs · Post by **maskaggs** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:23 pm

We went to a rather eccentric beer bar for my bachelor party - Sergio's World Beers in Louisville, KY - and I know I had some fine Belgian beers, but as you may imagine I can't quite recall them

dosco · Post by **dosco** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:20 am

GregPQ wrote:I've enjoyed Duvel mostly. I might want to branch out a bit, but am a bit leary of the fruit-flavored Belgians.

What are some other non-flavored Belgian beers I might be likely to come across at my local Whole Foods?

Greg

You might be pleasantly surprised by the Belgian fruit beers. They are more like champagne; very light and smooth. I finally caved in and tried one and enjoyed the heck out of it.

The American attempts are in no way representative of the style. At all.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:50 am

My recommendation to myself regarding these beers is to go get some and give them a try. They sound good!

bennay · Post by **bennay** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:49 pm

Another +1 to Leffe.

Anyone else feel a few of these give them a more wicked buzz compared to other beers... Maybe it was just the tap at this one bar that served it, but a few of these definitely got me going

paddy · Post by **paddy** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:53 pm

could be to do with the fact that leffe is around 7%, which is pretty strong compared to most other beers.

bennay · Post by **bennay** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 3:02 pm

paddy wrote:could be to do with the fact that leffe is around 7%, which is pretty strong compared to most other beers.

7% and it's so delicious. Now I'm going to have to hunt through local beer stores to find it.

function · Post by **function** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:09 pm

Big fan of Leffe here, especially the Brown. I'm also fond of the Delerium beers. I'll third the recommendation of any trappist beer.

You could stay local (well, NY) and drink some of Ommegang's offerings, IMO they stack up quite nicely with some of Belgium's finest.

GregPQ · Post by **GregPQ** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:21 am

I have enjoyed 5 Leffe's now, and it's time to get some more. I agree about the subtlety of the Belgian flavors that some have commented on.

The Leffe bottle--it's the Brune or Brown--says it is sweetly caramel yet bitter, which is quite true and quite good. I.e., not sickeningly sweet nor overly bitter. And the 6.5% ABV helps things along nicely.

I still have a bottle of Duvel in the fridge: great stuff but a little pricey. Plus, at 8.5% ABV, it's almost like drinking a stein of white wine.

Hiccup!

Greg

Persius · Post by **Persius** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 7:14 am

It's worth trying the Blonde Leffe as well. Two last night were very welcome coda to a long working week. Flavour is just the bees knees ...

GregPQ · Post by **GregPQ** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 7:18 am

Squire wrote:My choice is Unibroue Trois Pistoles.

Squire, this one's for you, maybe you should try their Blonde de Chambly:

. by Unibroue, on Flickr

Greg

Quarterstick · Post by **Quarterstick** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:13 am

KAV wrote:Trader Joe's brings out a annual belgian ale for Christmas. This year wasexcelent and I squirreled 3 bottles away. they claim it will mature for up to 2 years safely. I've never been disappointed in the vintages.

These excellent beers are made by Unibroue for Trader Joe. they are good right away and better with some age. That's why you have to get several.

I will also second the recommendation on the fruit beer, specifically the lambics. These are not standard beers with fruit added. They are not actually made from fruit, but are a style of sour beer that has been allowed to ferment with local wild yeasts. The fruit versions then have fruit and sugar added to produce a very interesting beer. They are sweet, tart, and delicious.

Dexterous · Post by **Dexterous** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:19 am

I'm not a big fan of Belgian ales but I live within walking distance of an award winning brewer of those ales. I thought I'd make you aware of his products. I don't know how widely distributed his products are but they are generally available in Michigan.

http://www.jollypumpkin.com/artisanales/Default.htm

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:29 pm

Last week I dropped by a place that specializes in beers. I have one bottle of Red label Chimay in the refrigerator, just waiting for an appropriate occasion to give it a whirl. I probably should wait until I've got some helpers ready and willing to help me sample it, so we'll know whether to keep it on hand. When I was shopping, I did ask if they carried or could get the Bell's Hopslam, and they said they'd not heard of it, and it isn't on the list they order from, so I'm out of luck on that one.

Quarterstick · Post by **Quarterstick** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:33 pm

These are especially enjoyable at their location in Traverse City, sitting outside and enjoying the view of the bay. Probably not so much outside this time of year up there though.

bennay · Post by **bennay** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:33 pm

Mmm I'm on the bandwagon of these Belgium beers. Had a few pints of Delerium over the weekend. While they may have been served in girly glasses, I was nice and toasty. So delicious yet over 8% from what I remember.

diggity · Post by **diggity** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:56 pm

I really enjoy various Belgian beers (and luckily I live near a few places that have a lot of them on tap). My favorite right now is La Chouffe. There are a few varieties, but I like the classic.

Now, what Kav was referring to drummed up memories of reading this neat article:

http://www.ratebeer.com/Story.asp?StoryID=184

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:06 pm

GregPQ wrote:
Squire wrote:My choice is Unibroue Trois Pistoles.
Squire, this one's for you, maybe you should try their Blonde de Chambly:

. by Unibroue, on Flickr

Greg

You can have the lovely lady in the middle, the two on either side look like a couple of girls that would be a blast to be around.

Andre · Post by **Andre** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:19 pm

I would say that Belgium has such diversity in beer styles that you really need to classify the styles (use Michael Jackson's book), then experiment in each one to see what you like or don't. Randomly picking beers based on recommendations will lead you to good beer, but you won't have any idea what you are doing. Belgium is like nowhere else in this regard.

Get Jackson's book on Belgian Beers, read it twice, then start looking for types in each style. (I don't know how wide the selection of Belgians is in most places, I can get a 2-3 dozen or more brands quite easily, with all styles but non-fruit lambicks covered).

You might also consider getting some proper belgian beer glasses, or at least a big tulip glass. Globalbeer has all the official ones. I have a dozen or so of these.

aircraft_electrician · Sat Mar 10, 2012 7:26 am

Ouchmychin wrote:I also enjoy Chimay. Last time I had some though was sitting at the piano bar in Belagio and people watching. A cheap but acceptable to me substitute is Fat Tire Belgian style ale. It is made somewhere in Colorado I think.

Yes, the folks that make Fat Tire makes some other really good stuff too. Though it's not brewed in Belgium, New Belgium Brewing Company's 1554 Enlightened Black Ale is very good indeed. It's a nice monastery-style ale made by the same folks that make Fat Tire in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Their Abbey Belgian Style Ale is also very, very good. In fact, I've never had a brew from New Belgium that I haven't liked.

Tom

NickNCut · Post by **NickNCut** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:47 am

I will be very hard to find but if you ever stumble across Fantome, get it. The saison is amazing. There production is to Sam Adams what Sam Adams is to Budweiser.

SMF

Any Belgian beer recommendations?

Re: Any Belgian beer recommendations?