Belgian Breweries
their history - their beers

Introduction
This list is not intended to be exhaustive, only to cover breweries whose beers are mentioned in my pub guide pages. Belgian breweries are well-enough documented elsewhere for me not to feel too guilty.

Belgian Breweries
statistics


Statistical overview
1900 1910 1920 1930 1939 1950 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
No. breweries 3,223a 3,349a 2,013a 1,546a 1,120a 663a 414a   232a   143a   126a 115a 112a 113a 117a 118a 115a 115b 125d
Production (1,000 hl) 14,617a 16,019a 10,408a 16,099a 12,488a 10,140a 10,110a   13,015a   14,291a   14,141a 14,528a 14,575a 14,734a 14,966a 15,696a 15,650a 17,268c 17,274c
Imports (1,000 hl) 149a 272a 201a 228a 65a 97a 378a   739a   969a   648a 593a 703a 804a 877a 744a 1023a 993b 1,015c
Exports (1,000 hl) 5a 9a 47a 10a 7a 5a 205a   973a   2,315a   2,752a 4,608a 5,072a 5,474a 5,857a 6,539a 6,738a 8,699b 8,814c
Exports as %age of production             2%   7%a   16%a   19%a 31.7% 34.8% 37%a 39.1% 41.7% 43% 50% 51%
Consumption (1,000 hl) 14,761a 16,282a 10,562a 16,317a 12,546a 10,232a 10,283a 11,097a 12,781a 12,788a 12,945a 11,922a 12,037a 10,513a 10,206a 10,064a 9,986a 9,901a 9,935a 9,562c 9,475c
Consumption (per head) 221a 219a 143a 202a 149a 118a 112a 117a 132a 130a 131a 121a 121a 104a 100a 99a 98a 96a 96a 92c 91c
Sources:
a "Het Brouwersblad" June 2004, p.6, p.7
b "Het Brouwersblad" June 2005, p.7
c The Union of Belgian Brewers
d. Belgian Beer Board


Belgian beer sales by beer type (hectolitres)
  1996 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
  Shops Bars Total Shops Bars Total Shops Bars Total Shops Bars Total Shops Bars Total Shops Bars Total Shops Bars Total
Abbey 215,691 273,816 489,507 232,376 285,809 518,185 248,168 287,248 535,416 272,196 301,759 573,955 281,262 310,606 591,868 307,270b 319,195b 626,465b      
Non-/low-alcohol 53,006 44,526 97,532 52,666 42,950 95,616 50,560 38,182 88,742 50,447 35,114 85,561 47,447 32,691 80,138 44,536b 31,769 76,305      
Amber 129,612 507,704 637,316 124,278 467,001 591,279 111,558 401,001 512,559 101,050 356.817 457,867 100,886 317,119 418,005 90,382b 272,433 362,815b      
British type 63,296 96,449 159,745 61,998 90,916 152,914 60,276 86,728 147,004 56,705 82,087 138,792 53,471 77,573 131,044 51,845b 73,372b 125,217b      
Gueze/fruit 69,881 146,150 216,031 71,969 149,978 221,947 71,822 142,248 214,070 74,441 140,966 215,407 74,123 133,774 207,897 83,821 158,366 242,187      
Luxe pils 58,012 155,506 213,518 55,976 153,682 209,658 60,174 117,157 177,3331 58,393 115,205 173,595 58,324 112,380 170,704 69,519b 109,642 179,161b      
Pils 2,794,830 4,001,434 6,796,264 2,930,560 4,043,406 6,973,966 2,989,615 4,016,213 7,005,828 3,102,673 3,924,496 7,027,169 3,146,604 3,867,574 7,014,178 3,252,649 3,791,603 7,044,252 3,255,430b 3,675,430b 6,930,525b
Regional 33,061 45,132 78,193 35,105 49,056 84,161 33,075 46,849 79,924 32,251 47,015 79,266 33,575 45,875 79,450 33,903 47,743 81,646      
Table beer 160,590 120,279 280,869 174,366 118,707 293,073 157,126 110,139 267,265 144,276 99,947 244,223 134,457 93,152 227,609 119,172b 88,039 207,211b      
Trappist 96,532 120,117 216,649 97,347 123,725 221,072 96,719 122,606 219,325 97,547 122,332 219,879 102,855 121,367 224,222 101,362 124,752 226,114      
Witbier 93,681 472,117 565,798 92,623 471,918 564,541 87,293 454,385 541,678 84,268 404,045 488,313 85,852 375,893 461,745 91,058b 358,658 449,716b      
Sour 16,551 53,256 69,807 5,215 71,535 76,750 15,028 53,470 68,498 17,175 51,712 68,887 18,072 47,470 65,542 20,724b 47831b 68,555b      
Strong golden 82,576 107,182 189,758 93,814 109,278 203,092 96,124 110,637 206,761 98,722 114,675 213,447 103,766 125,229 228,995 113,848b 131,719b 245,567b      
Total 3,867,319 6,143,668 10,010,987 4,028,293 6,177,961 10,206,254 4,077,538 5,986,863 10,064,401 4,190,194 5,796,170 9,986,364 4,240,694 5,660,703 9,901,397 4,380,089 5,555,122 9,935,211 4,362,627b 5,399,992b 9,702,619b
Sources:
"Het Brouwersblad" June 2004, p.12
b "Het Brouwersblad" June 2005, p.8


Belgian beer sales by location (hectolitres)
1993 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
hl % hl % hl % hl % hl % hl % hl % hl % hl %
On sales 7,100,167 65% 6,143,668 61.4% 6,177,961 60.5% 5,986,863 59.5% 5,796,170 58% 5,660,703 57.2% 5,555,122 55.9% 5,339,992b 55%b 5,009,000c 52.8%c
Off sales 3,760,133 35% 3,867,319 38.6% 4,028,293 39.5% 4,077,538 40.5% 4,190,194 42% 4,240,694 42.8% 4,380,089 44.1% 4,362,627b 45%b 4,466,000c 47.2%c
Total 10,860,300 100% 10,010,987 100% 10,206,254 100% 10,064,401 100% 9,986,364 100% 9,901,397 100% 9,935,211 100% 9,702,619b 100% 9,475,000c 100%
Sources:
"Het Brouwersblad" June 2004, p.12, p.13
b "Het Brouwersblad" June 2005, p.8
c The Union of Belgian Brewers


Belgian beer exports by beer type (hectolitres)
  1995 % 2000 % 2001 % 2002 % 2003 % 2004 %
Pils 2,473,560 63.1% 3,303,954 64.3% 3,624,228 67.2% 3,442,883 65.8% 3,291,179 64.6% 4,635,999b 69.6%b
Abbey 388,753 9.9% 595,906 11.6% 665,866 12.3% 680,399 13.0% 670,687 13.2% 774,788b 11.6%b
Witbier 144,978 3.7% 371,614 7.2% 294,129 5.5% 332,079 6.3% 327,713 6.4% 378,727b 5.7%b
Amber 245,597 6.3% 265,469 5.2% 254,207 4.7% 223,364 4.3% 228,029 4.5% 197,882b 3%b
Luxe pils 267,531 6.8% 266,312 5.2% 255,083 4.7% 241,942 4.6% 225,638 4.4% 181,048b 2.7%b
Trappist 54,895 1.4% 65,491 1.3% 67,031 1.2% 77,794 1.5% 80,423 1.6% 85,302b 1.3%b
Strong golden 43,967 1.1% 58,773 1.1% 59,173 1.1% 61,620 1.2% 64,043 1.3% 66,770b 1.0%b
Gueze/fruit 101,778 2.6% 65,390 1.3% 65,193 1.2% 64,036 1.2% 60,656 1.2% 73,066b 1.1%b
British type 76,121 1.9% 39,274 0.8% 28,814 0.5% 27,151 0.5% 50,742 1.0% 83,557b 1.3%b
Regional 20,829 0.5% 28,429 0.6% 28,885 0.5% 28,153 0.5% 37,574 0.7% 54,910b 0.8%b
Table beer 94,592 2.4% 49,275 1.0% 44,076 0.8% 40,930 0.8% 32,817 0.6% 31,233b 0.5%b
Non-/low-alcohol 8,949 0.2% 23,785 0.5% 7,813 0.1% 9,146 0.2% 24,749 0.5% 99,008b 1.5%b
Sour 1,520 0.0% 648 0.0% 1,053 0.0% 933 0.0% 1,027 0.0% 1,917b 0.0%b
Total 3,923,070 100% 5,134,350 100% 5,395,551 100% 5,230,430 100% 5,095,277 100% 6,664,207b 100%
Source:
"Het Brouwersblad" June 2004, p.9
b "Het Brouwersblad" June 2004, p.10

Licensed premises by province
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
pubs hotels rest. total pubs hotels rest. total pubs hotels rest. total pubs hotels rest. total pubs hotels rest. total pubs hotels rest. total pubs hotels rest. total pubs hotels rest. total
Antwerp 3,505 138 3,211 6,854 3,367 311 3,348 7,026 3,308 136 3,420 6,864 3,203 132 3,530 6,865 3,303 127 3,550 6,980 2,891 127 3,643 6,661 2,734 129 3,725 6,588 2,623 132 3,780 6,535
Brabant (Flemish) 2,126 66 1,656 3,848 2,031 67 1,736 3,834 1,977 68 1,754 3,799 1,915 78 1,827 3,820 1,856 78 1,837 3,771 1,754 77 1,862 3,693 1,666 81 1,889 3,636 1,581 83 1,907 3,571
West Flanders 3,407 565 2,756 6,728 3,317 553 2,835 6,705 3,220 554 2,942 6,716 3,098 538 3,129 6,765 3,016 530 3,060 6,606 2,925 520 3,113 6,558 2,798 513 3,176 6,487 2,716 510 3,207 6,433
East Flanders 3,897 99 2,251 6,247 3,805 102 2,318 6,225 3,684 111 2,419 6,214 3,553 100 2,564 6,217 3,501 104 2,563 6,168 3,342 104 2,656 6,102 3,184 106 2,725 6,015 3,017 107 2,804 5,928
Limburg 1,767 94 1,593 3,454 1,733 92 1,681 3,506 1,676 91 1,732 3,499 1,613 92 1,785 3,490 1,573 93 1,775 3,441 1,519 94 1,782 3,395 1,467 100 1,784 3,351 1,394 96 1,812 3,302
Flanders 14,702 962 11,467 27,131 14,253 945 11,918 27,116 13,865 960 12,267 27,092 13,382 940 12,839 27,161 12,976 932 12,785 26,693 12,431 922 13,056 26,409 11,849 929 13,299 26,077 11,331 928 13,510 25,769
Brabant (Wallonian) 388 20 553 961 388 18 561 967 378 18 566 962 346 16 593 955 326 16 589 931 312 13 592 917 296 17 603 916 280 17 613 910
Hainaut 3,052 73 1,758 4,883 2,919 73 1,779 4,771 2,849 70 1,808 4,727 2,731 71 1,840 4,642 2,584 68 1,818 4,470 2,508 71 1,845 4,424 2,393 70 1,917 4,380 2,291 60 1,963 4,314
Liège 1,897 183 1,919 3,999 1,801 182 1,929 3,912 1,731 190 1,906 3,827 1,647 188 1,943 3,778 1,609 183 1,939 3,731 1,539 185 1,958 3,682 1,421 193 2,026 3,640 1,385 190 2,046 3,621
Luxemburg 583 193 440 1,216 547 191 452 1,190 527 188 462 1,177 517 185 484 1,186 482 186 483 1,151 465 177 506 1,148 435 173 530 1,138 405 170 532 1,107
Namur 846 120 764 1,730 811 111 783 1,705 769 106 803 1,678 733 105 825 1,663 706 103 811 1,620 668 99 826 1,593 645 101 834 1,580 607 102 847 1,556
Wallonia 6,766 589 5,434 12,789 6,466 575 5,504 12,545 6,254 572 5,545 12,371 5,974 565 5,685 12,224 5,707 556 5,640 11,903 5,492 545 5,727 11,764 5,190 554 5,910 11,654 4,968 539 6,001 11,508
Brussels 1,816 202 2,659 4,677 1,711 197 2,633 4,541 1,622 192 2,675 4,489 1,516 191 2,709 4,416 1,441 189 2,683 4,313 1,359 185 2,726 4,270 1,265 181 2,863 4,309 1,206 183 2,866 4,255
Belgium 23,284 1,753 19,560 44,597 22,430 1,717 20,065 44,212 21,741 1,724 20,487 43,952 20,872 1,696 21,233 43,801 20,124 1,677 21,108 42,909 19,282 1,652 21,509 42,443 18,304 1,664 22,072 42,040 17,505 1,650 22,377 41,532
Source:
"Het Brouwersblad" June 2004, p.15


Interbrew/Inbev output worldwide
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2000 IAS 2001 2002 2003 2004
Western Europe 16,600 14,300 13,500 14,400 14,800 23,100 27,200 37,400 42,400 41,500
North America 16,300 12,300 13,300 13,700 14,200 14,200 14,600 16,800 16,800 17,000
Central & South America - - - - - - - - - 38,700
Emerging Markets* 4,500 5,200 8,500 17,200 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Central & Eastern Europe - - - - - 17,900 22,900 23,100 28,400 34,300
Asia-Pacific - - - - - 8,100 8,400 8,500 10,300 22,200
Total 37,400 31,800 35,300 45,300 - 63,300 73,100 85,800 97,900 153,700
Source:
Inbev website

Notes:
* After 1999 split into "Central & Eastern Europe" and "Asia-Pacific"


Belgian Breweries
the breweries


St. Benedictusabdij De Achelse Kluis
De Kluis 1,
3930 Hamont-Achel.
Tel: 011.800760
http://www.achelsekluis.org

Founded: 1998
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Achel 5 Blond 5%   Blond ale.  
Achel 5 Bruin 5%   Dark ale.  
Achel 8 Blond 8%   Blond ale.
Pale yellow colour with a dense white head; bitterish/sweetish taste with resin, toffee, apple, grass and caramel aromas; very bitter finish with resin, caramel, grass, pepper and earth aromas.
A beer that happily avoids the sickly sweetness usually found in abbey blonds. Nicely hoppy over a solid malt base.
Tasted 06.02.2007.		 81
Achel 8 Bruin 8%   Dark ale.  

Independent brewery. A genuine Trappist brewery.

Though dating back to the 17th century, the modern history of the monastery in Achel only really starts in 1846, when it was re-established after dissolution during the French Revolution. Like many monasteries of the period, it possessed its own brewhouse. Brewing continued until 1914, when occupying German troops confiscating the brewing equipment to melt down for armaments. After the war, the brothers lacked the financial means to replace it and brewing ceased. Only in 1998 was a new brewery contructed and a blond and an amber beer produced under the Achel name, initially only available on draught. In 2002, the 8% Achel Blond appeared in bottled form.


Brasserie d'Achouffe
rue du Village 32,
6666 Achouffe.
Tel: 061 - 288 147
Fax: 061 - 288 264
Homepage: http://www.achouffe.be/

Founded: 1982
Annual production: 20,000 hl

Beer alc Description
score (100)
La Chouffe 8% Strong golden ale spiced with coriander.
A classic beer, loved by almost everyone who tries it.
81
Mc Chouffe 8.5% Scotch ale. OK, but not a patch on La Chouffe.
Chouffe Bière de Mars 7.5% Golden ale brewed from barley and wheat malt. Seasonal - Spring.
Chouffe Bière du soleil 4.5% Golden ale brewed from malted barley, malted rye and malted wheat. Seasonal - Summer.
Chouffe Bok 6666 6.5% Dark bock brewed from barley and wheat malt. Seasonal - Autumn. A fairly dull bock beer.
N'Ice Chouffe 10% Barley wine brewed from malted barley, hops, thyme, curaçao and dark candy sugar. Seasonal - Winter.
An excellent strong beer that is well worth looking for. Will improve for at least a few years in the bottle. Appears very occasionally on draught.
Kwel Chouffe 8% Golden ale.
Tobacco, herbal and hop aroma; sweetish/bitterish taste with honey, tobacco, butter and dust aromas; bitter finish with tobacco, grass, butter and chicory aromas.
Quite a contrast to normal Chouffe - hoppy rather than spicy. Not bad hop flavours and surpisingly light.
62

A microbrewery, now in business for over 20 years, that thoroughly deserves its success. La Chouffe is an original and distinctive beer, that has gained great popularity. Strangely, it is far easier to find on draught in Amsterdam than in Belgium. Around 40% of their output is exported to Holland.

The bottled beers, with the exception of Kwel Chouffe, are only packaged in large champagne-style bottles.


Affligem Brouwerij
Ringlaan 18,
B-1745 Opwijk.
Tel. 052 359911
Fax. 052 358357
http://www.affligembier.be/

Founded:
Annual production: 27,200 hl (2003)

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Affligem Blond 6.8% 16º Blond abbey beer. All the beers in this style are crap. Bitterness: 24 EBU; colour: 12 EBU. Bottle-conditioned.
Yellow colour, reasonably thick, fine head: tea and grass aroma; sweetish/bitterish taste with caramel, pepper and metal aromas; bitter finish with pepper, grass and hop aromas.
Considerably less sweet than most beers in this style. Surprisingly, quite hoppy. Nothing like as bad as I had expected. (Tasted 19.07.05)		 44
Affligem Dubbel 6.8% 16º Abbey Dubbel. Bottle-conditioned.
Mid-brown colour with a dense, tan head; Mint humbug, cream and toffee aroma; sweet/bitterish taste with toffee, dates and cream aromas; bitterish finish with plum, dates and roast aromas.
A reasonable fruity, sweetish dubbel. (Tasted 19.07.05)		 52
Affligem Tripel 8.5% 20º Abbey Tripel. Bottle-conditioned. Bitterness: 26 EBU; colour: 13 EBU.
Pale amber colour, fine--beaded head; grass, biscuit and resin aroma; sweet/bitter taste with pepper, caramel, cream and raisin aromas; bitter finish with caramel, orange, pepper and resin aromas.
A very good beer. Has the correct balance of sweet malt and hoppiness. A beer I could actually drink for pleasure. Heineken's best top-fermented beer (that I've tried). Compares very well to the abysmal Grimbergen Tripel (Tasted 19.07.05)		 71
Postel Blond 7%   Blond abbey beer. Bottle-conditioned.  
Postel Dubbel 7%   Abbey Dubbel. Bottle-conditioned.  
Postel Tripel 8.5%   Abbey Tripel. Bottle-conditioned.  
Op-Ale 5%   Amber ale.  

Owmed by Heineken. Their beers are beginning to appear in Dutch cafes supplied by Heineken.

Currently, the Affligem abbey beers are far superior to the Leffe (spit) or Grimbergen (urgh, nasty) ranges with which they compete. It remains to be seen what Heineken do with them long term.


NV Brouwerijen Alken-Maes
Waarloosveld, 10
2550 Waarloos.
Tel: 015 - 309 011
Fax: 015 - 314 191
Email: info@alken-maes.com Homepage: http://www.maes.be/

Founded:
Annual production: 2,000,000 hl

Beer alc Description
Maes Nature 1.5% Pale table beer. Brewed from barley, wheat, oats, rye, coriander and orange peel.
Maes Classic 1.5% Dark table beer.
Maes Pils 4.9% Standard crappy pils.
Cristal Alken 4.8% Another standard crappy pils.
Kronenbourg   Guess what - another crappy pils..

The Belgian brewing industry's number 2. The main shareholder is Scottish & Newcastle. They make an impressive array of crappy lagers.


Brouweri Het Anker
Guido Gezellelaan 49,
2800 Mechelel.
Tel: 015 - 287 147
Fax: 015 - 287 148
http://www.hetanker.be/

Founded:
Annual production: 7,000 hl

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Blusser 5.4% 12.5º Pils.  
Anker Blond 6.5% 19º Abbey Blond.  
Anker Bock 6.5% 15º Dark Bock. Top-fermented.  
Gouden Carolus Ambrio 8% 18º Amber ale. Bottle-conditioned.  
Gouden Carolus Classic 8.5% 18º Brown Ale. Bottle-conditioned.
Mid-brown colour; caramel, porridge, wort and perfume aroma; very sweet taste with toffee, dates, milk, roast and caramel aromas; sweetish finish with caramel, dates and alcohol aromas.
Pretty good, though there are some unusual notes in the aroma. Surprisingly sweet, given the gravity/alcohol ratio. Tastes like a good candidate for ageing to me.(Tasted 17.07.05)
 69
Gouden Carolus Triple 9% 20º Tripel. Bottle-conditioned.
Full yellow colour with a tight, lasting head; coriander, cloves and basil aroma; sweet/bitterish taste with ginger, caramel and cumin aromas; sweetish/bitter finish with caramel, pepper and resin aromas.
A beer that is very different in all its phases - a very spicy aroma, intensely sweet in the mouth, hoppy in the finish. A bit odd, but quite pleasant. (Tasted 18.07.05)		 62
Gouden Carolus Cuvee van de Keizer 10% 22º Strong Brown Ale. Bottle-conditioned.  
Gouden Carolus Easter Beer 10% 22º Strong Brown Ale. Bottle-conditioned. Seasonal - Easter.  
Gouden Carolus Christmas 10.5% 22º Spiced strong Brown Ale. Bottle-conditioned. Seasonal - Christmas.  

Independent brewery. The beers have improved immeasurably since the brewery escaped from Riva's ownership.

The brewery tap in Mechelen is well worth a visit. As well as their outstanding beers they also serve excellent food.


Artois
Vaartstraat 94,
3000 Leuven.
Tel: 016 - 247 111
Fax: 016 - 247 497

Founded: 1366
Annual production: 4,800,000 hl

Beer alc Description score (100)
Stella Artois 5.2% Pils. A Belgian friend of mine says it is one of the best of its type left, because it at least retains a little hoppiness.  
Vieux Temps 5.5% Pale ale.
A beer with no character whatsoever.
14
Leffe Brune-Dubbel 6.5% Abbey dubbel.
Tobacco, elderflower and cardboard aroma; sweet taste with caramel, fruit and chicory aromas; bitter finish with hops and fruit.
Has a confusing mixture of hop and burnt caramel flavours. It tastes more like a caramel-coloured münchner that a dubbel. I doubt very much that it's truly top-fermented.
28
Leffe Blonde 6.6% Abbey blond. Every beer in this style is crap. This one goes out of its way to be positively unpleasant. The worst Belgian beer I've tried by a long, long way.
8
Leffe Vieille Cuvée 8.1% Dark abbey ale. Sweet and uninspiring.  
Leffe Radieuse 8.2% Dark abbey ale.
Pale brown colour, uneven head; dust and cream aroma; sweet taste with dust, sugar and caramel aromas; bitterish finish with toffee, caramel and herbal aromas.
Sweet and uninspiring. But much better than most big-brewery abbey beers. No really horrible flavours. (Tasted 21.07.2005)		 39

Interbrew's main Belgian beer factory, that takes up large parts of Leuven. I can't say that I like any of the beers brewed there very much. I particularly dislike Leffe Blonde, a beer that is spreading like a cancer through Europe. Leffe Tripel - an excellent beer brewed in Hoegaarden - should not be confused with the rest of the Leffe range.

Lots of beers ended up here when Interbrew closed most of its ale breweries in a Whitbread-like sweep through the Belgian industry (how ironic they should themselves have gobbled up Whitbread). I'm not sure how many are still brewed as there was plenty of the sort of "duplication" in the range that multinationals love to simplify for us.


Brasserie Du Bocq s.a.
Rue de la Brasserei 4.
B-5530 Purnode.
Tel. 082 - 610 780
Fax 082 - 611 780
Email: brasserie@bocq.be
http://www.bocq.be/

Founded: 1858
Annual production: 60,000 hl

Beer alc Description score (100)
Blanche de Namur 4.5% Witbier. Bitterness: 12 EBU, colour : 5 EBC.
Orange, lemon, coriander and ginger aroma; neutral taste with orange and ginger aromas; spicy finish with ginger, orange and coriander aromas.
A clean, lightly spicy witbier that is pleasant without being exceptional. No sourness but, happily, no sweetness either.
62
La Gauloise Ambree 5.5% Amber ale. Bitterness: 30 EBU, colour : 30 EBC  
La Gauloise Blonde 6.3% Blond ale. Bitterness: 22 EBU, colour : 10.5 EBC  
La Gauloise Brune 8.1% Dark ale. Bitterness: 32 EBU, colour : 70 EBC  
Saint Benoit Blonde 6.3% Blond ale. Bitterness: 22 EBU, colour : 10.5 EBC  
Saint Benoit Brune 6.5% Dark ale. Bitterness: 28 EBU, colour : 70 EBC  
Saint Benoit Triple 7.3% Tripel. Bitterness: 25 EBU, colour : 9 EBC  
Triple Moine 7.3% Tripel. Bitterness: 25 EBU, colour : 9 EBC  
Saison Regal 5.5% Bitterness: 30 EBU, colour : 30 EBC  
Deugniet 7.3% Strong golden ale. Bitterness: 25 EBU, colour : 9 EBC  
Regal Christmas 8.1% Dark ale. Bitterness: 32 EBU, colour : 70 EBC  

A well-distributed regional brewery from Wallonia. Their beers are very distinctive - there's a certain taste they all seem to have - which helps when spotting their many label beers. They've never been my favourites, but that's down to personal taste rather than any failings of the beers themselves.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that not all the beers listed above are really separate brews. There are (it seems) hundreds of contract-brewed versions of these beers.


Brouwerij Boon
Fonteinstraat 65,
1502 Lembeek
Tel: 02 - 356 6644
Fax: 02 - 356 3399
Email: info@boon.be
http://www.boon.be/

Founded: 1989
Annual production: 9,400 hl (2005)

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Oude Geuze Boon 6.5   Oude Geuze. Made the traditional way and matured in oak for two years  
Geuze Mariage Parfait: 8%   Gueuze.  
Faro Perte Totale 6%   Far.
50% old lambiek en 50% young lambiek with candy sugar and spices. Probably the only authentic Faro.		  
Kriek Boon: 4.5%   Kriek.. A mux of young and old lambic with 240 grams of cherries per litre. The sweetened version.  
Oude Kriek Boon: 6.5%   Oude Kriek. A mix of young and old lambic with 240 grams of cherries per litre. Unsweetened.  
Framboise Boon 5.2%   A mux of young and old lambic with 250 grams of raspberries per litre.  
Duivels Bier 8%   Dark ale. A mix of lambic and stanard top-fermenting beer. Originally brewed by Vandr Linden in Halle, just outside Brussels. The original was only 6%..  

You have to admire anyone who starts, as Fank Boon did, a new lambic brewery. It's not something you for money, but out of love. While his products may not be as sour as I would like, they are still traditionally made and characterful.


Brouwerij Bosteels
Kerkstraat 92,
9255 Buggenhout.
Tel: 052 - 332 283

Founded: 1791
Annual production: 23,000 hl

Beer alc Description
score (100)
Prosit Pils 4.8% Pils.
't Zelfde 6.1% Golden ale.
Tripel Karmeliet 8% Tripel.
Ginger, cloves, cinnamon and apricot aroma; sweetish taste with lemon, ginger and clove aromas; bitterish finish with ginger, clove and peach aromas.
A delicious, subtle beer, brewed from barley , wheat and oats (as was commonplace in the Low Countries in the Middle Ages). One of my favourite Belgian beers and one of the best new beers of the last 20 years.
Bottle-conditioned.
87
Pauwel Kwak 8% Amber ale.
Biscuit, hop, dates and alcohol aroma; sweet/bitterish taste; with honey, toffee, alcohol and raisin aromas; bitter/sweet finish with honey, liquorice and toffee aromas.
A beer that has improved markedly (or my tastebuds have) since my last tasting. Lots of malt flavours plus a decent dash of hops. Still not a patch on Tripel Karmeliet, mind.
61

A small independent brewery with one outstanding product.


Chimay
Route de Charlemagne 8,
6464 Baileux.
Tel: 060 - 210327
Fax: 060 - 213442
Email: info@chimay.be
http://www.chimay.be

Founded: 1862
Annual production: 105,000 hl (2001)

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Chimay Red 7%   Dubbel. Bottle-conditioned.
Mid-brown colour with a thin head; metal and grass aroma; sweet taste with plum, dates and caramel aromas; bitterish finish with cream and grass aromas.
Thin and bland. Has deteriorated considerably over the last 10 years.(Tasted 23.07.05) 		42
Tripel Chimay 8%   Tripel. Bottle-conditioned.
Pale amber colour with a dense head; basil and clove aroma; sweetish/bitter taste with biscuit, mint and apple aromas; bitter finish with basil, grass and resin aromas.
Reasonably bitter and much better than the Red. (Tasted 23.07.05)		 51
Chimay Blue 9%   Strong dark ale. Bottle-conditioned.  

Independent brewery. One of the genuine Trappist breweries. Have sadly ruined their beers through the use of conical fermenters and cheap ingredients.


Brouwerij De Keersmaeker
Lierput 1,
1730 Kobbegem.
Tel: 02 - 452 4747
Fax: 02 - 452 4310

Founded: 1720
Annual production: 75,000 hl

Beer alc Description
Mort Subite Fond Gueuze 4.5% Unfiltered geuze. Reasonably traditional.
Mort Subite Gueuze 4.5% Filtered geuze. Emasculated version.
Mort Subite Kriek 4.5% Cherry geuze.
Mort Subite Framboise 4.5% Raspberry geuze.
Mort Subite Cassis 4.5% Blackcurrant geuze.
Mort Subite Peche 4.5% Peach geuze.

An Alken-Maes subsidiary, bought in 1989.

Produces a small amount of real geuze, mostly, it seems, for the Mort Subite café in Brussels. A traditional Lambiek and Kriekenlambiek still survive on an unofficial basis, though the only place I've ever seen them is at the Opstal "Weekend der Spontane Gisting" festival. No doubt some pubs in the Payottenland still serve them, too.


Brouwerij De Koninck
Mechelsesteenweg 291,
B-2018 Antwerpen.
Tel: 03 - 218 4048
Fax: 03 - 230 8519
E-mail: info@DeKoninck.be
Homepage: http://www.dekoninck.com/

Founded: 1833
Annual production: 130,000 hl

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
De Koninck 5% 12º Pale ale. Filtered.
Smoke, perfume and tobacco aroma; bitterish taste with biscuit and wood aromas; bitter finish with tobacco, wood and herbal aromas.
A pleasant and drinkable beer, that still retains its hop character (unlike most of its rivals).		 46
De Koninck Blond 6% 14º Blond ale.
 
Winter Koninck 6.5% 14.7º Pale ale.  
Tripel 8% 18º Tripel.
Tobacco, wood and smoke aroma; sweet/bitter taste with hop, vanilla, honey and cherry aromas; very bitter finish with biscuit, hop, herbal and fruit aromas.
Has a nasty hop-extract smell, but pleasantly bittersweet on the tongue. Not a bad finish with bags of hops.		 60
Cuvee De Koninck 8% 18º Amber ale. First brewed when Antwerp was European Cultural Capital. No longer brewed.  

The pride of Antwerp and the last brewer to mass-produce a good pale ale in Belgium. It was for many years a one-product brewery, but has diversified a little in the last 10 years.

Another Belgian beer that is much easier to find in Holland than its home country. It's rarely makes an appearance on draught in Belgium outside Antwerp. It's distributed by Heineken in Holland and there have been rumours that they had bought a stake in De Koninck. Belgium's secretive company laws make this difficult to confirm.


Brouwerij De Gouden Boom
Langestraat 45,
8000 Brugge.
Tel: 050 - 330 699
Fax: 050 - 334 644
Email: info@degoudenboom.com
Homepage: http://www.proximedia.com/web/degoudenboom.html

Founded: 1889 ***** CLOSED *****
Annual production: 30,000 hl

Beer alc Description score (100)
Brugs Tarwebier 5% Witbier.
Wheat, butter and coriander aroma; sourish tastewith wheat, lemon and orange aromas; bitter orange finish with citrus and coriander.
Delilcious spiciness complimented by a refreshing citrus sourness. Very tasty.
79
Brugs Blond 6% Blond ale.
Steenbrugge Dubbel 6.5% Abbey dubbel.
Steenbrugge Tripel 8.5% Abbey tripel.
Brugge Tripel 9% Tripel. A big beefy beer with some charm, but little subtlety. Used to be called Brugse Tripel.

Known at 'T hammerken (The Little Hammer) until 1983, Gouden Boom is now a Palm subsidiary. It concentrates on the stronger beers of the groups range.


Brouwerij De Ryck
Kerkstraat 24,
9550 Herzele.
Tel: 053 - 622 302
Fax: 053 - 631 541

Founded: 1886
Annual production: 6,000 hl

Beer alc Description
De Ryck Special 4.2% Pale ale. Sadly, for such a sympatheic small brewery, a bit dull.
De Ryck Kriek 4.7% Cherry ale.
Rochus 4.7% Sour brown ale. OK.
De Ryck Christmas Pale Ale 4.7% Pale ale.

A tiny family-run brewery in East Flanders.


Brasserie Dupont
Rue Basse 5,
7904 Tourpes.
Tel. 069 671 066
Fax 069 671 045
contact@brasserie-dupont.com
http://www.brasserie-dupont.com/

Founded: 1920 (1759)
Annual production: 10,000 hl

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Biolégère 3.5%   Blond Ale.Organic. Unfiltered.  
Redor Pils 5%   Pils.  
Dupont Blanche Du Hainaut Biologique 5.5%   Witbier. Organic. Unfiltered.  
Saison Dupont Biologique 5.5%   Saison. Organic. Unfiltered.  
Saison Dupont 6.5%   Saison. Unfiltered.
Golden colour with a dense head; coriander, butter pepper, cloves and basil aromas; sweetish/bitter taste with butter, resin, pepper, wood and basil: very bitter finish with resin, butter, grass, wood and pepper.
A very complex beer, where spicy hop flavours dominate, but are never one-dimensional or dull. Quite buttery, which some may see as a fault. I think it's wonderful.
Tasted 07.02.2007.		 88
Moinette Biologique 7.5%   Amber abbey beer. Unfiltered.  
Cervesia 8%   Spiced pale ale. Unfiltered.  
Bière de Miel Biologique 8%   Honey beer. Unfiltered.  
Moinette 8.5%   Amber abbey beer. Unfiltered.  
Moinette Brune 8.5%   Dark abbey beer. Unfiltered.  
Bière de Beloeil 8.5%   Amber ale. Unfiltered.  
Avec les bons Voeux 9.5%   Unfiltered.  

Independent brewery.

The history of the Dupont is somewhat odd. It began in 1920 when Alfred Dupont bought his son Louis the Rimaux-Deridder brewery (founded in 1759) to dissuade him from emigrating to Canada. The brewery is still owned by Louis Dupont´s descendents.

Considering its fame, the brewery is still very small, producing not much more than 10,000 hl a year. About a third of this is exported. Saison Dupont is their flagship product and is generally reckoned to be the best beer in this elusive style. It has been around since 1844 and was originally brewed in the winter, matured in wooden barrels for several months then served to quench the thirst of agricultural labourers in the summer. As is appropriate for a harvest beer, it had a relatively modest alcohol content. With the disappearance of its original purpose, the beer has become progressively stronger.


Duvel Moortgat
Breendonkdorp 58,
2870 Puurs.
Tel.: 03 - 860 94 00
Fax: 03 - 886 46 22
Email: info@duvel.com
http://www.duvel.be

Founded: 1871
Annual production: 270,000 (2001)

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Vedett 5%   Pils.  
Bel Pils 5.1%   Pils.  
Maredsous Blonde 6%   Blond abbey beer. Unfiltered.  
Maredsous 8º 8%  

Abbey Dubbel. Unfiltered.
Dark brown colour with a tight cream head; roast, cream, malt, liquorice and apple aroma; sweet taste with liquorice, cream, dates and plum aromas; sweet/bitterish finish with liquorice, burnt, dates and honey aromas.
Sweet, but packed with flavour. A subtle burnt malt flavour in the finish is very pleasant, helping balance out the sweetness. (Tasted 18.07.2005)

75
Maredsous 10º 10%  

Abbey Tripel. Unfiltered.
Amber colour with a dense, lasting head; tobacco, coriander and pepper aromas; sweetish/bitter taste with orange, biscuit, pepper, peach and resin aromas; bitter finish with orange, pepper, tobacco and resin aromas.
A hoppy beer balanced by an underlying malt sweetness. Hides the alcohol well. (Tasted 18.07.2005)

 74
Duvel 8.5%   Strong golden ale. Unfiltered.
Pale yellow colour, dense head; tobacco, basil, cloves and lemon aromas; sweetish/bitter taste with grass, resin, chicory and fruit aromas; very bitter finish with grass, resin, chicory and wood aromas.
A beautifully hopped and decptively strong beer. Accounts for almost 75% of the brewery's output. (Tasted 20.07.05) 		78

Independent brewery.


Brouwerij van Eecke
8978 Douvieweg 2,
Poperinge-Watou.
Tel. 057 42 20 05
http://www.brouwerijvaneecke.tk/

Founded: 1865
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Watou's Wit Bier 5%   Witbier
Very pale yellow colour, cloudy with a fine-beaded white head; orange, citrus, wheat and coriander aroma; neutral taste with orange, coriander cloves and wheat aromas; spciy finish with orange, coriander and pepper aromas.
A little thin in the finish but it does have a tempting spicy aroma. A competent witbier.
Tasted 06.02.2007.		 62
Het Kapittel Pater 6%   Dark abbey beer.  
Het Kapittel Blond 6.5%   Blond abbey beer.  
Het Kapittel Dubbel 7.5%   Abbey Dubbel.  
Hommelbier 7.5%   Pale bitter beer.  
Het Kapittel Prior 9%   Dark abbey beer.  
Het Kapittel Abt 10%   Abbey Tripel.  

Independent brewery. The Brouwerij van Eecke has been owned by members of the van Eecke family since 1865 and is best known for its Het Kapittel range of abbey beers.


Brouwerij Haacht
Provinciesteenweg 28,
3190 Boortmeerbeek.
Tel: 016 - 601 501
Fax: 016 - 608 384
http://www.primus.be/

Founded: 1898
Annual production: 1,000,000 hl

Beer alc Description
Witbier Haecht 4.8% Witbier.
Eupener Pils   Pils. A brand taken over from what used to be the only brewery in the German-speaking part of Belgium.
Coq Hardi Pils   Pils brewed for the French market.
Primus 5% Pils
Adler 6.5% Pale lager.
Tongerlo Dubbel Bruin 6° 6% Abbey dubbel.
Tongerlo Dubbel Blond 6° 6% Blond ale.
Tongerlo Tripel Blond 8° 8% Abbey tripel.
Tongerlo Christmas 6.5% Blond ale. Seasonal - Christmas.
Keizer Karel    
Gildenbier 7% Dark ale.

A large regional brewery. It owns the Dutch Leeuw brewery, which gives its abbey ales a certain degree of distribution in Holland.


Brouwerij Hoegaarden
Stoopkensstraat 46,
3320 Hoegaarden.
Tel: 016 - 767 676
Fax: 016 - 767 691
http://www.interbrew.com/

Founded: 1966
Annual production:

Beer alc Description score (100)
Hoegaarden Witbier 4.9% Witbier. Ingredients include unmalted wheat, coriander and curacao peel. Bottle-conditioned.
Very pale, hazy yellow colour with a small head; Orange, basil and coriander aroma; neutral taste with butter, orange and coriander aromas: neutral finish with wheat, coriander and lemon aromas.
The original witbier and still good, even if it has lost all its sourness. (Tasted 19.07.05)
54
Hougaerdse Das 5% A cross between witbier and a pale ale. An unusual and reasonabley tasty beer. Bottle-conditioned.
61
Hoegaarden Speciale 5.2% Seasonal - Oct to Jan. Bottle-conditioned.
Leffe Tripel 8.1% Abbey tripel. Not to be confused with the other crappy beers with the Leffe brand. I'm pretty sure it's a slightly modified version of Hoegaarden Grand Cru. Very pleasant. Bottle-conditioned.
72
Hoegaarden Grand Cru 8.7% Blond spiced ale. A subtle and tasty beer brewed with coriander and curacao peel. Bottle-conditioned.
73
Hoegaarden Verboden Vrucht 8.8% Dark spiced ale. Also brewed with coriander and curacao peel. Bottle-conditioned.
66
Julius 8.5% Strong blond ale. Bottle-conditioned.Full yellow colour with a rocky head; coriander, hop and orange aromas; sweet/bitter taste with sugar, pepper and resin aromas; bitter finish with pepper and resin aromas.
A reasonable beer, only spoilt by an underlying sugary sweetness that doesn't really meld with the hops. Surprisinglt well-hopped. (Tasted 20.07.05)
48

An Inbev subsidiary.

Hoegaarden was founded by Pierre Celis to revive the local wheat beer style, which had become extinct through brewery closures in the 1960's. Celis had helped out in local breweries on an irregular basis. One difference in his beer was that it wasn't spontaneously fermented as the original had been.

The beer gradually gained popularity until a disastrous fire in 1985 put the brewery's future in doubt. With help from Interbrew, it was rebuilt, but at a cost. The brewery was eventually bought outright by Interbrew.

Since taking over, Interbrew have fiddled with the beers less than might have been feared. They''re easily the best of the multinational's Belgian efforts. If brewed by a small independent brewery, they would probably garner the praise they deserve. As mass-market beers go, they're up there with the very best. It doesn't stop the rest of Interbrew's Belgian beers being total crap, though.


Van Honsebrouck
Oostrozebekestraat 43,
8770 Ingelmunster.
Tel 051 - 335 160
Fax 051 - 313 839
Email:
Homepage:

Founded: 1900
Annual production: 80,000 hl

Beer alc Description score (100)
Bacchus 4.5% Oud bruin.
St Louis Gueuze Lambic 4.5% Gueuze.
St Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition Lambic 5% Gueuze. Unfiltered.
Brigand 9% Strong blond ale.
Pale amber colour, large rocky head; coriander, hop and dust aromas; sweet taste with boiled sweets, cream and biscuit aromas; bitterish finish with perfume, pepper and milk aromas.
There are a couple of odd flavours in there, but overall it isn't bad. (Tasted 20.07.05)
44
Kasteel Bruin 11% Strong brown ale. Filtered.
Liquorice, chicory, toffee and chocolate aroma; very sweet/bitterish taste with alcohol, raisin, apple, herbal and caramel aromas; bitter finish with liquorice, chicory, black toffee and hop aromas.
A massively alcoholic beer with little subtlety. At least a healthy dose of hops balances out the sweetness.
62
Kasteel Blond 11% Tripel. Bottle-conditioned.
Yellow colour, small-beaded head; pepper, grass, mint and piss aroma; sweet/bitter taste with grass, mint, alcohol and sugar aromas; bitter finish with alcohol, resin and sugar aromas.
An unsubtly alcoholic beer with suspiciously little yeast sediment. Though at least it is bitter. (Tasted 19.07.05)
51

An independent brewery that is quite commercial. There is a whole range of pseudo-lambic fruit beers..


Brasserie Jupiler
Rue du Vise 243,
4020 Jupille-sur-Meuse.
Tel: 04 - 262 7800

Founded:
Annual production: 2,200,000 hl

Beer alc Description score (100)
Piedboeuf Triple 3.8% Pale table beer.
Jupiler 5.2% Crappy pils.
Vegetable, raisin, grass and metal aroma; sweetish/bitterish taste with cardboard, celery and dust aromas; bitter finish with wood, grass and cardboard aromas.
A quite horrible beer with masses of bad or inappropriate flavours. On a basic level, it has too much sweetness for the style. Bad, cheap hop flavours and even some fruitiness can be found.
23

One of Interbrew's two main lager plants in Belgium. Jupiler is seen throughout Belgium and France. That doesn't make it any good, though.


Brouwerij Palm NV
Steenhuffeldorp 3,
B-1840 Steenhuffel.
Tel 052 - 309 481
Fax 052 - 304 167
Email: info@palm.be
Homepage: http://www.palm.be/

Founded: 1747
Annual production: 750,000 hl

Beer alc Description score (100)
Steendonk 4.5% Witbier.
A reasonable wheat beer in the Belgian style.
Bock Pils 5% Pils.
I've never had a Belgian bottom-fermenting beer I liked.
Speciale Palm 5.2% Pale ale.
Cardboard and dust aroma; sweetish taste with metal aroma; bitterish finish with cardboard aroma.
Insipid, characterless and quite nasty - it tastes like damp cardboard. Crap.
A decent beer until it was sweetened for the Dutch market. Now totally disgusting.
14
Ongefilterd Palm 5.2% Pale ale.
Much, much better than the standard beer. When it's served cask-conditioned, actually quite nice.
68
Dobbel Palm 5.5% Version of Palm brewed in the Winter. A bit stronger, but no better. Dubbel is a bit of an exaggeration.
Brugge Blond 6% Blond ale.
Steenbrugge Dubbel 6.5% Abbey dubbel.
Palm Royal 7% Blond ale. First brewed in 2003 to celebrate the 9oth anniversary of the brewery. Slightly better than standard Palm, but that's saying very little.  
Steenbrugge Tripel 8.5% Abbey tripel.
Brugge Tripel 9% Tripel. A big beefy beer with some charm, but little subtlety. Used to be called Brugse Tripel.

Independent brewery. Palm is widely sold in Interbrew cafés in Holland. The agreement was originally struck with Oranjeboom and when they were taken over by Interbrew there was pressure put on landlords to drop Palm. Interbrew later had a change of heart now seems to have accepted the presence of Palm in its Dutch pubs.

They, slightly irritatingly, still brand some of their beers "Brugge" despite having closed their brewery in Bruges, De Gouden Boom.

A recent innovation is an unfiltered version of Speciale Palm dispensed by handpump. It seems to be cropping up in Palm tied pubs.


Proef Brouwerij
Doornzelestraat 20,
9080 Lochristi-Hijfte.
Tel. 00/32/9.356.71.02
Fax 00/32/9.356.71.03
Email: info@proefbrouwerij.com

http://www.proefbrouwerij.com/

Founded: 1996
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Reinart Amber 7%   Amber Ale.  
Reinart Grand Cru 9%   Strong Brown Ale  
Reinart Tripel 9%   Tripel.  

Microbrewery. Literally called the "Test brewery", it concentrates on brewing beers to order for those without brewing kit of their own. They have clients across Belgium and Holland. The Reinaert range they market themselves.


Brouwerij Riva nv.
Wontergemstraat 42,
8720 Dentergem.
Tel: 051 - 633 681
Fax: 051 - 636 208

Founded: 1880
Annual production: 115,000 hl

Beer alc Description
Riva Pils 5% Pils.
Dentergems Biologisch Wit 5% Witbier. The second beer of this style to reappear, it's widely-available in Belgium.
St.Arnoldus Tripel 7.5% Abbey tripel.
Lucifer 8% Strong golden ale.
Vondel 8.5% Dark ale.

A medium-sized independent brewery that has a disturbing habit of buying and closing smaller breweries.


Brouwerij Rodenbach
Spanjestraat 133-141,
8800 Roeselare.
Tel: 051 - 223 400
Fax: 051 - 229 248
Homepage: http://www.rodenbach.be/

Founded: 1836
Annual production: 75,000 hl

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Rodenbach 5% Sour red ale.
Mid-brown colour with a thin head; peach, sour and apple aroma; sweetish/sourish taste with cherry and pear aromas; sourish/bitterish finish with pear, metallic and grape aromas.
Three parts young to one part old beer. It falls between two stools - not sour enough for acid fans, just sour enough to put off everyone else. (Tasted 20.07.2005) 		45
Rodenbach Foederbier 5% Sour ale.
An unfiltered version of uncut aged beer, without the caramel colouring. Served on handpump, it's only ever been spotted at a couple of outlets, notably the brewery's showcase, De Zalm in Roeselare (Grote Markt 24, 8800 Roeselare, Tel: 051-200081, Fax: 051-222574). Way superior to the standard version and worth seeking out.		 78
Rodenbach Grand Cru 6% Sour red ale. Made from 100% old beer. A wonderful beer if you like sourness, undrinkable if you don't. My only complaint is that it isn't bottle-conditioned.  

Owned by Palm. Rodenbach have to be admired for investing in a whole new bunch of oak maturing vats in the early 1990's. This is where they leave beer for two years to go sour. They're the only commercial brewer of the style to still stick to this traditional method 100%.

Sadly, soon after making the investment in exrtra capacity, the market for sour beers began to slide and the company got into financial difficulty. The result was a buyout by Palm, who promptly trimmed the product range by dropping Alexander.

I don't know if this is my memory playing tricks, but I'm sure that the standard Rodenbach has become less sour over the years. I suspect a change in the proportions of old and new beer which are blended to produce it. A couple of outlets offer uncut old beer served by handpump.


Brouwerij St.Bernard
Trappistenweg 23,
8978 Watou
Tel: 057 - 388 021
Fax: 057 - 388 071
Email: info@sintbernardus.be
http://www.sintbernardus.be

Founded:
Annual production: 11,000 hl (2004)

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
St Bernardus Witbier 5.5%   Witbier. Bottle-conditioned. Developed in association with Pierre Celis.  
Grottenbier 6.5%   Dark Ale. Bottle-conditioned. Developed in association with Pierre Celis.  
Watou Tripel 7.5%   Tripel. Bottle-conditioned.  
St Bernardus Pater 6 6.7%   Abbey Dubbel. Bottle-conditioned.
Mid-brown colour with a dense head; plum, cream, spice and chocolate aroma; sweet/bitter taste with black chocolate, pepper, toffee, roast and fruit aromas; bitter finish with black chocolate, burnt, liquorice, toffee and chicory aromas.
Now Westvleteren Red has gone, this will have to do. A beer packed with flavour and character. It drinks like a beer 2 or 3% stronger. Has some very pleasant dark malt flavours. (Tasted 26.07.05)		 82
St Bernardus Prior 8 8%   Dark Ale. Bottle-conditioned.
Dark brown colour with a dense head; pepper, plum, spice and caramel aromas; sweetish/bitter taste with liquorice, dates, alcohol, cherry, pepper and caramel aromas; bitter finish with liquorice, roast, toffee, chocolate and chicory aromas.
A wonderfully complex ale. Amongst the very best Belgian beers. (Tasted 26.07.05)
 85
St Bernardus Tripel 8%   Tripel. Bottle-conditioned.
Dark yellow colour with a fine head; yeast, biscuit, coriander, grass and vanilla aroma; sweetish/bitter taste with cream, caramel, pepper, chicory and raisin aromas; very bitter finish with chicory, herbal, pepper and cream aromas.
A tripel with a pleasingly high level of bitterness. (Tasted 31.07.05)		 81
St Bernardus Abt 12 10.5%   Dark Ale. Bottle-conditioned.
Dark brown with a fine, tan head; sweet/bitter taste with chicory, toffee, chocolate, cream, dates and blackcurranr aromas; bitter finish with espresso, burnt, toffee, liquorice and chicory aromas.
A deliciously rich and complex beer.
(Tasted 31.07.05) 		85

Independent brewery. The St Bernardus Pater 6, 8 and 12 started life as commercial versions of the Westvleteren beers, brewed under licence.


Brouwerij Slaghmuylder
Denderhoutembaan 2,
9400 Ninove.
Tel: 054 - 331 831
Fax: 054 - 338 445
e-mail: info@witkap.be
http://www.witkap.be/

Founded: 1860
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Slag Lager Bier 5%   Pils.  
Helles Lager Bier 5%   Pale Lager.  
Slaghmuylder Greut Lawauitj 5.5%   Amber Ale  
Witkap Pater Stimulo 6%   Pale abbey beer.  
Witkap Pater Dubbele Pater 7%   Abbey Dubbel. Unfiltered.  
Witkap Pater Tripel 7.5%   Abbey Tripel. Unfiltered.
Pale yellow colour with a dense head; tobacco, orange, ginger and basil aroma; sweetish/bitterish taste with orange, citrus, resin and tobacco aromas; bitter finish with resin, tobacco, apple and mint aromas.
Very spicily hoppy in aroma and quite bitter in the mouth. Quite interesting.
Tasted 06.02.2007.		 71
Slaghmuylder’s Paasbier 5.2%   Pale lager. Seasonal - Easter.  
Slaghmuylder’s Kerstbier 5.5%   Pale lager. Seasonal - Christmasr.  

Independent brewery.

Emmanuel Slaghmuylder founded the brewery in 1860 and it is still owned by his direct descendents. After building a new brewhouse in 1925, his sons began brewing bottom-fermenting beer and in 1926 introduced the wonderfully-named Slag Pils. Production of Witkap Pater was moved to Ninove in 1979 after a request from the brewery "De Drie Linden" in Brasschaat. Slaghmuylder introduced three variants: Witkap Pater Stimulo, Witkap Pater Dubbele Pater and Witkap Pater Tripel. Unlike many other small Belgian breweries, Slaghmuylder continues to brew both top- and bottom-fermenting beers and has built separate fermenting rooms for them.


Brasserie Union
Rue Dembèque 7
6040 Jumet.
Tel: 071 - 350 133
Fax: 071 - 340 222

Founded: 1864
Annual production: 222,000 hl

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Grimbergen Dubbel 6.5% Abbey dubbel. Filtered.
Mid-brown colour with a rocky head; cream aroma; sweet taste with caramel, celery and cardboard aromas, bitterish finish with cardboard and milk aromas.
Crap. Manages to be even worse than the Blond. Does anyone actually enjoy this rubbish? (Tasted 19.07.05)		 14
Grimbergen Blond 6.7% Abbey blond. All the beers in this style are crap. Filtered.
Full yellow colour with a fine head; mint and tobacco aromas; sweetish taste with cardboard and celery aromas; bitterish finish with cardboard aroma.
Absolutely disgusting. The aroma is OK, but the stale flavours take over as soon as it hits the mouth. (Tasted 19.07.05)		 16
Cuvee L'Hermitage 7.5% Dark abbey ale.  
Grimbergen Tripel 9% Abbey tripel. Bottle-conditioned.
Full yellow colour with a thick head; sherbert, caramel and coriander aroma; sweet/bitterish taste with dust , cardboard and honey aromas; bitter finish with grass, cardboard and caramel aromas.
Almost totally disgusting. The bottle-conditioning gives it a slight edge on the other Grimbergen beers, but it's still no pleasure to drink. (Tasted 19.07.05) 		27
Grimbergen Optimo Bruno 10% Barley wine. Not bad - way the best Grimbergen beer.  
Ciney Blond 7% Abbey blond. All the beers in this style are crap. Filtered.
Yellow colour, small head; lemon and coriander aroma; very sweet taste with dust, sugar and vegetable aromas; bitter finish with vegetable and resin aromas.
A pretty terrible beer full of strange vegetable and cardboard flavours. But an improvement on the Grimbergen Blond.(Tasted 20.07.05)		 28
Ciney Bruin 7% Abbey dubbel. Crap.  
Ciney Speciale 8.5% Bottle-conditioned. Dark abbey ale.  
Zulte 4.7% Oud bruin. Pretty poor example of a sour brown beer.  
Brugs 4.8% Witbier.  
Watneys Scotch 8% Scotch ale. Better than the Watneys name suggests, but not much.  
Judas 8.5% Strong golden ale. Drinkable.  

The ale brewery of Alken-Maes (owner Scottish Courage). It brews beers from several breweries closed by the group.

With the possible exception of Grimbergen Optimo Bruno I wouldn't cross the street to drink any of their beers. I would jump into the canal to avoid some of the range. It makes you realise that Interbrew, Belgium's other big brewer, could be much, much worse.


Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Lindenlaan 25,
9940 Ertvelde.
Tel. 09 - 344 5071
Fax. 09 - 344.54.20
Email: info@vansteenberge.com
http://www.vansteenberge.com/

Founded: 1784
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Sparta Pils 5% 12º Pils. Unpasteurised.  
Bruegel 5% 12º Amber ale. Unfiltered.  
Celis White 5% 12º Witbier. Unfiltered. A beer formulated by Pierre Celis, founder of Hoegaarden.  
Leute Bokbier 7.5% 16º Dark Bock. Top-fermented. Unfiltered.  
Bornem Dubbel 8% 16º Abbey dubbel. Unfiltered.  
Augustijn 8% 16º Abbey tripel. Unfiltered.  
Bornem Tripel/Augustijn Grand Cru 9% 18.5º Abbey tripel. Unfiltered.
Very pale yellow colour with a rocky head; basil, cinnamon, tobacco and lemon; sweetish/bitterish taste with lemon, honey and basil aromas; bitterish finish with wood, tobacco and honey aromas.
Has a good spicy aroma, but a little thin in the mouth. Hoppy without much trace of malt. (Tasted 21.07.2005) 		61
Piraat 9% 9% 18.5º Strong golden ale. Unfiltered.  
Piraat 10.5% 10.5% 23° Strong golden ale. Unfiltered.  
Gulden Draak     Strong dark ale. Bottle-conditioned.
Dark brown colour, tight, lasting head; herbal, cream, mint and toffee aromas; sweet/bitterish taste with dates, toffee, honey, cream and herbal aromas; bitterish finish with toffee, liquorice, pepper and cream aromas.
A big bruiser of a beer that's quite likely to fell you with a single blow. (Tasted 21.07.2005) 		65

Contract-brewed beers:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Corsendonk Pater 7.5%   Abbey dubbel. Unfiltered.  
Gentse Tripel 8%   Abbey tripel. Unfiltered.  
Blondine 9%   Strong golden ale. Unfiltered.  
Brunette 9%   Strong dark ale. Unfiltered.  

They also brew the Urthel brands for Brouwerij Leyreth.

Independent brewery.


't Pakhuis
Vlaamse Kaai 76,
2000 Antwerpen.
Tel: 03 - 238 1240,
Fax: 03 - 238 6814,
Homepage: http://www.huisbrouwerijpakhuis.be

Founded: 1996
Annual production: 1,200 hl

Beer alc Description
Antwerps Blond 5.1% Unfiltered witbier. Lemony and bland.
Antwerps Bruin 5.5% Brown ale. Bit of fruit, bit of sweetness, but pretty bland. Filtered.
Nen Bangelijke 9.5% Filtered tripel. Has a reasonable grain and hop aroma, but is too sweet in taste and very thin in its finish. It has a slight homebrew character.

One of Belgium's few homebrew pubs. I can't say that their beers impressed me very much. I can't see the point in filtered beers in a brewpub.


Brouwerij Der Trappisten van Westmalle
Antwerpsesteenweg 496,
B-2390 Westmalle.
Tel: 03 312 92 22
Fax: 03 312 92 28
Email: info@trappistwestmalle.be
http://www.trappistwestmalle.be

Founded:
Annual production: 120,000 hl

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Westmalle Extra     The beer for internal use in the monastery. Only brewed twice a year. It occasionally escapes to beer festivals. Bottle-conditioned.  
Westmalle Dubbel 7%   Dubbel. Bottle-conditioned.
Mid-brown colour with a dense tan head; cream, pepper and biscuit aroma; sweetish/bitterish taste with cream, plum, chocolate, pepper and toffee aromas; bitter finish with plum, roasted, chicory and cream aromas.
A mahogany ale with a touch of sweetness and a good dose of malt bitterness. Much less sweet than most beers in the style. (Tasted 24.07.2005)
73
Westmalle Tripel 9.5%   Tripel. Bottle-conditioned.
Full yellow colour with a dense head; tobacco, grass, lemon and pepper aroma; sweetish/bitter taste with pepper, grass, cream, biscuit and dates aromas; bitter finish with chicory, pepper, raisin and grass aromas.
A surprisingly hoppy, golden-coloured beer. Has become considerably paler over the last 10 years, but is still a cracking beer. (Tasted 22.07.2005) 		80

One of Belgium's genuine Trappist breweries. It has the highest output but (unlike Chimay) hasn't dumbed-down its beers in the slightest.

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