Your Favourite Belgian Brew

[Busboy]

My favourites are Tripel Karmeliet and Leffe Blonde. Drinking the Karmeliet was a revelation.

 

[kook]

3 only?

Pannepot - Brilliant brew. Hard to find, but you can get it in Bruges at t'Bruges Beertje or from the brewery in Woesten Vleteren. It was hard to choose this over Westlveletern Abt 12, but I personally prefer it. Either of the brews are world class dark strong belgian ales though.

Drie Fontaine Schaerbeekse Kriek - My favourite Kriek, once again hard to find. If you cant get hold of this, their standard kriek is brilliant too.

Belle-vue Selection Lambic - Very hard to find now, though I suspect Kulminator still has some. Brilliant Gueuze.

 

[warrenlw63]

I have no firm favourite but these I've always found good;

Cantillon Rose De Gambrinus
Rodenbach (all their beers)
Affligem Tripel (neck and neck with Westmalle)
Brugse Tripel
Kasteel Bier
Liefmans Frambozenbier
Saison Dupont
Straffe Hendrick (All their beers) :beerbang:
Westvleteren 12
Probably all the Trappist beers save for bloody horrid Orval

There's probably a lot more but there's some memorable ones.

Warren -

 

[mhan7073]

I was playing cards online with a belgian and I asked him his favourite beer, he said St. Idesbald Triple. I can't seem to get it here, so that might be worth a shot.

If you're in an area that was involved in the great war they generally take pretty kindly to Australians. I remember going into a chocolate shop at Ypres and being given some mega pack of chocolate because they asked If I was Australian. It can be kinda weird when you see Australian flags in shop windows for no particular reason ...

Michael

 

[neonmeate]

I will stick up for Orval. In fact it's pretty much my favourite beer, if such a thing existed . the beer has everything: clean malt, big spicy hoppiness, fruitiness AND funk. all in perfect balance. and the most amazing head of any beer ever - all lumpy and silky.

otherwise if youre in belgium here's 3 i'd go for that you can't get here:

De Dolle Dulle Tieve (amazing tripel - the gran riserva aged in calvados casks is great too)
a hardcore gueuze such as Girardin, Hanssens or Drie Fonteinen
and....um....
I really like Westvleteren blond as well as the big fat dark ones - it's a real zippy hoppy peppery dry blond, like everything that tooth-rotting Leffe Blond isn't.

so when is somebody opening a belgian micro importing business here?

 

[Curry]

Hey Guys,

I have done another update on the list.

Not as many Lambics as I thought there might be and its good to finally see a Kriek on the list (thanks kook).

Obviously the Trappist Rochefort 10 & Chimay Grande reserve (Blue) are the standouts amongst this learned group.

Cheers

Curry

 

[neonmeate]

may I also say with all respect to my learned colleagues that i think Chimay blue is dirty brown dishwater. thin, one-dimensional, bland, trading on packaging, monastic sentimantality and past glories.
completely crapped all over by abbaye des rocs, gouden carolus, st bernardus 8 to name just three dark 9%ers you can get in this country, iMO of course!

 

[hefevice]

Jeez...that's a tough ask!

In no particular order the favourites of those I have tried so far are:

Oerbier (De Dolle)
Goulden Carolus (Het Anker)
Tripel Karmeliet (Bosteels)

But you can get most of them here (albeit in varying condition), so if you are visiting, focus on the stuff you can't get here. Just try anything you see that is of interest - it is relatively inexpensive and it is very rare that you will be disappointed.

Have a great trip,

Cheers
Geoff

 

[Ash in Perth]

Ordinary Goulden Carolus can be found easy enough in Perth. The 'Cuvee Van De Keizer' is not as common and i rate it up with rochefort 10 and even westvlet 12(seriously try and find this one).

 

[Jazman]

Duvel,,,,,,,,,rochefort 10,karmelite ,chimays blue,white just a few stil got lot more to try

 

[PMyers]

Even I had to log in for this one...

Rochefort 10. Definately.
Delirium Tremens.
One that you didn't mention, that I believe tops all others on the list; La Devine. My GOD I wish I had been successful in culturing that yeast.

You also, absolutely MUST, try an old (five years cask-conditioned) straight, unblended lambic. Even if it takes you ages to find a place that sells it, and costs you your first born child. I think the Belgians call it "vieu" lambic, or something similar.

Cheers,
Pete
:chug:

 

[Curry]

Hey Pete,

Thanks for the heads up on the cask-conditioned, you have now given me a mission.

Cheers

Curry

P.S. Orginal post updated again

 

[jimmy01]

Tried a Gouden Carolus and a Guden Drak the other night.
Both very tasty brews, though the Drak at 10% is a special occassion beer only.

As a staple can't go past Hoegarden

Dave

 

[PMyers]

Thanks for the heads up on the cask-conditioned, you have now given me a mission.

After brief consultation with texts at home, it is actually called "vieux" - with an "x"... not that that makes any real difference. Oh, and it is cask conditioned for three years and bottle conditioned for one.

By the way, I tapped my first lambic effort the other day. It had been conditioning in stainless for about 2 years. In retrospect I really should have added an oak stave or two to the vessel, but otherwise BLOODY BRILLIANT :beerbang:

I seperated it into 25 litres for Kriek, 12 litres for Cassis and 12 litres of unblended lambic. Obviously it is the unblended that I am sampling now, and I couldn't be happier.

Cheers,
Pete
:chug:

 

[big d]

Mmmm a few more to look out for next month when i visit the International beer shop in Perth.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Cheers
Big D

 

[dreamboat]

Rochefort 10
Rodenbach Grand Cru


Not sure after that... would love to try a westy, but hard to put it on the list until I have.
The rodenbach grand cru is brilliant, nothing like any other beer I have tried. Full of such weird flavours that meld into something outstanding, challenging but very drinkable. Go out and get one!



Rob

 

[mikem108]

1. Chimay Cinq Cent
2. Grottenbier
3. Popperings Hommel bier
4. Duvel

 

[sjc]

Hi MikeM
I see you list Grottenbier as one of your favourite belgian beers. I recently tried this one and also decided to try cultivating the yeast. I had almost given up on it and then one morning I see the telltale signs that there is life down there!

As one of your favourites, do you have any ideas as to its probable composition, as I may as well put the yeast to use now.
Cheers
Stephen.

 

[brewwizard]

Hi MikeM
I see you list Grottenbier as one of your favourite belgian beers. I recently tried this one and also decided to try cultivating the yeast. I had almost given up on it and then one morning I see the telltale signs that there is life down there!

As one of your favourites, do you have any ideas as to its probable composition, as I may as well put the yeast to use now.
Cheers
Stephen.

I am sorry to say, BUT, most bottle conditioned Belgian beers do not have the same yeast in the bottle as they use in the brewing process. Because they cold lager they normally use a lager yeast. Therefore you won't copy the beer. You should check first, but I don't know how you will find out.
Good luck
brewwizard :chug:

 

[sjc]

Hi Brewizard
I'm aware that they may be the case in some instances, but I've successfully cultured yeasts out of a number of belgian beers, including Chimay, Orval, Hoegarden Wit, Hoegarden Grand Cru and most recently Grottenbier and to date all of the beers I've made with them have very similar flavour profiles to the original beer and were not at all lager like. And they didn't just taste like lagers fermented at the wrong temperature.

I'd certainly be interested to hear the views of others who have tried reculturing yeasts from bottle conditioned beers.

Regards
Stephen.