Brussels, Belgium (Gastrosofie). A cold beer on hot days, for many men and women this is the best thing to do in Belgium. Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to amber ales, lambic beers, Flemish red ales, sour brown ales, strong ales and stouts.
A hundred years ago there were over 3,000 breweries in Belgium, but many were made by larger breweries swallowed. Now there were approximately 300 active breweries in Belgium. They still manage to produce 1.8 billion liters of beer and more than 1,000 different brand names and trade marks every year (60% of which are exported).
It continues with interesting facts in Wikipedia style: „The Belgians drink 74 liters of beer per capita, a fairly moderate number compared to the Czechs (who lead the statistics with 132 liters per capita), the Irish, Germans, Australians and Austrians …“
The Trappist beer (like Oval, Chimay, Westmalle) that would move gourmets to tears of joy is cited and it is noted that these beers … would still be used under the strict supervision of Cistercian monasteries, even if nowadays by lay workers. Trappist beer is brewed by Trappist monks.
Wheat beers, which are often served with a lemon wedge, are mentioned as the wine-like beer with the name lambic and varieties such as kriek (rounded off with cherries) famboise (raspberries) and faro (caramel and sugar). And that the geuze is a mature form of the lambic is also mentioned.
Cheers to Trappist beer!
