One of our favourite beers - Belgian Beer

Today in Belgium there are 125 breweries which are now producing around 500 different types of Belgian Beer. The actual making of beer in this European country dates back to the Middle Ages when it was first being produced in monasteries and today remains the country with the most varieties of beer that one can drink.

The alcohol content of these particular beers is considerably higher than some of the other varieties available in Europe and in some cases it reaches a level of between 6 and 8 percent. Breweries were forced into making higher alcohol content beers because a law was passed stating that spirits (which beer was classed as) could not be drunk in public houses. However, although this law stood for many years it was finally rescinded back in 1983.

As previously mentioned Belgium now produces around 500 different types of Belgian beer and they fall into one of several different categories. Below we take a look at just what these different categories of beer are.

Trappist Beer - Only beer that is brewed in one of 6 monasteries in Belgium can be classified as being this type of beer. The whole process of brewing the beer should have either been overseen or carried out by the Trappist monks who reside at the monastery where beer is produced. Each bottle of beer that is brewed comes with a label on it clearly indicating that it is the genuine Trappist product and that monastery has complied with rules decreed by the International Trappist Association.

Lambic Beer - Is a very unique beer to Belgium and wild yeasts grown in abundance near Brussels are used in its fermentation process. The actual time that it takes for this beer to ferment is considerably longer than many others. Some forms of this beer the fermentation process lasts between 3 and 6 months and others it as long as 2 to 3 years.

Because of the fermentation process used which is quite unusual the flavor of the beer is very distinctive. It is dry, cider and vinous and will have an aftertaste that some people dislike because it is sour.

Fruit Beer - These are made using fresh fruit or fruit concentrate which has been added to Lambic beer. Kriek is one of the most well known of these types of Belgian beers and contains cherries, but other varieties have in them fruits such as peaches, blackcurrants and raspberries. What is strange about this particular beer is that when the fruit is added a second fermentation process takes place in it.

White Beers - These Belgian beers are very popular in Belgium and the main ingredients used in them are wheat hops and spices along with orange peel and coriander. But there are many different varieties of this beer, each with their own distinctive flavor which comes from the various different brewing methods and ingredients used by the breweries in its manufacture.