Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. There are approximately 180 breweries in the country, ranging from international giants to microbreweries.
On average, Belgians drink 84 litres of beer each year, down from around 200 each year in 1900. Most beers are bought or served in bottles, rather than cans, and almost every style of beer has its own particular, uniquely shaped glass or other drinking-vessel. Using the correct glass is considered to improve its flavor.
Brewing in Belgium dates back at least to the age of the first crusades in the 12th century. Under the Catholic church's permission, local French and Flemish abbeys brewed and distributed beer as a fund raising method. The relatively low-alcohol beer of that time was preferred as a sanitary option to available drinking water. What are now traditional, artisanal brewing methods evolved, under abbey supervision, in the next seven centuries. The Trappist monasteries that now brew beer in Belgium were occupied in the late 18th century primarily by monks fleeing the French Revolution. However, the first Trappist brewery in Belgium (Westmalle) did not start operation until 10 December 1836, almost fifty years after the Revolution. That beer was exclusively for the monks and is described as "dark and sweet." The first recorded sale of beer (a brown beer) was on 1 June 1861.
By Bob Farrell & Eddie DeGarmo
I walk along this winding road
Too many voices tell me which way to go
Sometimes this heart gets so confused
I need you Lord to show me
Which path to choose
And I'm longing for that place way up high
Where God's air is sweet and I touch the sky
Way up here I can see the far horizon
All the world before my eyes is clear to see
Way up here where my Father always meets me
On this mountain where he heals me I can rest
Way up here
Rising above this life we know
Leaving the streams of sorrow far down below
I feel the touch of God's loving hand
Restoring me in ways I can't understand
If I fall away his love reaches me
And he brings me back
To the edge of my dreams
Way up here I can see the far horizon
All the world before my eyes is clear to see
Way up here where my Father always meets me
On this mountain where he heals me I can rest
Way up here
No matter where we travel, no need to fear the shadows
My God is there
His light is there to follow
Back to the quiet waters
I know he cares
Way up here I can see the far horizon
All the world before my eyes is clear to see
Way up here where my Father always meets me
On this mountain where he heals me I can rest
Way up here
(chorus repeated)