Tasting With the help of

BELGIAN BEERS
A beer lovers’ manual
 This manual came about with the help of our friend and brewer
Dany De Smet.

Dany is a graduated beer expert from Gijzenzele now residing

in Melle, Belgium. He graduated in 1992 from the University
of Ghent with a “brewing technology” degree and a thesis on
‘fluorescence microscopy of yeast cultures’.

After his studies Dany has worked several years with brewery
Huyghe in Melle as a quality manager. Between 1995 and 1999,
Dany joined the University of Ghent were he trained students
and amateur brewers. Dany taught theoretical courses in
‘Brewery Technology’ and ‘Quality’ and gave practical lab
trainings.

Since 1999 Dany created various beer recipes in conjunction

with Proef Brewery in Lochristi, Belgium. The
project goes under the name of “Slaapmutske” (http://www.
slaapmutske.be). The “Slaapmutske” range have won
several awards in various countries over the years.
Dany is a passionate beer sommelier for Belgibeer as well as a
beer architect to many other brewers and beer lovers.

2
 Pouring the beer.

TIP
It is very important to choose the
right glass for the beer you are going to taste.
If possible, always use the specially designed
glassware for the beer you intend to drink.
If you don’t have a specific glass, the following rule
shall apply: the stronger the alcohol content, the
rounder the glass (i.e. similar to a wine glass).
Beer glassware should never be washed with
chemical detergents as those may
influence the taste. Always rinse the
glass with clear water and dry it
with a clearcotton towel.

If you are pouring the beer yourself bit of beer left in the bottle.
from a bottle, gently run it down
the side of the glass. Judge your Take a moment to look at the colour
pour speed based on the head that and brightness of the beer, then
is forming. Aim to have about a two swirl the remaining liquid to lift the
finger head when you’re done. yeast sediment and pour it into your
glass.
Some beers contain visible yeast
at the bottom of the bottle that is Check again colour before drinking
meant to be drunk with the beer. If and note any differences from
this is the case, stop the pour with a before.

3
 Appearance.

Note whether the head is dense or thin. Heads

are sometimes described as rocky if they are
especially dense with dips and peaks forming
as some of the bubbles pop.

The color of the head is also worth noting and

can range from pure white on Pilsners to light or
medium brown on some stouts and porters.

Examine the appearance of the beer itself. Hold

the glass up to the light and note the color and
whether it is cloudy or clear. A good all-malt
(blond) beer should, on average, retain half of its
head for a minute leave “Brussels” lace on the side
of the glass as the foamy head falls.
TIP
A good looking (and tasty) beer
will have the bubbles equal in size,
creamy and leave a thick almost
sticky foam to the clean
beer glass.

4
 Aroma.

A beer’s aroma is a very complex and interesting aspect to

discover! The aroma is determined by the choice of malts
and/or sugars and/or herbs used during the brew as well
as the variety of hops, the aromatic components that
come from the yeast and the fermentation process.

When tasting a beer note whether it smells primarily of

hops or malts. Generally speaking light colored beers
will smell more of hops while darker beers tend to have
pronounced malt, roasted, chocolate or coffee aroma.

Many ales have a hard to pin down spiciness or fruitiness

from their yeasts. Take your time with the aroma. Try to
take three good sniffs before your first sip. If you’re taking
notes, stop to write your impressions before the first sip
distracts you. Be careful to take your time with each sniff
as your perception of smell is dulled the more sniffs you
odor. Scent also helps deepen the taste and flavor of a beer:
NEVER drink beer straight from the bottle pour traditional
Belgian beer in your specifically designed “Belgibeer” glass
or the brewery’s glassware.

5
 First sip.

TIP
When taking your first sip, try to note the initial sensation To really experience the
as the beer enters your mouth. Think about whether it is mouthfeel you have to swirl the beer
sweet, bitter or something else. Beer, especially ale, can be around in your mouth. Experience the
very complex. There can be quite a difference between the tinseling of the carbon dioxide (foam).
first taste and the finish. That is why the first sip is always Is the beer dry and bitter or thick
accomplished without swirling the beer in your mouth. Just and malt sweet?
take the sip and experience what happens in your mouth.
Does is taste hoppy, sweet, malty, spicy..?

Mouthfeel.
TIP

If you’d like to discover hop aromatic

components intensively, you should know that This is the texture of the beer or how it physically feels
aromatic hop components chemically concentrate in in your mouth. Beer ranges from silky dry stouts, to
the beer’s head. So to detect such components you first have thick and chewy Scotch ales to thin and fizzy Berliner
to swirl the beer to create some foam, then intensely observe weisses. This is an important characteristic of a beer.
and smell its aroma. Depending on the variety of hops used,
you can discover aromas ranging from flowery to spicy or citric!

To observe the aromatic components of the yeast and

fermentation process, you may smell the beer while you
gently swirl the beer. The beer can be smelled
without the foam to discover the fruitiness
or spiciness of its body.

6
 TIP
Finish.
Do not taste new beers with food or
soon after eating. The lingering flavors from
food can greatly affect your impression of
the brew.
Note the lingering flavors after you swallow the drink. Often
it can be bitter from the hops or a lingering malty sweetness. Cleanse your palate with water. Crackers or cheese
Always very interesting to try to follow the evolution of the with our celery salt sprinkled over it are great but
aroma and the taste while you are drinking the beer. Aromatic you should remember that even these foods can
components are usually volatile. The way you experience a affect the apparent flavors of the beer.
beer can and will change while your beer warms up and while
in contact with the open air. This is a real discovery for the If you’re tasting a number of different
experienced beer taster! beers, let the color be your guide.
It is best to taste from
light to dark.

7
 A typical Belgian beer.

Foam
• Beautiful creamy and stable foam (1 to 2 fingers).
• Stable little bubbles.

Body
• Hazy body: unfiltered and unpasteurized beer
• Alcohol percentage of at least 8%
• Perfect balance between hops, yeast and malt
• Multiple fermentation, the last of which is bottlefermented.
• Sediment at the bottom of the glass due to yeast
(you can drink: it’s very healthy!)
• Ideal temperature to savour all the beer flavours:
between 6°C and 8°C

Glass
• Tulip glass: A tulip glass not only helps trap the aroma, but also
aids in maintaining large heads, creating a visual and olfactory
sensation.

8
 Craft

• Expensive

• Artisanal production

• Large selection of beers, developing different styles often according to season

• Consumer focused on savouring beer: quality

• Complex, for which you have to develop a taste

• High quality ingredients

• Keeping the natural colour, body and flavour of beer: unfiltered and unpasteurized

• Variety based on seasonality of hops and yeast

• Focus on the product

• The emphasis is put on beer itself

• Marketing based on providing a greater diversity of beer styles

• Promotes local economies

9
 Industrial

• Cheap

• Mass production

• Small selection of mediocre and tasteless beers

• Consumer focused on mass consumption: quantity

• Easy to drink

• Low/average ingredients: artificial yeast, preservatives, corn used instead of malt, colorants, ...

• As bland a taste and appearance as possible: filtered and pasteurized beers

• Uniform taste throughout the year

• Focus on the brand

• Beer is seen as a cheap accessory: for camping, while watching soccer or football

• Huge marketing campaigns, sometimes targeting children for future consumption

• Protectionism and market saturation in the Food and Beverage industry

10
 History of Belgian beer.

C
C

C
1 4 th

1 6 th
1 5 th

1 7 th
1364

1559
1516
In Halle, in Flemish Brabant, a city
account from 1559 refers to a mash for
brewing “lambiek” beer.
In 1364, Emperor Charles IV enacted the “Novus Modus
From the 17th century onwards, regional
Fermentandi Cerevisiam” decree, seeking to improve
beers were created such as the Antwerp
the quality of beer with his ’new’ brewing method that
“gerstenbier” (barley beer), “Leuvense
required brewers to use hops.
witte” (Leuven white beer),

In Germany, the “Reinheitsgebot” (1516) stated

that beer could be brewed exclusively from
barley, hops and water

11
 C
C

C
h
1 8 th

1 9 th

2 1 th
20 t
1839
1783

Since the turn of the century the

interest in authentic speciality
beers has continued to grow and
The end of the 18th century marked the the Belgian beer industry now
The First World War was the final blow for
end of the abbeys’ privileges, when, in includes some of the best known
several Belgian breweries when the German
1783, Emperor Joseph II dissolved the and popular brands. In addition,
occupying forces seized the copper vats,
abbeys because they infringed upon Trappist beers are becoming
equipment and their vehicles. Only half of
the breweries, and several abbeys and increasingly exclusive because of
the nearly 3,200 breweries survived. Then the
their breweries were destroyed during the limited quantities produced by
breweries, which slowly picked up where they
the French Revolution. the monasteries, and also popular
left off, were dealt a new, heavy blow during
are the distinctive specialty
the economic crisis of the 1930s and by the
beers of local and family-owned
effects of Second World War. In 1946 only 775
The 19th century marked a new chapter breweries. This trend first became
breweries remained.
in beer history with the breakthrough of apparent for lambic beers, but is
the Czech pilsner (1839) - it was an instant now spreading to include Flemish
Inspired by the Flower Power movement of
success in the world of cloudy, dark (regional) red-brown beers, brown beers, and
the late 1960s, Belgian speciality beers were
beers. During the Industrial Revolution strong blonde, well-hopped beer.
rediscovered and, in 1977, the British beer
scientists gained a better insight into the guru Michael Jackson (1942-2007) finally put
brewing process and yeast culture in general. Belgian beer culture in the spotlight.

12
 Belgian Beer Styles

1. Bottom fermented beer

Bottom-fermented beers are the most widely distributed. ‘Bottom- Witbier (White beer or wheat beer) is usually an unfiltered,
fermented’ refers to lower temperatures (between 5° and 10 °C / 41° cloudy beer of which the mash contains 30 to 50% of wheat.
and 50°F) at which fermentation takes place and the type of yeast, Usually coriander and orange peel are added for a crisp,
which sinks to the bottom of the tank after several days. refreshing taste. This old beer type was rediscovered and
brewed again in 1966 by Pierre Celis. (e.g. Hoegaarden,
PILS: a golden, clear beer with a softly bitter taste. Often Vedett White, Mater, …).
used as thirst quencher because of its fresh hoppyness and
low alcohol (e.g. Stella Artois, Primus, Romy, Bavik, Vedett, Blonde beers (5,5 - 7,5 vol.%) usually have a moderate
…). alcohol content and are slightly malty to slightly sweet with
a bitter aftertaste. (e.g. Straffe Hendrik, Sezoens, …).

2. Top fermented beer Strong blonde beers (7 - 11 vol.%) are different from triple
beers because of their rich head and slightly bitter taste (e.g.
op fermenting yeast is typically used for most specialty beers. The Duvel, Hapkin, Omer, Gentse Strop, etc.).
fermentation takes place at higher temperatures (between 15° and
25 °C / 59° and 77 °F) and towards the end of the process, the yeast
cells float on the surface. The yeast culture used will add a slightly Amber Beers are brewed with a mixture of pale and amber
fruity and/or spicy touch. malts. (e.g. Ramée Amber, Gouden Carolus Ambrio, …).

Dubbel (double) is often, but not always, a relatively strong

dark beer. This name is often used when referring to abbey Brown or dark beers (4 - 7 vol.%), refers to darker, slightly
or trappist beers. sweet beers with a flavour of liquorice, candy, raisin and
sometimes a slightly burnt finish (e.g. Witkap Pater, Pater
Triple (7 - 9 vol.%) is often a relatively strong, golden beer Lieven Bruin, etc.). They are brewed with a mixture of pale,
with a malty to slightly sweet taste, sometimes with spices amber and dark malts.
(e.g. Westmalle, Karmeliet, Brugse Tripel, etc.).

13
 Strong, dark beers (8 - 13 vol.%) are a group of dark beers Stout originates from the U.K. or Ireland and is typically
with a high alcohol content. Usually these beers have a a dark beer with a slightly burnt/roasted flavour. A stout
sweet to slightly burnt flavour (e.g. Gouden Carolus Classic, can be sweet (milk stout, e.g. Pony Stout) or bitter (e.g.
Kasteelbier Bruin, etc.) Troubadour Imperial Stout, Hercule). Originally “stout” was
the strongest beer of the brewery and could therefore be
Barley wine (9,5 vol.% and more) is a strong, alcoholic either blonde or dark.
variety of blonde, amber or dark beer. (e.g. Piraat, Gulden
Draak, …) Scotch is a beer style related to stout, characterized by a
touch of caramel. (e.g. Scotch Silly, McChouffe, … )
Spéciale Belge (4,8 - 5,5 vol.%) is an authentic, Belgian beer
style that was created in 1905 as a response to the German Saison originates from the province of Hainaut and is
pilsner beers and English imported beers that were so typically pale to amber in colour, with a relatively low ABV
successful at the time. Spéciale belge are amber-colored (5 – 6,5 vol.%) and usually thirst quenching and quite hoppy
beers with a distinctive, malty flavour (e.g. a bolleke De or spicy. However, saison is not an official beer style and can
Koninck, Palm, Special De Ryck, Tonneke, etc.). differ from these characteristics. Originally saison was a
farmhouse ale brewed in the winter months in the French-
Bière brut (11 - 11,5 vol.%) is a strong beer that is aged like a speaking part of Belgium to be drunk by the farm workers in
champagne. The 75-cl bottles are regularly rotated a quarter summer. (e.g. Saison Dupont, Saison 1900, … )
turn and slightly tilted until all the yeast collects in the neck
of the bottle. The yeast is then frozen and removed, and the India Pale Ale (IPA) originates from the British ‘stock
bottle is topped up again. The result is a very sparkling beer bitter’ which was more intensely hopped to ensure a longer
(e.g. Deus, Malheur Brut, etc.), blonde or dark. preservation. When its popularity in the Indian colonies
increased, this beer type also became known as India
Fruit beer (2,5 - 6 vol.%) are beers flavoured with fruit, fruit Pale Ale. (e.g. Viven Imperial IPA, Troubadour Magma,
juice or fruit extract. Traditionally sour cherries are steeped Hopverdomme, …).
in young beer for a few months. Fruit beers can be sweet
(e.g. Mystic Lemon, Wittekerke Rosé, Liefmans Cuvée Brut,
etc.), or sour when based on lambic beer (see ‘Oude Kriek’).

14
 3. Spontaneous Fermentation Beer Faro is a sweetened low-alcohol beer made from a
blend of lambic and a much lighter, freshly brewed
In spontaneous fermentation the brewer does not inoculate beer to which brown sugar (or sometimes caramel or
the hopped, lambic wort with a yeast culture. Instead, molasses) was added. The use of the lighter beer (or
the hopped wort is exposed to the cool outside air, which even water) and of substandard lambic in the blend
results in spontaneous fermentation. Although these beers made this a cheap, light, sweet beer for everyday use.
can theoretically be brewed anywhere, the most suitable The sugar was originally added shortly before serving,
microflora are found in the air to the south west of Brussels, and therefore did not add carbonation or alcohol to
in the region known as the ‘Zennevallei’ and ‘Pajottenland’. the beverage and gave it a sweet taste.

Lambiek (Lambic, 5 - 6 vol.%) is a flat, sour wheat beer Oude Kriek is the most traditional fruit beer and is
which fermented with airborne yeast and aged on brewed using 100% lambic as a base. Cherries are
wooden barrels. Traditionally, young and old lambic macerated in lambic to obtain this beer (e.g. Mort
are blended with each other and then re-fermented in Subite, Boon, Lindemans, Timmermans, De Troch,
the bottle to obtain a sparkling geuze beer. Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, De Cam, etc.). The name is
protected by on a European level, like Oude Geuze.
Oude Geuze (5 - 7 vol.%) is a blend of spontaneously
fermented lambic beers of different ages, the oldest
being at least 3 years old and the average at least 1 year 4. Beers of mixed fermentation
old, and refermented in the bottle. Only this type of
beer can be called “oude geuze”, this being protected as Various yeast cultures are used for beers of mixed
“guaranteed traditional specialty” on a European level. fermentation. Usually the parent brew is a top-fermenting
beer and a part of this is stored in oak barrels for one and a
Geuze is usually a more commercial variant, either not half years or longer. A lactic acid fermentation process takes
consisting of a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year old lambic, or place during this time and this beer is then mixed with young,
being a blend of spontaneously fermented beer with a high fermentation beer.
top-fermented beer. The adjective “oud” or “oude” may
not be used in this case.

15
 Versnijbier (Blended beer, 6 - 8 vol.%) is brewed 5. Belgian Trappist & Abbey beer
by blending old and young beer or mixing beers
of spontaneous fermentation with high and low These are not really Belgian beer styles as such, but more
fermentation beers (e.g. Petrus Aged Pale, Cuvée collective denominators for beers having a link to a religious
Watou, Vicaris Tripel Geuze, etc.). The most traditional order and complying with some defined conditions. The
type of this blended beer is the so-called ‘oud bruin’. beers might be of every beer style you could imagine,
however most of them decline in 3 versions, a blond, a dark
Vlaams Bruin (Flemish brown, 4,5 – 8 vol.%) is (double) and a triple.
associated with the region around Oudenaarde. These
are beers with a deliberate lactic acid infection and Trappist (www.trappist.be) is the name of the Order
often slightly sweetish. They are obtained by mixing of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, also known
young beer and “old” beer aged on metal tanks or as the Trappist Order. The order takes its name from
wooden barrels. La Trappe Abbey, located in the French province of
Normandy. It is a Roman Catholic religious order of
Vlaams Roodbruin (Flemish red-brown beer, 5 - 6,5 cloistered contemplative monastics who strictly follow
vol.%) is brewed with reddish barley malts and is the Rule of St. Benedict. Many of the rules have been
associated with southern West Flanders. They are relaxed since they were written in the 6th century.
obtained by mixing young beer and “old” beer aged However, a fundamental tenet, that monasteries
on wooden barrels. The beers tend to be spicy instead should be self-supporting, is still maintained by these
of bitter and have a distinctive, crisp, slightly citrussy groups. Following this rule, most Trappist monasteries
note (e.g. Rodenbach, Duchesse de Bourgogne, Vander produce a wide range of goods that are sold to provide
Ghinste Oud Bruin, etc.). income for the monastery. They are probably most
famous for their beers, which are unique within the
‘Oud Bruin’ (Flemish Sour Ale) is a collective noun for beer world.
Flemish Brown and Flemish red-brown beers.

16
 There are eleven Trappist breweries in the world an important part of the specificity of the Belgian beer
from which six in Belgium: Westmalle, Westvleteren, culture.
Achel, Chimay, Orval and Rochefort. Their beers are
easy to recognize thanks to the hexagonal logo of an Abbey beer is also a collective denominator (so
Authentic Trappist Product (www.trappist.be), which not a specific beer type) for beers where the brand
means that the beer was brewed within or in the close name refers to an existing or dissolved Norbertine or
vicinity of the walls of a Trappist monastery under Benedictine abbey. The beer doesn’t have to be brewed
supervision of the trappist monks. in or in the neighborhood of the abbey but there has
to be a demonstrable, historical connection with the
The brewery must be of secondary importance within abbey site the beer refers to. Further on the brewery
the monastery and there should be no intention has to pay royalties to the abbey and the abbey may
to make profit. Margins are in this philosophy less also check the marketing strategy and publicity
important and the trappist monks have less pressure material.
to reduce costs. They have no problem to use the best,
more expensive ingredients, guarantee for a product In order to guarantee the name is not misused for
of top quality. The main goal is to cover the expenses marketing purposes, the breweries and religious
of the trappist monks, and what remains should orders have created an authenticity logo, which reads
be donated to charity. Drinking a Trappist beer is Erkend Belgisch Abdijbier (Recognised Belgian Abbey
therefore always a bit charity (beside the pleasure it Beer, see www.belgianbrewers.be). In order to use
offers). the logo the beers have to comply with a minimum
of conditions. It’s a Belgian label and only applies to
The Trappist association has a legal standing, and Belgian beer.
its logo gives the consumer some information and
guarantees about the product. The name does not Good to know is that every Trappist beer also is an
infer anything about the beer type. Abbey beer as the conditions to wear the Authentic
Trappist Product logo are stricter than the ones for an
The high concentration of Trappist beers in Belgium is Abbey beer. The other way on isn’t through as Abbey

17 Abbey Notre-Dame d’Orval

 beers do not have to be brewed close to an active Actually the term ‘single’ is in disuse but some
monastery. Even though drinking an Abbey beer is breweries use the term ‘extra’ instead to denominate
also bit of a good action as the royalties paid by the their light, thirst quenching beer. In addition a couple
brewery go to cultural and/or charitable activities. of brewers also launched some ‘quadruples’, with even
more alcohol.
Double and Triple are terms that originate from a
custom in the Middle Ages. The normal (ordinary) Nowadays we usually associate a dubbel with a dark
beer was named ‘single’ and was drunk by the ordinary beer and a tripel with a blonde beer, but this isn’t a
laborers and monks. This beer was good enough must. Most brewers do follow this ‘color code’ but a few
for them, but people with more esteem and money ones do not care. Similar a quadruple beer is usually a
wanted a better product. To fulfil the desire of those dark beer.
rich customers the brewers made heavier beer (using
more malt).

Transporters and bar owners were often not able to

read in that period. The brewer therefor marked his
barrels with (chalk) crosses. One cross on ordinary
barrels, two on barrels with heavier beer (dubbel beer)
and three on the heaviest stuff (tripel beer).

The terms single, dubbel (double) and tripel (triple)

have nothing to do with the yeasting or maturation
process of the beer, as often is presumed. It refers to
the amount of raw materials (malts and cereals) used.
The more material, the heavier the beer. A double is
heavier than a single but it hasn’t to be twice as heavy
neither that twice the quantity of raw material is used.

18 © Sint-Sixtus Abbey Westvleteren

 Main ingredients of Belgian Beer

The water that is used for beer, has to comply with many requirements. Barley is the seed of the barley plant, it is a grain that is similar to
As the water must be pure, it is often purified, cooked and controlled wheat in appearance. It is harvested mostly in the United States
in the brewery itself. Special mineral waters are often used . Major and in Europe. Specific types of barley are used in the production of
international brewers produce beer at multiple locations, resulting in different types of beers, each strain imparts a unique characteristic
the use of different water sources. taste and body that is suited for different beers.

The lager sold under the same name can thus vary by country. In order Malted barley is barley that has been allowed to germinate (sprout)
to be able to guarantee quality consistency, demineralised water is to a degree and is then dried. This is accomplished industrially by
first produced with most brewing of any water. Then minerals are increasing the water content of the seed to 40-45% by soaking it for
added, resulting in the availability of reproducible brewing water is a period close to 40 hours. The seed is then drained and held at a
available . constant temperature (60 F / 15.5 °C) for close to 5 days until it starts
to sprout.

19
 Hops (Humulus lupulus) are a natural preservative and part of the early Yeast are single-celled microorganisms that reproduce by budding.
use of hops in beer was to preserve it. Hops were added directly to the They are biologically classified as fungi and are responsible for
cask after fermentation to keep it fresh while it was transported. This converting fermentable sugars into alcohol and other byproducts.
is how one particular style of beer, India Pale Ale, was developed. At
the turn of the 18th century, British brewers began shipping strong There are literally hundreds of varieties and strains of yeast. In
ale with lots of hops added to the barrels to preserve it over the the past, there were two types of beer yeast: ale yeast (the “top-
several month voyage to India. fermenting” type, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and lager yeast (the
“bottom-fermenting” type, Saccharomyces uvarum, formerly
The bitterness contributed by hops balances the sweetness of the known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis). Today, as a result of recent
malt sugars and provides a refreshing finish. The main bittering agent reclassification of Saccharomyces species, both ale and lager yeast
is the alpha acid resin which is insoluble in water until isomerized by strains are considered to be members of S. cerevisiae.
boiling.

20
 Notes

................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................

21
 ................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................

22
BELGIBEER.COM