In a recent column, I reported on the amazing variety of Belgian Beers I discovered during six days in Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp. I used to think that Belgium, home of the EU and Brussels sprouts would be one of the last European destinations I’d visit. Was I ever mistaken!
The history, the cuisine, the chocolate and the friendliness of the locals are worth a trip. But if you enjoy diversity in brews, then you need to put Belgium at the top of your bucket list.
Previously I described three delicious Belgian beers, a blonde abbey beer, a tripel abbey beer, and a lambic-red ale blend.
This week, here’s two more brews, all imported from Belgium and readily available here.
First up, a very popular Belgian beer, Hoegaarden (WHO-garden, $13.99 for six). It's a white ale (witbier to the Flemish and biere blanche to the Walloons) because of its light hazy appearance. Unlike most beers, it is unfiltered and this adds more vitamin B to your diet and some baked bread aromas and flavours to the beer.
It’s known also known as a wheat beer because it is brewed with unmalted wheat as well as the traditional malted barley.
Hoegaarden resurrected this style of beer in the 1960s. Named after the small Belgian town of Hoegaarden, it’s located in an area that grows a lot of wheat so it was natural to add wheat to the beer recipe. There’s also coriander and curacao orange peels in the brew. This hails back to the times when spices and exotic fruit traded from their Dutch neighbours were more plentiful than hops.
Light in colour and alcohol (4.9 per cent), Hoegaarden is a tart, fruity ale which is refreshing with a citrus and banana flavour and a slightly sweet orange finish.
Hoegarden is often drunk as an aperitif, sometimes with a lemon to enhance its tartness. Great with salmon cakes and other seafood, it's also is popular in cooking (think mussels) because it is aromatic and fruity without any hoppy bitterness.
Next up, a devil of a beer, the Duvel (DOO-vill, $4.29) made by Moortgat. Originally this was made as a scotch ale, a style popular in Belgium after World War One. Fifty years ago the brewery created a golden version that was as tempting as the devil (duvel in Flemish).
Part of the secret to its success is its 90 days of brewing, including a second fermentation in the bottle and lots of aging in the cellars. Duvel enjoys a thick white head and its bouquet has honey, hops, and citrus. With its high alcohol content of 8.5 per cent, Duvel has a strong body and with the high carbonation, it has a smooth mouthful with flavours of malt, and bitter hops.
This golden ale should be served cold and because of high alcohol content, it’s best enjoyed as a drink on its own. Of course if you were hungry, a bowl of mussels or an eel dish would be delicious with this benchmark of golden ales.
Ehanson0705@gmail.com
Eric Hanson is a retired Richmond teacher and a keen beer and wine educator.
