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Column: Belgian beer heaven

If the French think that life is “something that happens between meals,” then the Belgians believe that “beers are the essence of life itself.

If the French think that life is “something that happens between meals,” then the Belgians believe that “beers are the essence of life itself.” To learn more about this attitude so prevalent in Belgium, last month I decided to immerse myself in the land of a thousand brews.

My wife and I spent a week in Brussels, Bruges,and Antwerp, savouring the mussels and frites, chocolate, and the wide variety of beers.

My first Belgian beer was one that I enjoy at home a Leffe blonde (“pronounced “Leff-ay” or “Leff” but not “Leff-ee”). It’s an abbey beer first brewed in the Belgian village of Dinant in 1240 by a French order of monks who had expertise in winemaking. Although grapes don’t do well in cool Belgium, barley thrives and thus a brewing tradition was born.

The monks must have thought beer was heavenly. They were not allowed to eat during the daytime throughout the 40 days of Lent, but they could drink. And because the water supply was usually infected with harmful bacteria, beer was a superb safe alternative to water. 

The Leffe (6.5 per cent) is golden in colour, with a spicy aroma, a medium malty flavour, and a hint of bitter orange in the finish. Wonderful with a bowl of Moules in a sidewalk café in Brussels’ historic old town. 

Another type of Leffe is the tripel. Unlike the blonde, the tripel undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle due to the presence of yeast. The result, a robust beer full of character yet refined. It has a higher alcohol level of 8.5 per cent, which contributes to its bigger personality.

I enjoyed the tripel’s golden hazy colour, with aromas of cloves and orange marmalade, toffee, malt and flavours to match with a velvety body and dry lingering finish. 

Perhaps the most unique Belgian beer is the lambic. No yeast is added but wild yeasts that exist only around Brussels fall from the air during the brewing process causing spontaneous fermentation. 

I discovered a delicious lambic, the Bourgogne des Flandres in a Brussels restaurant. It is actually a blend of two different beers. The lambic is brewed in Brussels and aged in wooden casks for two to three years. As a result of the wild yeasts, lambics have a distinctive sour taste.

But this is only half of the story. The Bourgogne is also a young red ale, a regional specialty of Bruges, It’s velvety smooth with a burnt aroma, known as the Burgundy of Belgium. The clear wine-like colour is the result of a special type of barley plus the tannins and caramels extracted from the Polish casks that ale is matured in.

When the ale and the lambic are blended together, you get a complex beer with a sweet and sour flavour, low alcohol (five per cent) and a rich creamy finish.

I savoured the Bourgogne des Flandres with a stew of rabbit cooked in Kriek, the sweet cherry fruit beer. The red ale lambic fusion’s sourness balanced the sweetness of the Kriek.

Although Leffe blonde is available at BC Liquor Stores, you can find many Belgian brews in the numerous private liquor shops in Richmond and Vancouver.

Eric Hanson enjoys his wine and beer, wherever he is in the world.

Ehanson0705@gmail.com