Beer in Belgium (trip report)

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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cool trip report. sorry for a slight hijack, but I was wondering if you guys could give some beer recommendations for a guy that doesn't really like beer. I haven't tried much but for some reason don't really like the taste; would like to give it more tries. I've tried bud/heineken/fat tire and though I could tell fat tire was way better, the taste still didn't appeal to me. But I would like to like beer. Suggestions?

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the first 'good' beer I remember liking was Pete's Summer Ale. it was really crisp and refreshing. it depends what tastes you exactly don't like - if you hate bitterness, then stay away from IPA's. my advice would be to try a few different styles and see what you like

a stout (Guinness), a Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada), an IPA (Dogfish 90 minute), and English Ale (Bass), and maybe a couple Belgian styles like a Saison (Saison Dupont or the excellent American Saison Hennepin) and a Belgian Ale (Chimay, or an American take on it, Ommegang).

both Hennepin and Ommegang are brewed in NY by Brewery Ommegang. They do various Belgian styles there, and the Quadruple they make is very good as well. I buy a lot of these beers, as for $5 or $6 per 750 ml they provide much better value than an $8 or $9 Duvel/Chimay. I really recommend them. other American breweries like Stone Brewing, Dogfish, and Russian River Brewing Company also make great Belgian style beers.

in fact, the brewer at Cantillon told me the brewmaster from Russian River (Vinnie) has come out to visit him 5 or 6 times, and even made a Lambic. they are a big fan of Russian River over there. hooray for American beer!

[GeraldGiraffe]

Westmalle is awesome. I think I prefer the dubbel to the tripel, though both are great.

I've only had Rochefort a few times, and I can't remember which number I tried. It was, however, super.

When I'm at Uni I spend most of my time in a little European bar that stocks all of this stuff. Did you manage to find Palm anywhere? I've been told by various sources that it's Belgium's equivalent to, say, Carlsberg, but given that it's Belgium this makes it around 1000 times better than any branded beer available in the UK/US. I've also been told that it's not Belgium's equivalent to Carlsberg, so whatever. It is very good though.

Chimay? I assume that's widely available in the US now, actually. Certainly is in the UK. The tripel is excellent.

[WhoIam]

KB4Z, I'm going to have to disagree with you about the Ommegang Belgian-style beers. They're certainly decent beers, but I wouldn't consider them in the same league as the real thing. I would suggest paying the extra couple bucks. It's times like this I realize how lucky I am to prefer good beer to good wine and good bourbon to good scotch.

If you have a weird family like mine that doesn't drink much , Belgian beers are a great way to get a good buzz without your family thinking you're a total degen.

[nolanfan34]

Excellent report. Thanks for sharing the pics, and making me lust for alcohol at 8:45 in the morning.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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KB4Z, I'm going to have to disagree with you about the Ommegang Belgian-style beers. They're certainly decent beers, but I wouldn't consider them in the same league as the real thing. I would suggest paying the extra couple bucks

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hmm well I guess it depends on what you're comparing. I think this weekend I will do a side by side, say

Chimay Blue vs. Ommegang

Duvel vs Allagash Grand Cru

Saison Dupont vs Hennepin

I think those are fair comparisons of widely exported Belgian beers vs their Northeastern US brewed equivalents.

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It's times like this I realize how lucky I am to prefer good beer to good wine and good bourbon to good scotch.

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absolutely, world class beer comes comparatively cheap

[JPinAZ]

It's Ebay & all, but six packs of Westvleteren 12 seem to go for around $60-70. Shipping is another $40 or so.

[cbloom]

A lot of the Unibroue "fake belgians" are really great (made by crazy Québécois)

I'm a big fan of "Brother David's Dubbel" which is made by Anderson Valley Brewing in CA.

[jws43yale]

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A lot of the Unibroue "fake belgians" are really great (made by crazy Québécois)

I'm a big fan of "Brother David's Dubbel" which is made by Anderson Valley Brewing in CA.

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I love Unibroue as well. Probably my favorite beers I can always get ahold of. They are all really flavorful and complex. I am going to be in London this summer and now I want to go to Belgium.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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A lot of the Unibroue "fake belgians" are really great (made by crazy Québécois)

I'm a big fan of "Brother David's Dubbel" which is made by Anderson Valley Brewing in CA.

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I love Unibroue as well. Probably my favorite beers I can always get ahold of. They are all really flavorful and complex. I am going to be in London this summer and now I want to go to Belgium.

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it's a really easy trip from London - Brussels, just a few hours on the train.

[Aloysius]

KBZ - great trip report. Very informative. You should get your title changed to "Beer Connoisseur" or something.

JaBlue - actually a beer KBZ rec'd to me once, one that is widely available and a good intro to Belgian beer is Delirium Tremens. They serve it at a decent amount of bars I go to, and it's at my local liquor store. Very tasty.

-Al