Beer Drinking in Belgium
Belgium has quite a reputation for some of the best breweries in the world, and on average Belgians drink 84 liters of beer every year, and this has come down from 200 each year in 1900.
Beer drinking is quite a big deal in Belgium and every style of beer has its unique style of glass or drinking vessel, as many beer drinkers believe it increases the taste of the beer if they drink it in the recommended vessel or glass.
History of Beer in Belgium
Believe it or not, beer drinking in Belgium dates back to the Crusades in 1100 and interestingly this was way before Belgium was given the title of an independent country. Abbeys were given permission to brew and distribute beer for raising money to get by, as there was no proper funding for them (this still remains a problem). The beer at the time was much lighter because of the low alcoholic content, and the general perception of drinking has entirely transformed since that time – not only for people in Belgium, but perhaps people in the entire Western world. At the time, the light beer was considered to be a better option than drinking the unsanitary water available.
As a result of the French Revolution, many monks escaped and occupied the monasteries that now brew Trappist Beer. Perhaps that introduction of Trappist Beer was too subtle here, considering the brilliance and skills involved in brewing such beers, let's compensate for that by elaborating on Trappist Beers
What are Trappist Beers?
For a beer to qualify into this elite category the brewery has to be a monastery and the beer needs to be brewed by the monks of that monastery. Another defining feature of Trappist beers is that they are not sold for profit, but are only used support the monastery or invest in its charitable programs.
There are a limited number of Trappist Breweries in the world, because of the high pre-requisites. However, most of them (6) are in Belgium. They include Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren.
These beers are known as some of the best beers in the world, in fact; Westvleteren beer has quite an international reputation. To give the readers an idea of how highly the beer community thinks of this beer, let us tell you that the Westvleteren 12 has been consistently rated as the best beer in the world. Beer aficionados would literally be ecstatic if they got a crate of the Westvleteren 12. There is a huge problem with the availability of Trappist beers as they are only produced in limited amounts, and Westvleteren beer is perhaps the most difficult beer in the world to get your hands on.
Festivals
Beer drinking in Belgium is such a big thing that they have some of the biggest beer festivals in the world including the BAB-bierfestival in Bruges, The Belgian Beer Weekend held in Brussels, the Beer Passion Weekend held in Antewarp in July and many others.
Beer drinking is quite a big deal in Belgium and every style of beer has its unique style of glass or drinking vessel, as many beer drinkers believe it increases the taste of the beer if they drink it in the recommended vessel or glass.
History of Beer in Belgium
Believe it or not, beer drinking in Belgium dates back to the Crusades in 1100 and interestingly this was way before Belgium was given the title of an independent country. Abbeys were given permission to brew and distribute beer for raising money to get by, as there was no proper funding for them (this still remains a problem). The beer at the time was much lighter because of the low alcoholic content, and the general perception of drinking has entirely transformed since that time – not only for people in Belgium, but perhaps people in the entire Western world. At the time, the light beer was considered to be a better option than drinking the unsanitary water available.
As a result of the French Revolution, many monks escaped and occupied the monasteries that now brew Trappist Beer. Perhaps that introduction of Trappist Beer was too subtle here, considering the brilliance and skills involved in brewing such beers, let's compensate for that by elaborating on Trappist Beers
What are Trappist Beers?
For a beer to qualify into this elite category the brewery has to be a monastery and the beer needs to be brewed by the monks of that monastery. Another defining feature of Trappist beers is that they are not sold for profit, but are only used support the monastery or invest in its charitable programs.
There are a limited number of Trappist Breweries in the world, because of the high pre-requisites. However, most of them (6) are in Belgium. They include Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren.
These beers are known as some of the best beers in the world, in fact; Westvleteren beer has quite an international reputation. To give the readers an idea of how highly the beer community thinks of this beer, let us tell you that the Westvleteren 12 has been consistently rated as the best beer in the world. Beer aficionados would literally be ecstatic if they got a crate of the Westvleteren 12. There is a huge problem with the availability of Trappist beers as they are only produced in limited amounts, and Westvleteren beer is perhaps the most difficult beer in the world to get your hands on.
Festivals
Beer drinking in Belgium is such a big thing that they have some of the biggest beer festivals in the world including the BAB-bierfestival in Bruges, The Belgian Beer Weekend held in Brussels, the Beer Passion Weekend held in Antewarp in July and many others.
