Ale vs Lager: The Only Distinction That Divides All Beer
Every beer ever brewed falls into one of two families, and almost nobody can say what separates them. It is not colour, it is not strength, it is…
Category: Belgian Beer
Belgian beer styles, breweries and glassware, explained from the beer list Meyboom Brasserie poured.
Why Beer Has a Head, and What Yours Is Telling You
The head on a beer is the most-looked-at and least-understood thing in the glass. It is not decoration, it is not a sign the bartender short-poured you, and…
What Hops Actually Do in Beer (Three Jobs, Not One)
Most people know hops make beer bitter. Fewer know that bitterness is the least interesting of the three things hops do, or that the same plant which makes…
Flanders and Wallonia: Belgium Brews Two Different Ways
A Belgian beer list looks like one tradition. It is at least two. The country is split down the middle by language, and the beers on either side…
Which Beers Are Actually Worth Cellaring?
Cellaring beer has acquired a mystique it does not entirely deserve. The great majority of beer is at its best the week it is packaged and gets worse…
Why Beer Skunks, and Why the Bottle Is Usually Green
Almost everything people believe about skunked beer is wrong. It is not caused by warmth, it is not caused by the beer being old, and it has nothing…
Draught vs Bottled Beer: Which Is Actually Better?
Ask the internet whether draught beats bottled and you will get a confident yes. Look at who is answering and a pattern appears: keg manufacturers, draught-system installers, and…
The Meyboom: Brussels Has Planted a Tree Over a Beer Tax Since 1308
Brussels has a great many festivals, and one of them is a city carrying a tree through its own streets against a deadline. It happens on the same…
What Is a Beer Flight? How to Order One and Actually Taste It
A flight is the cheapest way to find out what you like. It is also the most commonly wasted thing on a bar menu, because most people order…
Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel: What the Names Actually Mean
Three words do most of the work on a Belgian beer list, and all three look like they mean something arithmetical. Double the strength, triple the strength, quadruple…