Why Is Belgian Beer So Strong?
Order a pilsner almost anywhere and you are drinking something around 5%. Order a Belgian ale and you may be handed 9% in a glass the same size,…
Category: Belgian Beer
Belgian beer styles, breweries and glassware, explained from the beer list Meyboom Brasserie poured.
What Is a Cicerone? The Beer World’s Sommelier
If a menu tells you the beer and cheese pairing was put together by the in-house Cicerone, that is a specific claim rather than a flourish. It is…
Belgian Golden Strong Ale: The Style That Hides Its Strength
Every other strong beer announces itself. A quadrupel is dark and syrupy, a barleywine is thick, an imperial stout is opaque. Belgian golden strong ale looks like a…
What Is Witbier? Belgian White Beer Explained
Witbier is the Belgian beer that people drink without knowing they are drinking a Belgian beer. It is pale, cloudy, gently spiced and very easy — which is…
What Is a Lambic? Kriek, Framboise and Belgian Sour Beer
Most Belgian beer is sour because someone made a decision. Lambic is sour because of where it was left overnight. The short answer A lambic is a Belgian…
ABV and IBU: What the Numbers on a Beer List Actually Mean
Good beer lists print two numbers next to every beer, and most drinkers only reliably understand one of them. ABV is straightforward. IBU is the one that quietly…
How to Pair Belgian Beer With Cheese
Beer and cheese is an easier pairing than wine and cheese, and most people have it the wrong way round. Wine and cheese is the famous combination; beer…
Why Belgian Beer Comes in Its Own Glass
Order a beer in Belgium and it arrives in a glass made for that beer and no other — the right shape, the right size, the brewery’s name…
Belgian Beer Styles Explained: Single, Dubbel, Tripel and Quadrupel
Belgian beer names look like a numbering system, and people reasonably assume dubbel means twice the alcohol of a single and tripel means three times. It does not…
Trappist vs Abbey Beer: What Actually Separates Them
Two beers sit side by side on the same list. Both are dark, strong and Belgian. Both have a monastery on the label. One is a Trappist beer…