FOR a small country, Belgium is famous for quite a few things – chocolate, putting mayonnaise of chips and 19th century colonialism (to be fair, it was all the rage at the time).
But it is very easy to make the case that the nation’s greatest gift to the world has been its beer. Centuries of tradition, honed both inside and outside of various religious establishments, have helped put Belgium on the map as one of the world’s best beer producers.
However, even with this well-established reverence, there are some newer Belgian brewers taking things in all sorts of new and exciting directions. I’ve always been one for innovation and change and have enjoyed some great beers from the likes of Siphon and Brouwerij Anders!.
Sometimes, however, it’s good wrap yourself in the warm cloak of tradition too, which is what I have been doing this past week. Getting your hands on good Belgian beers in these parts is a lot easier than it used to be. The Vineyard on Belfast’s Ormeau Road and, closer to my own particular home, the Drink Link in Newry, have great and growing selections of Belgian beer.
As with many of the best offerings from Belgium, two of my favourites hail from monastic settings. First up was St Bernardus Abt 12. This is an abbey ale which can be best referred to as a ‘quad’. It’s strong beer at 10 per cent, so more one to sipped and savoured than guzzled.
It’s pours a rich dark brown colour, which appears almost black in the glass with a generous ivory head. There are aromas of dried fruits and the first sip floods the palate with fruity flavours, like raisin, a hint of fig, along with an almost molasses-style sweetness. There’s not an overly bitter finish to it and the sweetness helps to hide the strength, which is a feature of many Belgian strong ales.
Definitely a beer which needs to be drunk with a well-stocked cheeseboard to hand.
Next up is Tripel Karmeliet, another centuries-old monastic brew which started life in a Carmelite monastery in Dendermonde in East Flanders. It’s another that packs a punch with an abv north of 8 per cent. It is a amber colour in the glass and has more of an earthy and herby feel to it with the wheat and oats in the malt given it a cloudy look and smooth feel.
