In
addition to some wonderful history, the country of Belgium is "The
Beer country". Bordering France, Luxembourg, Germany and The
Netherlands, Belgium is in the heart of Europe. This technologically
advanced member of NATO and the EU is truly a beer-lovers haven.
So
much so, in fact, that the Belgian Brewer’s Guild boasts that a
beer lover could easily enjoy a different beer every day and not
have to duplicate his selection for over a year. How’s that for
choices, beer lovers?
In
a practice that dates back a long time, some of Belgium’s more famous
breweries are actually brewed in monasteries. These are called trappiste
breweries and are brewed by members of the monastic order. There
are five well known trappiste breweries: Chimay, Orval, Rochefort,
Westmalle, and Westveltren.
They
all produce multiple types of beers with the exception of Orval.
They believe that producing a single beer allows them to concentrate
on one product and not lose focus by concentrating on multiple beers.
Most
breweries produce a "dubble" or "tripple" variety,
referring to the strength of the beer which is the result of the
fermentation activity. The trappiste beers are bottle conditioned
and are often stored in cellars where they can evolve into some
wonderful beers with age.
More
widely available are the "biere d’abbaye" or "abby
beers" that are no longer brewed at the abbeys but have been
contracted out to local brewers. The original formula is used by
the brewer, but the beers are more plentiful to more modern brewing
capabilities.
Recently,
Belgian beers and ales have greatly influenced the brewing in America.
A few examples of this are typified by Celis Brewery in Austin,
Tx., New Belgium of Ft. Collins, Co., North Coast Brewing in Ft.
Bragg, Ca., and Unibroue in Quebec.
If
you haven’t already tried beers from Belgium, you’re in for a rare
treat. After all, it’s not "The Beer Country" for nothing.
About the Author:
Eileen
Church is the webmaster of http://www.funbeers.com
which is a great beer resource site. Be sure to visit http://www.funbeers.com
soon.
Read
more articles by: Eileen
Church
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Source: www.iSnare.com
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