Belgian Beer no.350: Saint Martin Cuvee de Noel

Just a taster of what's to come ...

Christmas beers are making their appearance. Too early? Maybe. Too strong? Definitely! Did we miss them? For sure.

The Saint Martin Noel, tasted in a dark and cozy bar in down town Brussels surrounded by tourists! Brewed by Brasserie de Brunehaut, the Saint Martin Cuvee de Noel is one of those beers that simply knocks you out without you realizing it.

Let me explain: it is spicy, it is aromatic, it is also 8.5%! You don't have many of these. But it does taste nice. And the glass is a work of art.

Belgian Beer no.349: Bellegems Witbier

I do like white beers a lot. I find them refreshing and easy to drink. This one in particular is a winner. I really enjoyed the Bellegem Witbier, another beer brewed by Brasserie Bockor. At 5% more a summer beer - fresh with a hint of lemon.

Belgian Beer no.348: Bellegems Bruin

Another beer, this time an ancient/ traditional Flemish beer. It's a brown beer which mixes normal beer ingredients with lambic beer thus creating a distinct taste.
Brewed by the Brasserie Bockor at 5.5% a drinkable, nice enough beer.
On the Belgian Beer blog also the Blauw by Bockor and a rant.

Belgian Beer no.347: Saison Dupont Bio

As promised ...
Another beer from Brasserie Dupont is the Saison Dupont Bio. Nothing against bio, but just so you know we don't buy a beer just because it is bio. However they are making their appearance on the market and they taste good. This particular one is a blonde 5.5% citrus tasting beer. Nice and pleasant to drink with just the right amount of bitterness.

Belgian Beer no.346: Redor Pils Dupont

Just so you don't think we have become beer snobs and only drink special beers. I very much like what they call 'factory' beers as well and sometimes they simply taste familiar and right.
Here an easy pils, the Redor Pils - Dupont from Brasserie Dupont. I wrote on a Brasserie Dupont beer before. The Redor Pils is a simple easy to drink 5% pils, kind of bitter but not too much perfect for an afternoon. The rest of Dupont beers still need to make it on the blog as we actually had quite a few of them, again because they are readily available.

Belgian Beer no.345: Bievre - Bierre des Ardennes Blonde

Here another beer from the Ardennes, the Belgian mountains. The Bievre Blonde is also 6.5% and specially brewed for a farm in the region, the Ferme du Grand Chene by the Brasserie Van Steenberge.

Belgian Beer no.344: Bievre - Biere des Ardennes Brune

Keeping with the overall colder feel of November, beers have to adapt as well. Here a beer from the Ardennes, the Belgian mountains. We tasted it at a local, small (very small!) fair so not much on this beer - it is brewed in house by the Brasserie Van Steenberge.
The Bievre Brune is 6.5% and specially brewed for a farm in the region, the Ferme du Grand Chene.

Belgian Beer no.343: La Saison des Chasses Ambree

Bang on in the middle of the hunting season - big sport in Belgium if you know where to look - the dark beer La Saison des Chasses (Hunting Season). Brewed by the Brasserie Bouillon, this beer is available now only.

It's a high yeasty beer and at 7% feels stronger than it is.

Belgian Beer Blog - Updates

I just realized I probably lost most of the Brasseries (breweries) linked to the Belgian beers reviewed and also the majority of Beer Blogs I used to link to.

So if you spot any missing brewery or blog and/or you want to be listed simply leave me a comment or drop me an email - I'll rectify it. Sorry for this. Design over content. Hm.

Brewery Visit: Brasserie des Ecaussinnes

We went there quite a while ago. Actually a fun place, and most importantly they have a great little bar/restaurant where you can sample all their beers. Which at that point where not yet available in regular shops in Brussels. In the meantime, to our delight, we started seeing their Ultra Blonde and Ultra Brune in the supermarkets.

Belgian Beer no.342: Eulenspiegelbier

Same day. Same seaside.
The Uillenspiegelbier - the name alone! A strong 8% dark beer, with lots of brown spices and sugars. Nice. Strong. Brewed by van Steenberge.

Belgian Beer no.341: Viven Blond

Little day-trip to the seaside. New beers. Yey!
Viven Blond. I liked this beer. Blond and with some hints of honey and sweet malts (toffee?) - a nice clean blond beer. Brewed by the Brasserie van Viven (however seems it is brewed in the Proefbrouwerij) - at 6.8% on a sunny day too easy to drink.

Belgian Beer no.340: Florival Brune

Ha ha!
Here we are the Florival Brune, same brewery, same supermarket. This is a 7% sweet tasting brown beer - again nothing too special, but drinkable.

Belgian Beer no.339: Florival Blonde

Nothing too special to write about this one (I do wonder sometimes how far we'll go trying Belgian beers?!). This is a beer brewed by the Affligem Brewery for Delhaize (a Belgian supermarket chain).
It's a blond, 7% beer, with some flowery hoppy notes.
In the same range there is also a brown one, a tripel one and a winter one. Let's see when we get to those.

Belgian Beer no.338: Hopus

I keep coming back to Hopus. I absolutely LOVE this beer.
It's maybe a trendy beer for the moment ... I don't know.

Of course the whole gimmick about the glass, the yeast in the mini-glass, the double mat helps.

It's art: hop+opus=hopus
It's beer: five different types of hops.
It's strong: 8.3%

Depending on tastes you either drink it 'clear' and leave the yeast in the mini-glass aside, or you drink it 'mixed' with the yeast. Tried it both ways, prefer the clear version.

Belgian Beer no.337: St Sebastian Grand Cru

This is one of those gimmick beers. Sorry for the photo btw.
Comes in a fancy bottle. A good mix of fruit and yeast. A decent strong beer at 9%.
Can be found in the supermarkets here.
Truth be told, didn't get it ever since.
Brewed by Brasserie Sterkens.

Belgian Beer no.333-336: des Fagnes Beers

Not panicking, but we do have about 40 beers waiting to be blogged about. So if we are to keep this Belgian Beers blog going here goes ...

333: Saison des Fagnes, a beer I like, golden and creamy, 5.5%
334: Super des Fagnes Brune, caramel and cream, 7.5%
335: Scotch des Fagnes, spices and fruits, stro-hong, 8.5%
336: Super des Fagnes Griottes, fruity and cherry, 4.5%

Belgian Beers - New Look

I just realized we have been drinking beers for this blog (well .. ahem ...) for 5 years now! That is a lot of Belgian beers.

Hope you like the new look. Please, tell me - do you like the new look? I am in the middle of re-discovering the joys of social sharing (media) so all good. I might even get back to blogging soon, who knows? :)

Brussels Bar Crawl

We are back - and in case you are wondering what to do this weekend (specifically tonight) the Brussels Bar Crawl launches tonight. Doubt you'll need a better reason than all the Belgian beers you can taste ... but just in case there is a free T-shirt as well as a free drink on offer .

So go, drink, have a good weekend and we'll 'read' you back for more Belgian beers next week.

Oh, and if you are planning to join the Brussels Bar Crawl let us know. We might catch up there over beers.

Brewery Visit: Brasserie des Fagnes

Another weekend in the Belgian countryside. This time around we stopped at Brasserie Des Fagnes. A very nice place, lots of people (lots of Dutch!) and an overall great atmosphere. We sampled some beers as well but more about those later ...

We're taking a short holiday in the sun - but we will be back soon for more Belgian Beers.

Belgian Beer no.332: Cuvee Li Crochon Blonde

Same but in blonde? That would be too simplistic. At 6.8% and drunk very cold this is a very nice blonde beer. It tasted a little bit sweet and a little bit hoppy, a nice balanced beer - easy to drink. Some would say because it doesn't have a 'distinctive' taste. I liked it.

Belgian Beer no.331: Cuvee Li Crochon Brune

Part of weekend life in Belgium is walking. Groups of people getting together to just walk. Anyway ... fun, more about it here. Now the good thing about this? Is going to different regions where one gets to discover different beers.

Take the last walk for example. Two beers with one walk: the Cuvee Li Crochon brune and blonde.

The Cuvee Li Crochon Brune is a caramel / chocolate / toffee smooth brown beer, and at 8.7% a rather strong ale. But nice to drink. Brewed by Brasserie du Bocq.

Belgian Beer no.330: Papegaei

A new'ish beer on the market, if I am not mistaken, the Papegaei is brewed by the Brasserie Verstraete. (Not much of a website really.)

It is what they call an 'artisanal' beer, and at 8% quite strong. Nice though and really interesting I found. Flowers with hops but also some citrus fruits here and there.

Belgian Beer no.329: Jean de Nivelles - Blonde

And given we had the brune we had to try the blonde as well. Very much the same as Belgian Beer no.56. Just brewed specifically for the town of Nivelles, hence the name and all.

Belgian Beer no.328: Jean de Nivelles - Brune

We actually went to Nivelles (and no, not only to drink the beer!) and that is where we discovered the two Nivelles beers. And guess what?

The Jean de Nivelles Brune is the exact same one as the ... St. Feuillien Brune! Ha! Who would have thought we will find the same beer under two different names? Does this apply to other Belgian beers as well?

In any case the brune is a nice dark brown beer, 7.5% with hints of chocolate and caramel.

Belgian Beer no.327 - Tea Beer by Lindemans

Actually drinking it now. And blogging about it. Modern technology eh? A nice refreshing beer matured on tea leaves. Kind of ice tea with a 3,5% alcohol. Very nice discovery.

Belgian Beer - General

You might have noticed I was not too active blogging about Belgian beers. Not because of any less drinking but responsibilities around work increased (good!) however free time decreased (bad!). Anyway ... I'll try to bring you some more Belgian beers, but if you do have any you would like to share please let me know.

Also as readers of this blog (are there still any out there?!) if you come across any links which might not work please do let me know! So I can update them.

In the meantime, happy summer drinking. Some lovely fresh Belgian beers out there ...
Andreea

Belgian Beer no.326: Vuuve

We actually went to visit this brewery, and had all their beers. Amongst several of us no worries :)

The beers are brewed by the Brouwerij Smisje and the Vuuve is a 5% white beer, slightly thik (I guess cloudy would be the term) and with lots of hints of citrus.

Belgian Beer no.325: Grimbergen Doree

Love, love, love this one!

Its is hoppy, it is clean, it is really golden - strong at 8% but hey ... so very crisp though. Quite new on the market as Grimbergen Doree is only produced since 2008.

Belgian Beer no.324: Brussels Fruit Beer

Summer. Waterloo visit no. X ... Fruit beer anyone? Tried the Brussels Fruit Beer anno 2009, nice, sweet, easy at 4.3%. Seems the beer is brewed by Brasserie du Bocq, and grouped under Belgian Beer Tradition?

Belgian Beer no.323: Grimbergen Cuvee Blanche

I have been/ am still going through a whole white beer phase. Even better if they are off the tap. And Grimbergen as such stays one of my favorite mainstream (?) beers.

Belgian Beer no.322: Wittekerke Rose

Not really my thing - a little too sweet. But something for the summer for those who like fruit / white beers. The rose version of the Wittekerke.

Belgian Beer no.86: Adriaen Brouwer

OK had this one before - but so you don't start thinking we don't actually drink from time to time as well.

Hopus Beer Mat

A gimmick, I realize that. But loving the Hopus beer mat.

On a different note radio silence is due to 1) unfinished apartment which still take a lot of energy and 2) masses of work! Spanish Presidency and all :)

But it will be back to sunny days and beers soon.

Around the world in 80 beers

Just now. On TV. La trois BE the world in 80 beers. Fun.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Belgian Beer no.321: Omer

OK if this works we will go through the outstanding 2009 a lot faster. So I will give this a try now. And long live the iPhone.

La Porteuse d'Eau

After months of building and moving and unpacking - voila back to the blogging life :)
Maybe a good opportunity to introduce to our local restaurant and bar, La Porteuse d'Eau? A GOOD place!
Let the tasting begin.
Cheers,
Andreea