Why is Belgium known as a beer country?

Belgian beer culture is on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, along with, for example, the Argentine tango and Spanish flamenco. This international recognition stems from several factors.

Our rich brewing tradition

Beer has been brewed in our region for centuries. Initially, it was mainly brewed in monasteries, abbeys, and guild houses, and then increasingly expanded beyond them starting in the 18th century. Just about every village had its own brewery, often owned by a local mayor who won his electorate that way. In contrast to another major beer country, Germany, our brewing tradition has never been restricted by a Reinheitsgebot [regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany]. As from 1516, German breweries were only allowed to work with barley, hops, and water – and yeast was added a little later. Belgian beers were able to innovate more as a result. This included adding spices, fruit, etc. This is how they gained popularity even beyond the country’s borders. Finally, our beer culture is tangible in the tradition of using a matching glass for each beer and the fixed rules about pouring or tapping (e.g. the Bolleke from the De Koninck Brewery).

Our unique fermentation methods

The Frenchman Louis Pasteur discovered the pasteurisation technique – named after him – at the end of the 19th century: destroying harmful bacteria in food by heating it briefly without changing the product too much. He also described the functioning of yeast cells. The possibility of brewing beer via fermentation has existed for a long time. The oldest sources date back to 6000 BCE in Mesopotamia. But it was only after Pasteur that we really knew what yeast is and how it works. The discovery of the four fermentation methods (bottom fermentation, top fermentation, spontaneous fermentation, and mixed fermentation) opened up a range of possibilities for breweries. Different types of yeast create different flavours. Belgium is one of the only countries where you can still find spontaneous (Lambic) and mixed (Flemish red-brown) fermentation. The Palm Brewery is one of the few to use all four methods. Our knowledge and experience of fermentation methods early on created a fascinating variety of beer styles.

Our artisan skills

Successful small breweries become big breweries. At least, that’s how it usually goes. And that’s how craft breweries fall into the hands of industrial companies. Yet in Belgium, there has always been a struggle to keep artisan traditions alive, like the Lambic brewers, for example. Many Belgian brewers excel in putting quality before profit. There are examples of big players questioning the authentic beer craft, such as when AB InBev moved the Hoegaarden brewery to Jupille… only to return because the world’s largest brewing chain

could not recreate the unique flavour of Hoegaarden elsewhere. The label ‘Belgian Beer Style’, ‘Brewed in Belgium’, or ‘Belgian Recipe’ is often an unofficial quality label abroad.

Our natural raw materials

All of the ingredients for beer are naturally present in Belgium. We are global leaders when it comes to hops and yeast. Hops can only grow well in areas between the 35th and 55th parallel. Belgium thus has two successful regions: the Poperinge region and the Asse-Aalst provincial border region. Our Lambic and Gueuze beers excel because they use wild yeast from the Zenne Valley in Flemish Brabant. It is unique and world famous.

The Trappists

Belgium is still considered to be the number one Trappist country. The name of this group of beers comes from the Dutch word ‘trappisten’, the monks of the Cistercian order. Only the beer they brew within their monastery may be called that. The monks may not seek a profit. This usually results in very high quality beers. The first six official Trappist beers were all Belgian: Chimay, Orval, Westmalle, Rochefort, Westvleteren, and Achel. Thus, these popular and well-known beers were always linked to our country. There are now fourteen Trappist beers, the latest eight of which come from seven different countries.

Conclusion

Belgium has over 250 authentic breweries and over 150 beer companies. And that doesn’t even include all the small home brewers. Together, they provide thousands of original Belgian beers – a number that is constantly growing. That’s a lot of beers for such a small country. Nevertheless, our beers are greatly appreciated. After a decline in beer consumption, there has been a stabilisation and even a slight increase in recent years. That’s great when you consider the constant new competition for beer. The export of Belgian beer is increasing year after year. Some 65% of our beer goes abroad. Our biggest export countries are France, the Netherlands, the USA, Japan, and China.

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