Belgian Beer

Tasted in 2025:


Blanche de Bruxelles Rosée: Belgian White Fruit Beer, 4.5% (Brasserie Lefebvre)
Malty, sweet and fruity, but with balancing acidity and the finish is slightly dry. Spot-on carbonation. Full of apricot, orange mango, raspberry, lemon. It’s a bit like drinking a liquid drumstick. Amazing. 9.5/10
Bolleke De Koninck: Belgian Amber Ale, 5% (Brouwerij de Koninck)
Lots in common with a British bitter. Mild, toasty. Light brown sugar. Slight allspice and even slighter leather. A little bit watery and one dimensional.
7.5/10
Bruxellensis Reserva: Belgian Brett Beer, 7.2% (Brasserie De La Seine)
Smells a bit like lemon-scented cat wee and tastes similar. Very dry. Sour apples and old leather. Has a white wine quality, which might be why I’m so averse to it. 3/10
Cherry Chouffe: Belgian Fruit Beer, 8% (Brasseie d’Achouffe)
Deep, rich, ripe cherries. This is unctuous cherry jam and not bright sugary boiled sweets. Faint marzipan and oak. It isn’t sickly though; there is a lot of tartness. No bitterness. No artificial sweetness. If you like cherry beer, then it probably doesn’t get better than this. 8/10
Chimay Tripel: Belgian Tripel, 8% (Abbaye de Scourmont)
Intense, spicy yeast, cloves, pepper. Lots of esters, wheat and raisins. Lingering flavours of honey and nutmeg. Carbonation is gentle, but mouthfeel has a robust breadiness. Lightly acidic with a hint of hops. 8/10
Orval: Belgian Pale Ale, 6.2% (Brasserie d’Orval)
Quite earthy, sour apples, very hoppy. Tart and dry. Hints of tobacco and faint spice. Too bitter for my taste, and the bitterness is the only thing that lingers. 5/10
Saint Lamvinus: Belgian Fruited Lambic 6% (Brasserie Cantillon)
It smells and tastes a lot like a cider, although the fruit in this are grapes from vineyards in France. Flat, acidic and sour. It does get better as I get used to it, and as it gets warmer. It is very tart, with a hint of rose water and retains a strong funky apple flavour. 5/10
Tipsy Bier: Belgian Brown Tripel, 7% (Gebroeders Hermans Freres)
Initially sharp and slightly sour on the tongue. But then coffee and Maltesers, muted pepper, with a thick mouthfeel and a silky smooth finish. 9/10
To Hell & Back: Belgian Spiced Coffee Porter, 6.66% (La Source Beer Co)
Very fizzy and quite sharp on the tongue. Very medicinal, with lots of liquorice. Foamy mouth feel, though the head dissipated very quickly. Coffee is very muted for me, though Richard’s comment was it tasted like an alcoholic cold coffee. One of us is wrong, and it’s not me. Ends up just tasting of thick TCP. 4/10
Tripel Karmeliet: Belgian Tripel, 8.4% (Brouwerij Bosteels)
Amazingly complex. Lots of fresh fruits – banana, apricot, pineapple and orange. Deeply yeasty, and a bitterness similar to marmalade, with some honeysuckle. Slight coriander and clove spice. Despite having so much depth, it has a surprisingly clean finish. If you ever find yourself thinking that Belgian beer is a bit passé, and IPAs from New England or pretty painted fruit beer cans are the way to go, then have a pour of this and set yourself straight. 9.5/10
Tripel D’Anvers: Belgian Tripel, 8% (Brouwerij De Koninck)
Yeasty, with fresh bananas and oranges in the background. Slightly floral and grassy with citrussy hops. I thought there was a very faint woodiness to it. Highly carbonated. Fairly pedestrian, but it’s up against some great competition. 6/10
Westmalle Dubbel: Belgian Dubbel, 7% (Brouwerij Westmalle)
Rich malt, brown bread and caramel. Lots of dark fruits and raisins with a background of dark chocolate. Slightly coppery and faintly tart. Soft carbonation with a chewy mouthfeel and slightly bitter and unexpectedly clean finish. 8/10
Westmalle Tripel: Belgian Tripel, 9.5% (Brouwerij Westmalle)
Lightly hoppy, slightly floral, herbal and lemony. Honey, biscuits, foam bananas. Creamy mouthfeel, but also quite fizzy. Slightly dry and grapefruit sour. 8/10

Before 2025:

Affligem Dubbel: Belgian Dubbel, 6.8% (Brouwerij De Smedt)
Not very complex, but there is a bit of liquorice and dried fruits and a good balance between sweet and bitter. It’s very fizzy and not that heavy for a dark beer, which makes it quite drinkable. 7/10
Baptist Blonde: Belgian Blonde Ale, 5.2% (Brouwerij Van Steenberge)
These lightweight ales just taste like a more full bodied version of lager. This one was on the bitter side. Pleasant, but unremarkable. 6/10
Fourchette: Belgian Tripel, 7.5% (Brouwerij Van Steenberge)
Tasted like a fruity wheat beer. Quite lemon-y and a bit dry. Not as citrussy as Hoegaarden, but more crisp and light than Erdinger. Really great, but with the caveat that this type of beer is my favourite kind. 9/10
Rochefort 10: Belgian Quadrupel, 11.3% (Brasserie de Rochefort)
First sip: This could be Tennent’s Extra. With bits floating in it. But then when I got used to it, it’s full of dark fruits, and very peppery. It’s like rum and raisins in a beer, and very lovely. Medium bodied, rich taste and highly carbonated. 9/10
Rodenbach: Belgian Red Ale, 5.2% (Brauerei Rodenbach)
Like a cross between a fruit beer and a light sparkling wine, it’s almost like drinking sour cherry sweets. The only disappointing thing is that it’s a bit thin and watery. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it. 8/10
Antiek Super 5 Blonde: Belgian Blonde Ale, 5% (Deca Brewery)
I can taste hay. Very hoppy and full bodied, but nothing standout. It’s also a bit sour for my tastes. 6/10
Poperings Nunnebier: Belgian Pale Ale, 7.2% (Brouwerij Verhaeghe)
Had a metallic taste when it was served cold. Very light, a bit lemon-ny, herbal, spicy and dry. It doesn’t have that much flavour for the abv. It was oddly better as it got close to room temperature, and tasted of peardrops for the last few sips. 7/10
Leffe Brune: Belgian Brown Ale, 6.5% (Anheuser-Busch)
Rich and malty, a bit of chocolate and on the sweet side. It’s one of our favourite dark beers, and became Richard’s go to beer in Belgium. 8/10
Paix Dieu: Belgian Tripel, 10% (Brasserie Caulier)
Very cloudy (this bodes well for me,) and well balanced between sweet and bitter. It’s very full bodied, fruity and with lots of malt. It’s creamier and has more character than the other beers of this type that I tried. 9/10
Kwak: Belgian Ale, 8.4% (Brouwerij Bosteels)
It’s sweet and darkly fruity. It’s got an incredibly smooth finish and is heavy on cloves and brown sugar or honey. It’s amazing, and very different to any other beer I’ve had. 9.5/10
Super Des Fagnes Blonde: Belgian Pale Ale, 7.5% (Brasserie Des Fagnes)
Quite herbal and floral. Refreshing. It’s very soft and light bodied, but with a bit of a soapy aftertaste. 6.5/10
Maes: Belgian Pils, 5.2% (Brouwerijen Alken-Maes)
A dry and bitter lager. It’s crisp, clean and a bit grassy. Nothing interesting, but perfectly decent. 6/10
Maredsous 10: Belgian Tripel, 10% (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
A definite smell of cloves. Full flavoured, very yeasty, on the dry side. Caramel and malt, with a touch of citrus and with high carbonation – unusual for a medium dark beer. 8.5/10
Ciney Blonde: Belgian Pale Ale, 7% (Demarche Brewery)
Light and tropically fruity, plus apples. Medium bodied and quite dry (in a dry cider way.) It’s very approachable and I’m very happy drinking it, but it’s nothing outstanding. 7/10
Chimay Bleue: Belgian Dark Ale, 9% (Abbaye de Scourmont)
Very complex, with lots of dark berries, dates and some chocolate. Medium bodied, well rounded and velvety. Goes down very well. 9/10

Binchoise Brune: Belgian Dubbel, 7.7% (Brasseries La Binchoise)
It has a very roasted malty taste. It’s on the sweet side, with toffee and caramel. Medium bodied and not as dry as most others of this type. 7.5/10
Binchoise Blonde: Belgian Blonde Ale, 6.5% (Brasserie La Binchoise)
Very cloudy for a pale ale. It’s orange and vanilla-y, quite sweet. Pleasant and easy drinking. 7/10
Blanche de Namur: Belgian Witbier Blanche, 4.5% (Brasserie du Bocq)
Mellow and easy drinking. Not surprisingly, it lacks punch at this abv. It’s very floral. Tastes lightly of coriander and white bread. 7/10
La Chouffe: Belgian Pale Ale, 8% (Brasserie d’Achouffe)
Lots of yeast, and very highly carbonated. Quite citrussy (mostly orange,) with some coriander. Good balance between sweet and bitter, but not very complex. 7.5/10
Lupulus Hopera: Belgian Pale Ale, 6% (Brasserie Lupulus)
It’s all in the name. This is overwhelmingly hoppy, and also quite floral. Although it was initially a nice change, it’s still a bit much. 6.5/10
Silly Scotch: Belgian Scotch Ale, 8% (Brasserie de Silly)
Malt and toffee with stewed dark fruits. Not nearly as heavy as it looks. It’s got good sweetness and is very slightly herbal. 8/10

Kasteel Donker: Belgian Quadrupel, 11% (Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck)
Very milk chocolate-y, almost like very lightly spiced chocolate drink. Dark fruits and molasses, it is very heavy bodied and dense. Very much a sipper. It is sweet and rich, and could do with some bitterness to cut through it. It would be a good winter/Christmas beer. Hard to call really, it’s very good, but a bit OTT with it. 8/10
Floreffe Double: Belgian Dubbel, 6.3% (Brasserie Lefebvre)
Some oak here, with a bit of star anise. It’s brighter and lighter (almost watery) that most Dubbels. A hint of coffee. A bit unbalanced and the anise feels out of place. 6/10
Grimbergen Double: Belgian Dubbel, 6.5% (Bouwerij Alken-Maes)
It’s a one dimensional Dubbel, with the usual dried fruit and malt flavours, with a fairly light body and on the sweet side. Perfectly acceptable, but offers nothing remarkable. 6.5/10