food and beverage

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.