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Brouwerij De Schuur, and a next generation Belgian brewer
When I visited Brouwerij de Schuur, a small brewery housed in a garage in Linden, Flemish Brabant, on Halloween day, I knew it would be a special visit, as owner Jan Symons doesn’t grant many tours. It was, as expected. The small brewery brews less than 100 hl of beer every year, but Symons crafts…
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Gypsy Belgian IPA, from Christine Celis and Kim Clarke
Christine Celis, daughter of the esteemed Pierre Celis, who resurrected white beer in Hoegaarden in 1966, has brewed a Belgian-inspired IPA in the U.S.A. Christine and the last brewmaster at the Celis brewery in Austin, Kim Clarke, brewed the beer, Gypsy Belgian IPA, at Adelbert’s Brewery in Austin, Texas. It was released on draft and…
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Beers of the World Magazine returns, in digital form
Beers of the World magazine, perhaps the premier beer magazine in the U.K., is back. This time, the magazine has gone digital. I wrote for Beers of the World about a half dozen times in the past, beginning in 2006, on the subject of Belgian beer. Most recently, I had an article on the beer…
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The Trappists-“O Brother, where are thou?”
This week, we welcome guest writer Carl Kins back to the site. Carl, an internationally known beer judge and author, lives in Kortrijk, West Flanders. You can read his full bio in this article here. Below is Carl’s take on all the recent press predicting the demise of the Trappist breweries in Belgium. From Carl:…
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Belgian Beer chocolates
No, I didn’t say Belgian beer and chocolate. We all know they pair well, but how about putting Belgian beer inside chocolate? Let’s talk about chocolate. Because I like chocolate. So do a lot of other people, too. People with good taste. Yes, sounds like a great idea? In fact, Belgium-the greatest producer of artisanal…
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Orval responds to recent media reports
There have been a number of articles in the last few weeks in several well-known media outlets that have sounded the alarm about the status and viability of brewing at the world’s Trappist breweries, primarily those in Belgium. One article, in Forbes.com, here, even went so far as to claim that the Orval Trappist brewery,…
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De Kleine Duivel opens in Baltimore
A little slice of Belgium will soon open in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Since I live here, well, I thought I’d tell you about it. Just because I like beer. Belgian beer, especially. If you’re reading this article, you probably do too. (If you don’t, maybe I can convince you.) The much-anticipated De Kleine Duivel (“The…
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More on the Spencer Trappist Ale and brewery
The monks of the St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts received the “Authentic Trappist Product” designation and logo on December 10, making them the first official Trappist brewery in the U.S.A. As to the reasons for opening this new brewery: “Our brewery project is one of necessity. For over 60 years, we have cooked and…
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Orval’s 2014 Ambassador cafes: Le Palais de la Bière is #1
The Orval Trappist brewery has announced the winners of the 2014 Orval Ambassador program. This from the Orval website: “For the 2014 edition, 325 cafés, taverns and restaurants have been rewarded for serving Orval. 231 establishments throughout Belgium, but also 7 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, 21 in France, 1 in Germany, 35 in…
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Saison Dupont Cuvee 2014 Dry Hopping
There will be a dry-hopped version of Brasserie Dupont’s excellent Saison Dupont once again in 2014. The beer first made it stateside this spring as the Cuvee 2013, and brewmaster Olivier Dedeycker has another batch in the works right now. This from U.S. Importer Vanberg & DeWulf, today: “Every year Dupont’s Master Brewer, Olivier Dedeycker,…