Belgian Beer Appreciation Thread (2024)

I don’t believe there is a large drop in consumption / enjoyment of these beers. There are many competing threads, including the proliferation of 1-2 dozen style threads.

Salute to Saisons (Saison Sundays) is the OG style thread. While I do like many styles including Belgians, Porters, Stouts, etc., it’s too much to keep up with to post regularly across all the styles I enjoy.

For a few styles, I still try to post my first of the year, and leave it at that versus posting every time I pull another of the same beer (four separate posts for a four pack of Apex Predator).

NBW/NBS & WBAYDN can be too much to keep up with at times, especially weekend WBAYDN, so I narrowed the threads I participate to keep things manageable. Doesn’t mean I (and likely others), do not enjoy drinking these styles or participating in these threads when I’m able.

 

I’m seeing MUCH, MUCH fewer Belgian and Belgian style beers on the shelves throughout the Western and Finger Lakes area of NY. Of the Belgians, it tends to be the same 9 or 10 options. As for Saisons, specifically, they seem to be rare finds anymore.

I have asked a few local distributors who all identified COVID and Seldon Brothers as the prime culprits. That seems false to me, because market forces should have compensated for the impact by now. All craft imports do seem to be less abundant now, so maybe demand is indeed low.

 

I still love them Tim although the imported classics from Belgium have gotten very pricey since the original Covid Pandemic which makes it tougher to justify new purchases now that Da Boss has fully retired as well. Maybe i should get a job bagging groceries!
I will still have a Saison or Tripel when spied in the wild locally or if i go to Total Wine down in Greenville SC, I'll pick up the Boulevard offerings just to have around because they are still solid from my perspective.
But yeah, i think there are less Belgian style ales sold these days. In order for a small brewery to survive is for them to go with what is selling and for the last handful of years it is Hazys and Sours for the most part and to an extent Lagers have enjoyed a resurgence which is okay with me!
Cheers!
Tom

 

Russian River - Robert Saison

 

To whoever asked if Belgian beer is on the decline: it’s alive and kicking where I am. Leffe and Chouffe are two staples here, and many other big names take up a good fraction of the shelf space in any and all grocery stores and caves à bière.

Tonight I’m doing a little head to head between these two classics. Poured first is Karmeliet

 

i got 80 750s (along with another 80 BCBS bottles) of Bruery stuff from a guy who couldn't drink a lot anymore as well. Let's of belgians and sours that were drain poured ...prolly half but the other half were good-ish.

Can't wait

 

Brasserie La Cabane (Caylus, France - about 45 miles north of my place here in Toulouse) ‘Chronos’ Quadruple

This is a bottle I grabbed at the Toulouse Octobiere Fest last month, straight from the brewer’s hand. It’s fresh, small batch, Organic, made with rapadura sugar which gives it that deep brown color. Surprisingly sparse foam.
On the nose, it reveals intense aromas of stone fruits with earthy tones.
On the palate, it offers an appreciable roundness, with flavors of fig, grape, toast and a sweetness characteristic of quadruple beers, but enhanced by the choice of rapadura, which is a solid form of unrefined cane sugar typically produced and consumed in Latin American and Asian countries. Molasses lingers, The taste richness is balanced by a slight acidity, bringing a pleasant freshness to the experience. 10% ABV provides warmth.
Mouthfeel is medium, medium carbonation.
Overall, if I was to blind taste this elixir, I would have guessed it to be a Barleywine. Brewer (and label.,.) say it’s a Quad. Either way, it’s damn tasty.

 

From Tuesday evening. Really excellent Belgian blonde. Citrusy and somewhat spicy. The yeast is the star here. This tastes great but it’s complex enough to make me slow down and sip it even though it’s less than 6% abv (so, not that strong). Cheers!!

 

Mighty tasty.

From the back of the can. “What do you do when customers say "I love hoppy beers"? Well, if you're any other brewery you might brew 6 different IPA's for them to choose from, but if you're Monkless, you capitulate, and dry hop your classic Belgian Tripel. We took one of our favorite beers, The Trinity, and dry hopped it to add a blast of flowery, citrusy hop aroma.”

 

Very much under appreciated in my book. Many folks don’t know what they’re missing as the focus on the 12.

 

I agree. XII gets all the hype (and rightfully so, it is great) but this was really enjoyable without the high abv / intensity of XII. Cheers!!

 

How were you able to buy this beer?

Cheers!

 

Not sure! My wife bought me a set for my 40th birthday. I didn’t pry too much on how she purchased it but did ask if it was a black market purchase to which she replied “No.”