Belgian Tasting Opinions

My thoughts exactly. I've had many American crafts that call themselves "Belgian" this or that, but deviate quite a bit from the traditional stylings. Many are quite good, just depends on how true-to-style you're looking to be. Could be interesting to compare the two interpretations. For example a Raging Bitch alongside a Houblon Chouffe. Or a Golden Monkey next to a Tripel like Gouden Carolus.

 

ORVAL

 

I'd see if you can snag 2 or 3 of the chimay or st.benardaus gift sets (or just get the bottles individually if you don't need glasses). I don't know if they have the gift sets in ohio, but they have a dubbel, triple, and Belgian strong dark ale. That should give them the best representation of the Belgian beer basics.

 

Orval FTW...might I add Piraat. Rare Vos and Tripel Perfection are both good offerings from Ommegang in addition to the Hennepin.

 

A few Belgians that really got me hooked on the style, which I haven't seen listed here and which I don't think break the bank (especially if you can find the 4/6pks), include:

Belgian Strong Pale Ale
La Chouffe, BSPA (a little expensive, but this is one of the beers that opened the door for me)

Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Unibrou Maudite (Canadian)
Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2013 (Canadian) - SUPER CHEAP and PRETTY GOOD
I also second the votes for Gouden Carolus Van de keizer Blauw, Rochefort 8, and Rochefort 10, but these can be expensive

Belgian Pale Ale
Ommegang Rare Vos (US), BPA

Dubbel
St. Bernardus Prior 8 (available in 4pks)
Grimbergen Dubbel
Ommegang Abbey Ale (US)

Tripel
Victory Golden Monkey (US)
Allagash Tripel (US)

Quad
Sierra Nevada Ovila Quad w/ plums (US)
Ommegang Three Philosophers (can be expensive, but is available in 4pks)

Lambic/ Fruit
Lindemans Framboise
Kasteel Rouge
Belgian IPA
Duvel Triple Hop 2013 Sorachi Ace
Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Wild (US)

Saison
Brooklyn Sorachi Ace (US)
Ommegang Hennepin (US)
Saison DuPont is the obvious choice here, but can be a bit expensive

 

For something as broad as 'Beglian' with folks who aren't that into beer, stick with the classics and aim for just one beer per general style. When considering style, I wouldn't focus too much on what we call them, but on how they taste; for example, don't try to split hairs and explain the differences between BDSA, dubbel, and quad to your inexperienced guests, and instead pick one dark, strong, fairly sweet, fruity beer. Overall, I might go with the following: Orval, Westmalle tripel, Chimay blue, Duvel, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Saison Dupont, and maybe Hoegaarden.

These beers are fairly ubiquitous, and if the goal is to get them acquainted with Belgian beer, I think it makes sense to introduce them to beers they can go out and buy without having to do much searching. Picking easy-to-find beers also, I think, might help create the impression that these beers aren't really niche, but rather accessible.

 

'Course then you open the worm-can of whether Houblon Chouffe is aping an *American* style... OK, maybe the style distinctions aren't soooo important, as Sneers says

 

Ignoring the fact that the OP's tasting has probably come and gone, I'd offer one warning about getting too broad in your coverage of Belgians. Rodenbach was the first beer I ever liked (I discovered it while I was living in the Netherlands), and it has a special place in my heart, which has led to heartbreak on numerous occasions when I sprang it on uninitiated friends who don't understand what to expect. In context with all those other Belgians, throwing in Rodenbach Grand Cru (which is a fantastic beer) requires careful thought about order, and careful preparation of your friends ("No, this isn't hard cider..."). Otherwise, you run the risk of permanently turning a few people off sours, which is an avoidable tragedy.

 

I wouldn't go too expensive either, a rochefort or st bernardus quadrupel, duvel, chimay is pretty cheap and very drinkeable an I'm a big fan of orval as well ( drinking it right now)

 

I really liked the way that Belgium has quite different styles, depending on which part of the country you are in. I didn't understand that well before our visit. If I went back, I'd spend a good bit of time in Brussels and the immediate area, tasting geuzes and similar tart beers of that region. Those beers are quite different from most Belgians you can readily get in this country. I couldn't quote you the exact beers we had, but I think if you go into a good beer bar in Brussels, and ask their advice, you can't go wrong.

We found Gulden Draak by visiting Het Waterhuis in Ghent, off a recommendation from a guy at a beer geek spot in Brussels. The bartender at Het Waterhuis told us the story of the "gulden draak", the symbol at the top of their city hall, which was once stolen by the folks down the road, and then retrieved a century or so later by the Ghent citizens. And he served us the beer, which was great.

Ghent is worth a stop, IMHO. We left Brussels heading to Brugge by train, and did a midday stopover in Ghent for a few hours. Time enough to see one of the greatest works of art I've ever seen ... the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, in the Ghent cathedral. Then we walked back to Het Waterhuis, had lunch and a Gulden Draak, and continued on to Brugge.

You can get a lot of opinions about beer bars in Belgium here on BA under places. For example, here's the listing for Het Waterhuis: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2716/

Sorry I didn't directly answer your query about specific beers. It's been a couple of years, and I've forgotten the details. I do remember being in an art museum in Brussels, and eating at their museum cafe. I grabbed a bottle from the cafeteria line, not knowing anything about it ... turned out to be Westmalle Tripel, just an amazing beer. They had it on display so routinely that it was like it was a Coke. That's Belgium for you ... heaven for beer lovers.

Enjoy.

 

If you want to stick with one brewery, albeit an American Belgian-style brewery, I'd recommend Ommegang. Witte, Rare Vos, Hennepin, Gnomegang and Three Philosophers will give you a pretty solid representation. They're pretty widely distributed and cost effective compared to true Belgians...and I love their stuff! You could also add any of the Duvel and Maredsous options since their breweries are all related...

 

LOL half your list is American beer. Which IMHO is just in the style OF but certainly never ever real Belgian....
oh some come decently close but most pale.....in comparison to the REAL THING BABY...

I mean you can like it, but not imported its not Belgian.

just my 2.8 cents. inflation.

 

Depends on how many people you have and how many beers you want. Personally I would do something inlcuding these styles at the very least: BSPA, Dubbel, Tripel, Quad/BSDA. So something basic could look like: Duvel + the three Chimays (red, white, blue). Or just do a quad tasting (my fav style) with: Chimay Blue, Rochefort 10, St Bernardus 12, Pannepot, etc...