Known for their high-gravity beers and irreverent attitude, the Struise Brouwers have injected fresh energy into Belgian beer over the past two decades. Yet the systems they’ve built to brew these big beers are as creative as the beers themselves.
In the Belgian province of Limburg, near the town of Hasselt and the Haspengouw region known for fruit-growing, the Bokke blendery is getting back on its feet.
Here are two titles worth adding to your shelves—and well worth clearing some you-time to put up your feet, crack a beer, and crack a book.
For De Ranke, looking back was looking forward. When the Belgian beer industry was minimizing bitterness, De Ranke embraced it instead, carving out a hop-forward niche that’s been influencing fellow brewers for nearly three decades.
In France near the Belgian border, family-run Brasserie Au Baron fuses the character of local ingredients, a distinctive house yeast, and the traditions of both saison and bière de garde.
Here’s the idea: Take advantage of a lactic acid–producing yeast and aseptic fruit puree to make the brewing of a tart, tasty fruit beer as simple as possible.
Long dismissed as gimmicky and relegated to a bit part, fruit beer has never gotten the respect it deserves. Yet the craft of brewing with fruit is poised to enter a golden age, with a bag full of tricks and seeds planted to grow much wider appeal.
From our Love Handles files on beer bars we love: This is one of Belgium’s longest-running beer cafés, with a deep selection and plenty of bric-a-brac to admire over an ale and a snack.
This wife-and-husband brewing team in Wallonia blend their Belgian and Brazilian roots with a deep love of tradition and a spark of contemporary creativity.
This recipe is inspired by one of our favorite pale lagers in Czechia: The Benedict Světlý Ležák 12° from Prague’s Břevnov Monastery Brewery.