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By Root 1094 0

Brewery in Malle. It is one of five authentic Trappist breweries in Belgium. Brewing 125,000 hectoliters of beer per year, the monks have decided that they do not wish to expand production any further. Situated in a pastoral setting, surrounded by fields of green and very contented cows (I began to note the common theme here with cows and brewers, or so it seems). Jan Adriaensens, the head brewer, explained the brewing system and confided that they will use the same yeast through 25 generations before starting a new culture. Their beers are primary fermented at 19 to 20 degrees C (66–68 F), then cooled to 8 degrees C (46.5 F), then aged for three to eight weeks depending on whether they are Dubbel or Tripel. They were using German Spalt, Tettnanger and Hallertauer hops as well as Czech Saaz, Styrian Goldings and hop extract for bittering. Fresh doses of healthy yeast are added at bottling and refermented and conditioned in the bottle at 20 degrees C (68 F) for about three weeks, creating natural carbonation.

The popularity of Westmalle Trappist beers is encouraging to the brewers, but it is also the reason the beer does not get exported out of the region in great quantities. A fresh Westmalle Tripel or Dubbel is a treat to enjoy close to the source, where the passion is not diluted by age or distance.

At the end of our tour we enjoyed an Extra, a light, 5.5 percent alcohol beer brewed three or four times a year for the exclusive consumption of the 30 monks in the monastery.

Kettle and Crucifix, Westmalle Trappist Brewery

We ate lunch across the street at the Trappiste Café. From there, where did we go? Oh, of course, to visit another brewery. North, not too far from Westmalle and almost to the Netherlands to visit the Sterkens Brewery in Hoogstraten. Built in 1880, it is only about a 15,000-hectoliter (about 13,000 barrels) per year operation, a truly original microbrewery. Stan Sterken offered me beer after the tour. I accepted and immensely enjoyed their Poorter. Not to be confused with American-or British-style porter, this beer is velvety smooth, offering dark ale qualities not commonly brewed by other breweries large or small. Sterken’s Poorter has a “round” nutty malt character without any of the caramel or crystal malt flavor you’d normally anticipate in an amber or brown ale. Furthermore, despite its coppery color there is virtually no roast malt astringency. There is a slight touch of banana character in the flavor, but not pronounced or anywhere near the level of many of the dark abbey-style ales of Belgium. Alcohol character was not evident in flavor, aroma or mouthfeel.

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SWITCH AND TOGGLES PREPOSTEROUS POORTER

This is a prized recipe that achieves the smooth, “round” nutty malt character and complexity of Belgian malts, with a slight touch of banana character in the flavor. The recipe can be found in About the Recipes.

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The word sublime comes to mind. Honestly, I drank this beer scratching my head and truly wondered how it possibly could have been made. My 25 years of brewing experience didn’t help solve the mystery. What impressed me the most was the notion that as a brewer I still could find the excitement of learning about and brewing something new.

After a brief consultation with the importer, I was given direction: “It’s the malt.” I learned on my adventures in Belgium how special Belgian malts can be. I also learned to discern the character of Goldings hops and the important role they play in many Belgian specialties.

World-Class Belgian Breweries

Belle Vue, Palm, Moortgat and Lindeman

IN OLDEN TIMES spontaneously fermenting lambic breweries proliferated throughout the area of Brussels. Now only a few remain, and even fewer offer the traditional unsweetened styles so revered by beer enthusiasts, who appreciate and savor the tart, acidic, fruity characters of this true “champagne” of beers.

The Belle Vue Brewery is the largest of the Belgian lambic breweries and is now owned by the Belgian brewery giant Interbev. This was already the case when I visited in 1995. Their