Beer Types

Beer can be divided into , depending on the fermentation method.

Bottom-fermenting beer is the most recent type. The process dates from 1840 and produces a specific type of beer, Pils or lager. This type accounts for 90% of worldwide beer production. Pils is a light, clear, golden beer. It has a fresh, bitter and refined hoppy flavour.

Top-fermenting beer is a much older and more traditional variety. This process is involved in the production of many different types of beer, in particular Amber or "Special Belgian" beer. Originally, this type of beer had the same density and alcohol content as Pils. The amber colour is obtained by using a coloured or caramelised malt. The alcohol content is now slightly higher, and this beer is considered to be typical "sampling" beer.

White beer is non-filtered and cloudy in appearance. In addition to barley malt, the ingredients include unmalted wheat and sometimes oats. Also, during the heating process, coriander and orange peel are added to give it its characteristic refreshing taste.

The Trappist Order are abbey beers. They are marketed under protected copyright names that belong to the Cistercian Order. This legal protection entails certain rules. This type of beer must be brewed in a Cistercian abbey under the supervision of monks belonging to the Trappist Order. There are various types: blonde, double, dark and triple. Each of the three abbeys has its own recipes.

The other abbey beers are marketed under licenses which are granted to lay brewers, whose trademark refers to an abbey that may exist or may have disappeared. There are various types of abbey beer: Lagers, which are characterised by a mild, slightly malty aroma, a neutral or slightly sweet taste and an often very bitter after-taste. The double or dark beers, so called because the brewer uses more malt. Nowadays this type of beer is darker and has a sweetish, sometimes sugary taste and a bitter after-taste). Finally, triple beers, in which the brewer uses even more malt and which undergo triple fermentation, the final stage of fermentation being in the bottle.

Strong blonde beers are often clear. They are generally served with a large head. They undergo triple fermentation and contain aromatic malts.

Seasonal beers are typically brewed in Wallonia, especially in the districts of Hainaut and Walloon Brabant, and are sparkling and fruity summer beers. They involve the use of raw hopping and sometimes secondary fermentation in the bottle.

The regional and special beers are fine examples of the creativity and know-how of our local brewers. They are all very different. Each variety has its own characteristic manufacturing process and ingredients (spelt, honey, Liège syrup, mustard, etc.).

Scotch is a beer of Anglo-Saxon origin which, over the years, has become a specialty of the Walloon Brabant and Hainaut district. It is characterised by a very malty and slightly smoky taste. Its sugary taste is due to the addition of candy sugar.

Spontaneous fermentation, a process that is characteristic of the Brussels region, is used to produce Lambic. Lambic is a flat beer with no head. It is produced through spontaneous fermentation of the yeasts found specifically in the valley of the river Senne. It matures in barrels made of different types of wood and has a wide range of tastes.

Gueuze is obtained by the fermentation caused by mixing "old" Lambic (that has not completely fermented) and "young" Lambic. This new fermentation produces a sparkling, sharp beer, the "champagne of beers".

Fruity beers are basically made by mixing different fruits (cherries for Kriek) and Lambic. Traditional Kriek is a mixture of 50 kg of cherries and around 250 litres of Lambic. This mixture matures for 6 months in the barrel and produces a beer with a fruity but not sugary taste. The industrial process involves fruit juice and extract. he result is a sweet, fruity beer.
Faro is a sharp Lambic to which candy sugar is added (or sometimes caramel or syrup) to give it a sweeter taste.