S.T. Out
Active Member
Hey everyone,
I was just chatting with a friend who runs the local brewery/pub in town and I brought up Belgians asking what he thought about them. He just stated he didnt like them and the main reason being that when making a Belgian Beer you "break all the conventional and traditional rules of beer brewing". And so I just left it at that and changed the subject. From the way he talked he obviously didnt think well of Belgian brews.
So while driving home I thought hard about what he said. What exactly did he mean about Belgians breaking the rules of normal beer brewing? Whos to say exactly what the "right" way to brew beer is? Isnt it true that if you boil up some barley and hops and add yeast and you like the final product, its successful? And so what if you add some weird spices and have a funky yeast in the beer and ferment it at a higher temp? If you like it, its a good thing, right?
All in all, I was very suprised by this brewer's statements(bashing the Belgian style in general). He has brewed several award winning beers without even trying (someone else entered the beer in the contest without his knowing). This guy has made incredible IPAs, Porters, ESBs, Scotch Ales, Wheat Ales, Barley Wines, NB Ales, Stouts, etc.
SO what is the deal? Are there many other brewers out there that think this way? That Belgians are "just weird" that that they "break all the rules". I dont understand this at all. I think some Belgian beers are the best brews I have ever tasted.
Please enlighten me.
~S.T. Out
I was just chatting with a friend who runs the local brewery/pub in town and I brought up Belgians asking what he thought about them. He just stated he didnt like them and the main reason being that when making a Belgian Beer you "break all the conventional and traditional rules of beer brewing". And so I just left it at that and changed the subject. From the way he talked he obviously didnt think well of Belgian brews.
So while driving home I thought hard about what he said. What exactly did he mean about Belgians breaking the rules of normal beer brewing? Whos to say exactly what the "right" way to brew beer is? Isnt it true that if you boil up some barley and hops and add yeast and you like the final product, its successful? And so what if you add some weird spices and have a funky yeast in the beer and ferment it at a higher temp? If you like it, its a good thing, right?
All in all, I was very suprised by this brewer's statements(bashing the Belgian style in general). He has brewed several award winning beers without even trying (someone else entered the beer in the contest without his knowing). This guy has made incredible IPAs, Porters, ESBs, Scotch Ales, Wheat Ales, Barley Wines, NB Ales, Stouts, etc.
SO what is the deal? Are there many other brewers out there that think this way? That Belgians are "just weird" that that they "break all the rules". I dont understand this at all. I think some Belgian beers are the best brews I have ever tasted.
Please enlighten me.
~S.T. Out