Confession About Belgian Beers

[itsme_timd]

I LOVE BELGIANS. Definitely my favorite style. My favorites are Rochefort 10, Duvel, La Chouffe, Kwak, La Trappe Quad, Gulden Draak... I could go on but I would say if you try a La Trappe Quad or a Rochefort 10 and don't care for them then you officially just plain don't like Belgians.

 

[phuff7129]

My favorite Belgian is Duvel, which is a golden strong ale. Super dry and carbonated with a wonderful malt character and not a lot of funk. It is the best example of a Belgian golden strong ale.
Another favorite is Saison DuPont. Again very light in color and body, very dry, high carbonation, and very complex Malt and spice character. I would not cal it funky.

 

[b-boy]

Experiment #1: Delirium Tremens

I popped this open about an hour ago. Very higly carbonated and the whitest head I have ever seen. I poured it into a regular mixing glass since I posess no fancy beerware. The first pour was 3/4 foam.

I took a sniff and I immediately recognized the 'funky Belgian' scent coming off this beer. Tastewise, it was pretty subdued, but it was still there. Rather than embracing it I found myself trying to keep the beer toward the back of my throat to avoid the aftertaste. I don't know why I don't like the flavor. It's not bad, but it's not good either. To me it is just a bit unpleasant. I can't explain it. After about 20 minutes it was a lot more palatable, but that could just be the 8.5% ABV talking.

I googled this beer and it is highly praised everwhere. It was voted best beer in the world in 2008. I'm just not getting it. It is a cool bottle though. Oh well, tomorrow I'll give the Delerium Nocturnus a try.

 

[Cyclman]

I adore Belgos, the older the better.

But not all beers are for everyone. I think Flying Dog Raging Bitch is an awesome Belgo IPA. If you don't enjoy that, then the Belgos are just not for you. They do eat their fries with Mayo after all, not for everyone.

 

[Apendecto]

I'm with you man. USA! USA!

 

[b-boy]

I adore Belgos, the older the better.

But not all beers are for everyone. I think Flying Dog Raging Bitch is an awesome Belgo IPA. If you don't enjoy that, then the Belgos are just not for you. They do eat their fries with Mayo after all, not for everyone.

I've had fries with mayo. I had an English friend who used to eat them that way. They are pretty good. Not as good as poutine, but pretty good.

I've also had Raging Bitch. Didn't like it.

I'm not giving up yet. I will find a Belgian I like. I've switched to Arrogant Bastard for now though.

 

[AggieBrewer01]

...I don't know why I don't like the flavor. It's not bad, but it's not good either. To me it is just a bit unpleasant. I can't explain it. ...

B-boy,

Do you like other styles of beer that are yeast-focused?

For a long time, I didn't like Hefeweizens. I liked lots of different lagers, ales, pales ales, IPAs, etc. But I didn't like 'wheat beers,' as I called them at the time. I thought that wheat gave a beer some sort of funky taste.

I had been brewing for more than a year before I realized that the esters and phenols produced by different yeast strains varied so greatly. I learned that the flavors I detected in 'wheat beers' were not from the wheat, but from the yeast. Once I realized this, I was able to focus more on the different flavors contributed by the yeast in beers, and learn to appreciate them. I must say that I've made a 180 and now like most Hefes I taste. In fact, I have a keg of my honey wheat conditioning in the kegerator right now. And I happen to have a Belgian Witbier brewed w/ Wyeast 3944 in primary.

I agree with Thood that you should give Hoegaarden a shot. It's a Belgian Witbier, which is great for summertime. I think it's a good beer for you to try because it's a lighter beer - you won't get a lot of malty flavors - and you will be able to taste the flavors produced by the yeast. Keep in mind that they brew this beer with orange peel and coriander, so those flavors aren't from the yeast. I'm sure someone will argue with me that there's a better witbier out there, but Hoegaarden's easy to drink and I like it.

Cheers!

 

[dabeers]

I haven't had too many commercial belgians, but I find myself consistently brewing them. Love me some WLP 550. Use it for blondes/doubles/tripples, and also fun to use for belgian IPAs. Definitely don't brew 5gallons of a style you don't like, but personally I dig the belgian yeast. Looking forward to trying 3711 in a few styles this summer.

 

[bobmcstuff]

I adore Belgos, the older the better.

But not all beers are for everyone. I think Flying Dog Raging Bitch is an awesome Belgo IPA. If you don't enjoy that, then the Belgos are just not for you. They do eat their fries with Mayo after all, not for everyone.

I've had the Raging Bitch, I didn't think it was as "Belgian" as I was expecting. Just an IPA with Belgian yeast, pretty nice but I think calling it a Belgian style beer is a bit of a stretch! Particularly since very hoppy beers aren't exactly the epitome of traditional Belgian beer styles.

As someone mentioned above the Saison Dupont is nice.

 

[mikeysab]

Try a saison dupont or a Ommegang terrapin. Saison is a easy drinker and one of my favorite styles. I cant imagine anyone drinking a Chimay Premiere and not liking it. But everyone has different tastes so i get it.

 

[beergolf]

Belgian beers are different. If you don't like the yeast funk then you don't like it. Everyone has different tastes.

I personally love Belgians and brew them often. The only thing about them is the fact that many are high ABV beers and you cannot drink them all the time. A good BDSA is one of my favorites, but I cannot drink them every day. I have been working on brewing a low ABV Belgian style beer for every day drinking. I am getting very close to a good recipe, with a lot of the Belgian flavor without a high ABV.

 

[b-boy]

B-boy,

Do you like other styles of beer that are yeast-focused?

For a long time, I didn't like Hefeweizens. I liked lots of different lagers, ales, pales ales, IPAs, etc. But I didn't like 'wheat beers,' as I called them at the time. I thought that wheat gave a beer some sort of funky taste.

I think some of the English ales are fairly yeast-forward. I've had some German ales that had a strong yeast profile as well. It's just a different flavour than the Belgian yeasts. I'm not a huge fan of heffes. I've tried a few. I just didn't care for them that much.

I've had some OK witbiers. I may try picking up a few of those.

 

[LBussy]

Been a Belgian fan for a long time. Sort of like anything else though; you need to get something you can enjoy drinking first so you can develop a palate for it.

The recommendation for the Chimay Tripel (White) is a solid one, and given what I've said above it is a recommendation I'd feel good about. The Chimay Première (Red) might also be a good one to try. They are Trappist ales but they are archetypal of the styles presented (White = Belgian Tripel, Red = Belgian Dubbel) and both have less of the "barnyard" notes and more of the classic fruitiness. If you can't like these then maybe you won't like Belgians. Do get them from a place that treats the bottles right and has a good turnover (of stock, not help).

Also, these are the more expensive beers however a short pour, making sure not to pull any yeast over might be a good idea for you as you try this out.

 

[marty1776]

Try letting those beers warm up to around 50deg or so, if that's not already been said. I don't really think most Belgians you'll find will be "funky", just hallmarked by the yeast and fermentation characteristics. Delerium Tremens is amazing, try Duvel, as mentioned. Tripels are a great start. I'm not a fan of American wits because the coriander is over the top, so don't write them off if you haven't had a true Belgian Wit. New Belgium's Tripel is very good and easy to enjoy in my opinion. Ommegang and Unibroue are fantastic examples of Belgian styles. Have fun!!

 

[b-boy]

Saturday I took a run over to my local beer store to pick out some of the Belgians you guys mentioned. I didn't go to the 'good' beer store, so I had limited selection.

My first impression in the Belgian aisle was a bit of sticker shock. $13 is a lot of money for a bottle of beer I may not like. Everything came in very large bottles too, so if I didn't like it there would be a lot of it to finish. Luckily I was returning a keg, so I had my $30 deposit to offset my purchases. Using my wife's accounting methods the beer was free.

I picked up a bottle of the ABT 12, Stone Cali Belgique, and a 3-pack sampler of Chimay that included a proper chalice (Now I don't have to drink my beer like a hillbilly).

I haven't tried the ABT 12 or the Stone Cali Belgique yet.

Experiment #2: Chimay -
I popped open 2 bottles of the Chimay. I still have a bottle of the Blue Chimay that I haven't tried yet. I tried the Trippel (yellow) and the Dubbel (red). Both were good. I detected a very small hint of the 'funk' I've experienced in the past with Belgians. It was there, but it didn't really hinder my enjoyment. Actually, it worked well with the other flavors. I could definitely drink either of these again. I liked the Trippel best.

Overall, I'd give them a 2 out of 10 on the Belgian Funk-O-Meter. For comparison's sake I'd say the Delerium Tremens registered at about 7 on the Belgian Funk-O-Meter. In my case the lower the number = less funk = the better I like it.

Thanks for the suggestions on these. I appreciate all the responses.

 

[BBQB]

I crave the funk

 

[stpug]

I would HIGHLY recommend you try the following two USA-brewed belgians. Both are inexpensive, come in 12 oz, and great places to start:

Allagash White
North Coast Brewing PranQster

I seriously think you will rate Allagash White at 9 or 10 out of 10 - SERIOUSLY. Fan-fricking-tastic and doesn't make me think Belgian much at all (maybe this is cheating but it's still considered a belgian beer).

PranQster is much more traditional belgian strong golden but for some reason I like it quite a bit - the cheap price certainly helps . Overall I think it just has a nice balance of funk, alcohol, fruit, and dryness for a great price.

 

[ivegot2legs]

I'm with the OP. I enjoy lambics or sours, but not much else. People in my local club love making dubbel, triple, and quad, along with witte and others. It's all they make and they get so excited about it, and I just find it boring.

 

[HopHeadHarry]

I would disagree that you will necessarily "develop a taste" for them or that "your palate will mature". I have given them a fair try for years and still find them offensive. Stone's Cali-Belgique would be one of the few I ever repeated and found tolerable.

So, if you be so poor as to not develop a taste for them so be it. Even though so many brewers commercial and home believe that Belgium is the New Black, luckily we can agree to disagree and still be respected as connoisseurs of fine beers.

 

[b-boy]

It's weird because there are very few things I don't like. In fact i'm having a hard time coming up with any other flavour I don't care for except licorice. Even then, i'll eat it if it's offered to me. I'm glad to hear i'm not the only one who has a bad reaction to the taste.

 

[LBussy]

Hey I like all music but the Grateful Dead so I understand. .

 

[tgmartin000]

You started with some serious beers. I'd say start with some easy drinking beers. Try some wit. Very low on the funk. Then try some small saison. Great divide makes a beer called Collette that is incredible. Light and dry, just a little tart and fruity.

I think once you get the taste for some lighter beers you can get on to the funkier stuff, tripel, ipa, golden strong, etc.

At least that is what did it for me.

 

[marty1776]

Tripels hooked me. Most any tripel is a treat. There is a homebrew contest in my area each year. It's decided by votes from the attendees...no official judges. My friends and I theorized that a sweetish, fruity, warming tripel would be a sure bet for success.

 

[orangehero]

What do you guys mean by funk? I look for spice and fruit from regular Belgian yeast. British ales are pretty fruity too...I believe the yeast used for Duvel orginally came from an English ale (Scotch ale?). Only thing I consider funk comes from Brett...like Orval is funky.

 

[Diaperload]

On the opposite side, I run from anything with the word farmhouse in it. Whenever I've tried farmhouse ales I fell like i'm drinking water someone used to wring out their gym socks.

I couldn't agree more with you regarding farmhouse stuff. Reminds me of dirty dishes in the sink.

However, I really like most every other Belgian. That St. Bernardus 12 is fantastic.

 

[Malty_Dog]

Ommegang Abbey Dubbel was all I needed to know I love Belgians. I absolutely love the funk and now saisons are my latest infatuation. I know my buddies aren't wild about saisons though. I generally love trying new foods, especially bold or spicy flavors so maybe that plays into it somehow as well. Are you (OP) a fan of trying new foods? Many folks around here seem to like what they like (PA Dutch meat and potatoes) and don't like to deviate from that. Anywho, to each their own!

 

[b-boy]

Ommegang Abbey Dubbel was all I needed to know I love Belgians. I absolutely love the funk and now saisons are my latest infatuation. I know my buddies aren't wild about saisons though. I generally love trying new foods, especially bold or spicy flavors so maybe that plays into it somehow as well. Are you (OP) a fan of trying new foods? Many folks around here seem to like what they like (PA Dutch meat and potatoes) and don't like to deviate from that. Anywho, to each their own!

I'm pretty adventurous. Think Andrew Zimmern. I ate Guinae Pigs (Cuy) in Peru. I ate '1000-year old eggs', scorpions, and the webbing between a duck's toes in China. I'll try anything once.

There are few things I don't like.

 

[mb82]

If you don't like Belgian beers that is fine. Not every style is for everyone. I like Belgian beers personally, several of my buddies don't like them. Personally I don't like onions, odd yes, but it is something I can't get a taste for.

 

[Malty_Dog]

Wow, well that's another theory shot to hell

 

[BreezyBrew]

I would HIGHLY recommend you try the following two USA-brewed belgians. Both are inexpensive, come in 12 oz, and great places to start:

Allagash White
North Coast Brewing PranQster

I seriously think you will rate Allagash White at 9 or 10 out of 10 - SERIOUSLY. Fan-fricking-tastic and doesn't make me think Belgian much at all (maybe this is cheating but it's still considered a belgian beer).

PranQster is much more traditional belgian strong golden but for some reason I like it quite a bit - the cheap price certainly helps . Overall I think it just has a nice balance of funk, alcohol, fruit, and dryness for a great price.

+1
Two great beers I would drink anytime.