Help with Belgians

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
I'm going to a Belgian place tomorrow and I'm out of my depth with the fermented drinks list. (Cut and pasted from the website so all misspellings and grammatical voids are theirs.)

Can anyone recommend one or more of these? I like the sound of "twice the bitterness" but not if it's way out of balance. I've had Leffe, Chimay, and Duvel but I'm up for something more interesting. (And I recall really liking Gouden Carolus d'Or but they renamed it Cuvee Van de Keizer Blauw and now I think it's renamed again to Imperial Dark and anyway it's not on this list.)

Thanks for any guidance.

The Drafts

Curve BXL - Our house beer, Brussels-style amber ale 6%
Duvel Single - Single fermented Duvel, Lighter than original duvel 6.8%
Stella Artois - Crisp, clean lager, pale golden color 5.2%
Hoegaarden - Unfiltered original Belgian white 4.9%
Leffe Blond - Blond ale, sweet and malty slightly bitter finish 7.5%
Delirum Tremens - Belgian stong ale, crisp clean 8.5%
Houblon Chouffe - Belgian triple IPA hoppy and malty finish 9%
La Chouffe - Pale and dry with a crisp sweet finish 8%
Chimay Cinq Cents - Brewed to celebrate Chimay's 500th anniversary amber and day triple 8%
Rodenbach Grand Cru - Flanders red sour ale 6%
Tripel Karmeliet - Sweet three grain Triple 8.4%
De Koninck - Traditional Belgian Amber ale 5.2%
Lindemans Framboise - Raspberry Lambic ale 4%

The Bottles

Duvel - Classic golden ale, strong, malty, Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium 8.5%
Omer Blond - Traditional blond with 3 varieties of hops, Bellegem Belgium 8%
Leffe Brown - Belgian abbey beer with a deep brown color Leuven, Belgium 6.5%
Chimay Bleue - Originally brewed as a Christmas beer. Trappist. Scourmont, Belgium 9%
Chimay Rouge - Dark brown, fruity, slightly sweet. Bottle-conditioned. Trappist. Scourmont, Belgium 7%
Westmalle Dubbel - Dark brown, with hints of toffee. Trappist. Malle, Belgium 7%
Westmalle Tripel - Deep gold, herbal with malt sweetness. Trappist. Malle, Belgium 9.5%
Orval - Trappist. Amber, dry, and hoppy. Villers D'Orval 6.9%
Rochefort 10 - Dubbel-style trappist ale. Deep brown. Rochefort, Belgium 11.3%
Maredsous 8 - Top fermented beer, brewed according to Benedictine tradition. Refermented in the bottle. Puurs, Belgium 8%
Maredsous 10 - Strong golden tripel, brewed by Moortgat. Puurs, Belgium 10%
McChouffe - Dark hazed brown with a very thin head. D'Achouffe, Belgium 8%
Thorberg IPA - Pleasantly fruity & citrus nose and taste, Halen, Belgium 6.5%
St. Feuillien Saison - A traditional farmhouse ale La Roeulx, Belgium 6.5%
Kasteel Rouge - blend of Kasteel Donker and cherry liquor. Emelgem, Belgium 8%
Kwak - Amber and malty, Bosteels, Belgium 8%
Hennepin Saison - Spicy, sweet and tangy with hints of bitter Cooperstown, NY 7.7%
St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition - Blended Belgian lambic. Tart, sour and earthy. Ingelmunster, Belgium 7.5%
Poperings Hommel - This has twice the bitterness of other Belgians beers Watou, Belgium 7.5%
Petrus Aged Pale - our. Aged 18 months in Calvados oak barrels. Bavikhove, Belgium 7.3%
Gulden Draaak - A dark brown Triple Ale, Steenberge, Belgium 10.5%
Straffe Hendrik Tripel - Brugse-style Tripel. Deep golden ale Bruges, Belgium 9%
Corsendonk Brown Ale - Full-bodied dark brown chocolate and anise. Oud-Turnhout, Belgium 7.5%
Corsendonk Pale Ale - Golden, effervescent. Dry and bittersweet. Oud-Turnhout, Belgium 7.5%
Lindemans Kriek - 100% spontaneously fermented lambic. Aged 2 years with cherreis. Ingelmunster, Belgium 5%
Lindemans Lambic Ales - Peche - Peach / Pomme - Green Apple. Vlezenbeek, Belgium 4%
Boulevard The Dark Truth Stout - Barley, wheat, rye, oats are foundation for this stout. Kansas City 9.7.%
Magners Cider - Cider with a controlled yeast, Clonmel Ireland 4.5%
Stella Cidre - A Belgian cide with hand-picked apples 4.5%
Green Gluten Free (12.50oz) - A gluten free Belgian ale 5%
Bitburger Drive - Non-alcoholic beer 0.0%
 
I'm kind of a malt guy myself. And draft is always better than bottle, but mostly those drafts don't call me. Though I would be personally curious about the Chimay Cinq Cents. I love the Westmalles, Kwak. Keep in mind these age great in bottle, of course not for tomorrow but as a reference.
 
Yes, it's mostly the big names, and I would guess the choice ultimately comes down to what style(s) of beer you feel like drinking at the time.
 
As to the description you pulled out... Poperings Hommel is not overly bitter despite the text. These are mostly established, common brands, and the bitterness is relative to those same brands 20 years ago before IPAs and hop bombs were all the rage. An underappreciated beer compared to some of the more well-known names on that list.

If I were ordering, I'd start with the Duvel Single on tap. Not exciting necessarily, but balanced, dry, and refreshing. Very fine bubbles.

Rodenbach has gotten sweeter compared to the pre-Palm acquisition (itself then acquired) 15+ years ago, but the Grand Cru is still a solid beer and a historical reference point for red/brown sour ales. Hard to go wrong.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

Straffe Hendrik Tripel - Brugse-style Tripel. Deep golden ale Bruges, Belgium 9%
Click to expand...
...is what I chose. Served in its glass, of course (a large bowl with a turned-up lip). Not too fizzy, not too sweet.

Thank you to everyone who wrote back.
 
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