Tha Mossop's Belgian Beer Info

UK citizens who like to go down the pub can be divided into a few catagories.. These could be perhaps those who..

  • 1. don't actually drink
  • 2. drink wines or spirits
  • 3. appreciate a good ale/beer/lager & like to try new drinks
  • 4. don't care what they drink as long as it's alcoholic
  • 5. opt for the cheapest beer most of the time (esp. students - I was there once)
  • 6. tend to go for the 1 that's considered best by the majority of visitors to that pub (9/10 it's Stella where I live)
  • 7. stick with one drink and don't drink anything else if possible


    • Now ok, there are people who would class themselves as in a mixture of these catagories and I'm sure there may be some pub goers who don't consider themselves in any of them.

    I myself would consider myself to be 3 but often fall into 6 as there isn't a lot of chance to try other beers in Gloucester on the city pub crawls.. I do like to visit other places.. The best time is in the summer where we can cycle to places such as The Boat with it's always changing selection of real ales and pictoresque setting in Ashleworth or The Belgian Monk with it's proper Belgian beers in Cheltenham..

    You don't have to be a traveller or connoisseur of beers though to enjoy the delights of a good Belgian beer.. You just have to find a pub/off licence that sells one or two near you as they are becoming more common place in the High street.. Oddbins, Wine Rack & Majestic Wine are 3 nationwide UK chains that sell them at the moment.. There are many types of beer and over 500 different beers from Belgian itself, so I thought I'd give a little bit of info to get the curious person started..

    If you are seriously interested I have bought packs and crates from a mail order company, of which there are a few in the UK, that sell beer from around the world.. The place I goto is Beer-Ritz and they provide an excellent service.. Everytime I used them the P&P is always about £2 and sometimes there have used huge boxes full of packaging - sometimes more I've thought necessary but they DO do a good job of making sure the stuff gets to you in 1 piece and you can email them for info too - I do recommend this company..

    Blondes, Browns, Doubles & Tripples?

    These are a number of catagories that you might find a belgian beer in and these are by no means exhaustive but it might give you no idea where to start.. What should you try first?.. Depends what you like really.. I, myeslf have never had a bad tripple or 'tripel' as they say in Belgium.. Often, though not always, Blondes are lot softer and lighter to drink, Browns or Bruins are as it sounds the darker of the beers.. Doubles or Dubbels often fit into this catagory too - They tend to have a dark brown smooth texture.. Tripels are often the stronger of the range with usually a golden colour and you can often taste the alcohol presence, but as a complement to the taste of the drink..

    It is to do with the amount of malt that is put in them so I believe combined with fermentation process.. Doubles have twice the amount of malt and are thus fermented twice for example and Tripples I beleive 3 times.. But it is not the amount of malt alone that dictates their strength & taste - They are brewed in different styles also.. Possibly: Once in the cask, once in bottle, etc.. but it all adds to the flavour and taste of the beer - not just the strength - although often it is strong too which makes it even better in my opinion..My first Belgian beer was a Blonde and then we had the Dubbel, eventually the Tripel and each time it got better in my opinion.

    They don't always call them by these names.. They often also make up there own names for a version of their beer.. A Cuvee, for example is a name given to a seasonal (often Christmas) version of their beer so I am told - often only sold for a limited time..

    Why to try?

    Something that might put people off trying them is the cost and the quantity.. For a start, over in the UK, if you manage to find a place that does sell Belgian beer they are usually more expensive than your average beer and they tend to come in smaller size servings.. Usually 330ml bottles although it doesn't change if it's on tap as all Belgian beers have their own glass.. The dining and drinking experience in Belgium is taken very seriously wherever you go and even the bottle water and diet versions of drinks have their own glasses. The customers enjoyment is their priority over there and no expense should be spared.

    Most people would be happy spending their £2 on their pint of Fosters, Grolsch, Carling or Stella and would think it a bit silly to pay more for less of a drink that they don't even know if they are going to like especially if it's a night out with the lads and the places not selling beglian beer are far more lively and inviting for that crowd at first glance.. But I was there.. I felt the same thing and it wasn't 'til I tried the beer that my life changed and those other beers just don't cut the mark at all anymore.. Sure I drink em but I know what I'd rather be drinking any day.. It was is worth paying more for them.. Trust me.. Try one or two and if you like beer, you'll agree..

    The beers..

    These aint proper reviews that harp on about the aromatic flavour and the aftertaste and all that mallarkey - this are here to give you an idea - that's all.. If you want more information on what they taste like, Mark of TGC is the connoisseur out of us lot and you can give him an email to ask him for his opinions if you want.. Here we go anyway with my quick rundown..

  • Stella
    Let's get one thing clear here.. Stella is a lager pilsner rather than a beer.. A lot of people over here consider this to be the best mainstream lager the UK sells but in Belgium it is just a weak pilsner that is nowhere near the best they offer and isn't regarded anywhere near as highly by most over there.. It's a nice taste, but there are lot better drinks out there..


  • Jupiler
    Another lager.. Widespread over in Belgium.. This is considered to be the best mainstream lager in Belgium by most of those I met out there.. There are two versions I believe of this drink a normal approx 5% one and a 0.5% low alcohol version. The normal one tastes pretty good as far as lagers go.


  • Duvel
    Probably the most well known Belgian beer over here. Dark and at 8.5% a nice introduction to world of their beers.. You can't go wrong with this one.. It actually means Devil in English but it aint that evil.. A similar beer to this is Hapkin.. Another one to look out for..


  • Leffe
    Well there's Leffe Blonde, Bruin, Tripel, Radieous & Vielle Cuvee - My favourite being the last although I do drink more of the Bruin which is a calm 6.5% as this can be bought like Duvel from most of those places that sell Belgian beer over here. All of these are well worth drinking, and if you find anywhere selling Vielle Cuvee, I would be very interested as this beer was limited over here and I can't find any anymore.


  • Tongerlo
    Another beer that comes in many catagories.. Mixture catagories such as a dubbel-blonde and a dubbel-bruin for example, but they do make for very drinkable drinks. Not a common drink to find over here in my experience but another one you can't go wrong with.


  • Grimbergen
    The beer that started it all for me. Used to be the main beer sold at The Belgian Monk when I first discovered this place and they sold a Blonde, which was okay, a Dubbel which tasted great. Eventually we discovered the Trippel at 9% which was just lush and then the Optimo Bruno at 10% which was just knockout. My fave is the Trippel. It was a damn good introduction to their beer for us, let's put it that way.


  • Kasteel
    Kasteel comes in Dark or Light varieties both of which are 11%.. The dark is my all time favourite.. First tried this in a belgian pub I found in Tenerife and was well impressed - though I was impressed to find a belgian pub out there fullstop. My experience is that women may prefer the lighter version and lads the darker but that's just what I have seen.. The Belgian Monk want almost £4 for this drink but we buy it every time.. It may cost more than two pints of your Stella, etc. in some places but believe me the taste and the effect it has is worth every penny..


  • Judas
    I found this one a few times in the UK - The Belgian Monk have always sold it and it is a good 9% beer.. There are a string of beers with evil sounding names such as Lucifer (another good one I have tried), Damien.. Can't remember them all but you get the idea..


  • Delerium & La Guillotine
    Both made by the Huyghe brewery who say, 'A beer brewed with love, is drunk in the right mind'. Delerium is my second favourite with a powerful kick at 9% and taste to boot, this is really an exceptional beer. La Guillotine is also exceptional mind at I think about the same abv.


  • Piraat & Gulden Draak
    These two come from the Van Steenberge brewery and are other fine examples of Belgian beer that have to get a mention here. At 10.5% and 10% respectively they are strong too as well as tasting excellent.. Well recommended, especially by Mark..


  • Chimay
    Coming in White, Blue and Red varieties this is another good one. The red not being as good in my opinion as the others but still good all the same.. At the time of writing, for under a tenner you can a presentation pack of two of each of these and a glass from Majestic Wine - Needless to say I have a few of them as that is good value without the glass.


  • Karmeliet
    Tripel Karmeliet one is quite common in the off licences that sell Belgian beer.. Tis a distinctive taste but it's nice all the same.. and reasonably priced too where I've found it.. Definately worth trying..


  • Hoegaarden
    They tend to be a wheat beer.. Very cloudy and their main beer is sold on tap in quite a few places now.. Even seen this being served in the Queen Vic on Eastenders.. It's not one I like.. Wheat beers have a much different taste and either you like them or you don't and other wheat ones I have tried don't taste much cop to me either.. A lot of decent German beers tend to be wheat based so I am told.. Not all Hoegaarden beers taste the same though: Forbidden Fruits and Grand Cru are excellent beers they make.. Worth checking those out, but you shouldn't avoid trying their main beer just I cause I say so - just if you don't like, don't let it put you off Belgian beers altogether - in fact, never let one beer put you of trying others.


  • Lindemans / Belle Vue
    Both of these do a selection of Lambic beers.. These are (usually fruit) flavoured ones and there are other breweries that do them too, but these are the ones that the Hogshead chain do/used to sell (well our local Hogshead have either been taken over or never have any in stock nowadays) if I recall correctly.. Off the top of my head there are Kriek which is cherry, Frambose which is raspberry, but I can't remember the rest.. These are again a different taste to those mentioned previously.. Not majorly a fan of these tho I do try em if they are new to me. I fail to believe (although this is not fact and is just my opinion) that the recent fruit flavoured mainstream beer that has was advertised on TV a little while back is anything like these in terms of taste, but i have yet to try them.


  • Maredsous
    The tripel is great tasting and at 10%, an all round good beer so definately worth a mention..


  • Westmalle
    Coming in a Doubbel and a Tripel, this is a fine trappist ale.. Well worth checking out..



    • There are too many beers to list here so this is just a few that come to my mind. Do try some if you get a chance as you don't know what you're missing if you don't.