Belgium

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Beers 21 - 40 of 52:

Liefmans, Dentergems Witbier Riva Blanche (Belgium) This Belgian witbier pours a pale, cloudy yellow with a high-rising, fluffy white head. The nose is filled with citrus and cool apple aromas, with very little spice or clove, and just a hint of toffee emerging. In the mouth it is fresh and medium bodied, with plenty of pale, lemon and underripe pear fruit, a refreshing, dry acidity, and again just hints of toffee or honey adding a little sweetness and depth. Lacks complexity, but an enjoyable, refreshing witbier. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.59, Beersofeurope, Onlyfinebeer, Beerritz, Sainsbury's.

Liefmans, Frambozenbier (Belgium) Not a lambic beer like many other belgian fruit beers, but a Flemish brown ale flavoured with raspberries that comes in a Champagne-style corked bottle. It pours a deep, warm brown colour with a thick cream-coloured head. The nose has a very complex nose, with balsamic notes, cough-syrup and a deep-set rasberry fruitiness. There's a really concentrated Victory V lozenge spice and warmth. On the palate it is more substantial than most fruit lambics I've tried, with a full, rich texture and the sweetness of the fruit balanced against a lot of richness and treacly dark flavours. There is a nice bitter, even slightly sour finish, in a lovely beer. 4.5% ABV, 37.5cl, �2.29, Asda, Beersofeurope, Luvians, Beerritz.

Liefmans, Kriek (Belgium) Like Liefmans' Framboise beer, this is a Flemish brown beer flavoured with cherries, so is a much darker, less vibrant colour than some Lambic cherry beers. It has a tall, pink-coloured head. On the nose there is a lovely subtley about this beer, with a definite aroma of luscious, ripe cherries, but also a smokiness and toffeed depth and nice sour suggestion of lemons. On the palate the rich, generous flavours continue, with plenty of sweet and sour cherry flavour, but a very grown-up, complex array of fruity, salty and bittersweet notes that makes this much more complex and fascinating than many krieks, whilst still being easy to drink. 6.0% ABV, 37.5cl, �2.29, Asda, Luvians, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, independents.

Lindemans, Cassis (Belgium) This beer pours a dark, vivid purple/black with a mauve-tinted head. On the nose there is a soaring cassis and fruit pastille character, with just a hint of something a little sour beneath. On the palate it is rich and mouthfilling, and an immediate flood of Ribena-like sweet blackcurrant washes over the tongue. This beer is noticeably heavier than the Kriek, with a weighty texture and a subtle undertow of toasty malt bread. The acidity is soft, but a suggestion of blackcurrant skin tartness does add some freshness on the finish. 3.5% ABV, 37.5cl, �2.19, Oddbins.

Lindemans, Kriek (Belgium) Kriek is traditionally made with fresh local black cherries of the district, though some makers now use the pulp of the fresh cherries which extends the beer's season. This beer pours an astonishingly bright, garish purple pink with a vividly pink head. The nose is suffused with the aroma of cherries, very specifically of Amerena cherries and a little edge of Bazooka Joe bubblegum. There is a hint of wheat beer sourness in the background. On the palate it is dense and full, with loads of cherry fruited sweetness. This is just a fun drink, with little beer character to speak of, and some might look for a little more bite, it is delicious in its own way and once of the great beer experiences everyone should try. 3.5% ABV, 37.5cl, �1.89, Oddbins.

Lindemans, Pecheresse (Belgium) The peach-flavoured Lambic is an extraordinarily light 2.5% ABV, and pours with a lovely orangy-peach colour and white head. On the nose this is the least fruity, with a distinct wheat-beer note. On the palate it is quite full and rolling, coating the palate with a sweet-edged blast of peach fruit, and a nicely sour tang of wheaty flavour and acidity. It is soft and easy to drink, but that little bite plays against the sweetness and keeps it very moreish. Because of that, that I slightly preferred this to the cassis, and it would be a sensational summer-in-the-garden drink with that low alcohol. For that purpose, it is excellent. 2.5% ABV, 37.5cl, �2.15, Oddbins.

Orval, Trappist Beer (Belgium) An authentic monastary-brewed Trappist beer, Orval pours a cloudy, brassy/orange colour with a huge white head that leaves a thick lacing on the side of the glass. It has a nicely sour, bready nose - a bit like sourdough bread in fact - with some nettly qualities and a distincy note of clove. It is a much more grassy, hoppy beer than most other Trappist ales I've tried. On the palate it is quite fizzy and sour, with a lambic-like quality, lemony fruit and a whole array of spice flavours of nutmeg, clove and anise. There's something slightly tinny too. I like other Trappist beers more, but concede this is wonderful stuff that is complex and unusual. 6.2% ABV, 33cl, �1.79, Luvians, Peckhams.

Palm Brewery, Rodenbach Classic (Belgium) A very singular style of beer that is flooded with sweet and sour flavours, partly brought about by wild yeast fermentation, and partly by a percentage of the beer being matured in wooden casks for two years before blending with younger beer and bottling. It pours a really deep red/nut brown colour with a fawn-coloured head. The nose is sour and filled with underripe cherries and Cox's Pippin, wintery apple notes. There's a suggestion of cream or chocolate and a herbal note too in a very complex profile. On the palate this tangy, quite light-bodied beer is flooded with sour, lemony fruit and more of that cherry flavour. There's all sorts of non-fruit and non-malt stuff going on, though I detect just a hint of hollowness on the mid-palate. It finishes with tangy, lively, sour flavours. Terrific stuff, though I wonder if the Grand Cru version might fill that slight hole in the flavour profile? I also suspect this will really split drinkers into love it and hate it camps. 5.0% ABV, 25cl, �0.99, Beersofeurope, Beerritz.

Riva, (for Marks & Spencer) Biere Blanche (Belgium) Brewed by Riva for M&S; (Riva is the parent company of brands like Liefmans). This white beer pours in a swirling pale lemon cloud, with a thick, fluffy, persistent head. The nose is quite mild, with a definite spiciness and lemon aroma, and something nutty and appley too. On the palate there is a real ginger beer quality to this, with plenty of Christmassy spice, that core of quite fine lemon fruit, and a sweetning lick of malt that builds in the finish. A touch too sweet perhaps, but very drinkable. 5.0% ABV, 50cl, �1.99, Marks & Spencer.

Rochefort, Trappistes Rocherfort 8 (Belgium) From the Belgian Ardennes abbey of St Remy, this is the middle level beer from Rochefort, number 8 (sometimes known as "Rochefort green"). It pours a deep chestnut brown with a high-rise cream head, that is pillowy and dense. It has a fabulous nose, laden with complex layers of nuts, chocolate, sour plum and fig, with nuances of cherry and vegetal, damp undergrowth aromas. In the mouth, this has a luxurious texture, and slightly smoky, charry flavours give way to a mid-palate of earthy, sour fruits and a quality of spiced mulled wine. There's a dark sweetness here, balanced by roasted flavours and a tingle of peppery spice on the finish. What a great beer. 9.2% ABV, 33cl, �2.25, Luvians, Onlyfinebeer, Peckhams.

Stella Artois (InBev), Artois Bock (Belgium) Introduced late in 2005, Artois Bock represents a move by industry giant InBev to expand the massively popular Stella "brand" into other products, many based on traditional recipes. This is a strong, bottom-fermented beer, with a coppery colour and decent off-white head. The nose is immediately powerful, with malt dominating and a winey character suggesting alcoholic weight and sweetness. On the palate it is smooth and extremely dense and rich, with sweetness the overwhelming impression. Some bitter chicory and lightly chocolaty notes come through, and though this remains a little too sweet without enough hop and bitter presence, it is quite an enjoyable strong beer. 6.2% ABV, 33cl, �1.29, Majestic, Sainsbury's.

Timmermans, Tradition Gueuze Lambic (Belgium) This is a spontaneously-fermented Gueuze, a mix of young and old lambic beers. A sour beer, it pours a slightly hazy medium gold, with a fast-fading white head. The nose has a subtle background maltiness, with vegetal and citrus aromas on top, and a little touch of seaweed. On the palate it is sour and lemony, with quite a full mousse and some tart cherry-like flavours. It doesn't have great length, but is a refreshing Gueuze beer of good quality. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.49, Peckhams.

Van Honsebrouck, Bacchus (Belgium) This Flemish brown ale pours a nice mahoganny brown with a thin, fawn-coloured head. It has an attractive honey, spice and sour cherry nose, that is quite mead-like and vinous. On the palate it is quite smooth and there is an initial hint of sweetness that is soon overtaken by a raft of sour, lemon and cherry in a sweet 'n sour combination that is very enjoyable. It doesn't have huge length, nor huge complexity, but is delicious. 4.5% ABV, 25cl, �0.99, Beersofeurope.

Van Honsebrouck, Brigand (Belgium) This top fermented strong ale from Van Honsebrouck pours a medium yellow/gold, with a puffy off-white head that disippates quite quickly. There's a big hit of clove and estery, floral and confectionery notes that is very wheat beer-like, as well as plenty of malty sweetness. On the palate there's a thwack of alcohol that is immediately hot and powerful, with a thick, almost oily texture and a burgeoning sweetness. The intense sweetness builds, with honey and biscuit, and a background of orangy fruit. There is a high level of carbonation that is rather fizzy and numbs the tip of the tongue, then spices, especially clove and cinammon, build again into the finish again. An arresting and powerful beer, and would have scored more highly but for that tongue-numbing carbonation. 9.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.35, Belgianbeerclub, Onlyfinebeer.

Van Honsebrouck, Gueuze Fond Tradition (Belgium) A blend of old and young lambic beers with secondary fermentation in the Champagne-corked bottle, this pours a lightly hazy pale gold with a thin white head. The nose is high and estery, with floral and herbal, even slightly medicinal notes as well as plenty of citrus and a hint of overrripe, rotting oranges. On the palate there is a pure, glacial blast of lemony sharp, very sour and acidic fruit. It is lean and linear, racy across the the tongue with decisive pith and punch into a long finish. There are hints of oatmeally, grain and rice notes, but nothing stops the vivid thrust of lemony sourness. 5.0% ABV, 37.5cl, �2.49, Onlyfinebeer.

Van Honsebrouck, Kasteel Blonde 2004 (Belgium) This twice-fermented beer weighs in with a punishing 11% ABV, and bears the inscription "Brewed anno 2004". It pours a light barley-sugar colour with a creamy, thick head. The nose is sweet and immediately powerful, with an intensity that is bright and fruity but very alcoholic. On the palate it is thick-textured and very concentrated, with the sweetness adding a creamy, palate-coating texture, but reserves of citrus acidity and sweet, raw malt - not toasty, but thick and rich with some oatmeally notes and great thrust of clove, ginger and spices into the finish. 11.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.99, Cave Direct, Beersofeurope, Beerritz.

Van Honsebrouck, Kasteel Brune 2004 (Belgium) Brewed in 2004, this very strong, brown, top-fermented beer pours a rich, deep, treacle brown with a thick tan head. On the nose there is a carpet of dark, mollases and rum-soaked raisin fruit aromas, that are dense and suggest great depth. On the palate a luscious, mouthfilling sweetness floods over the tongue, with flavours of sugary black Cuban coffee, roasted black fruits and a suggestion of chocolate. There is plenty of spice, with a pepper and ginger quality, and just enough refreshing acidity right in the finish to stop this being cloying, and make it dangerously drinkable. 11.0% ABV, 33cl, �1.95, Beersofeurope, The Offie, Onlyfinebeer, Beerritz.

Van Honsebrouck, St Louis Cassis (Belgium) Ribena is the unmistakable first impression on the nose of this deep, deep crimson-coloured fruit beer, which has a moderate magenta head. It is hard to get past that essence of blackcurrant (25% fruit used in the brewing process), but there is a touch of sour lemon and of hops. On the palate this is quite nicely judged, with a balance between tart blackcurrant skins and lemon and a fruity sweetness. There's not much in the way of bite, but it is not cloying either. A successful and enjoyable fruit beer. 3.6% ABV, 25cl, �1.25, 1516 Beer Co, Beersofeurope, Onlyfinebeer, Beerritz.

Van Honsebrouck, St Louis Faro (Belgium) Faro is a sweet version of a Lambic beer, brewed with sugar candy in this case. It pours a coppery colour with a ruby core, and has a fluffy off-white head. On the nose it has very bright, fruity, cherry cola aromas, with red liquorice and a hint of sour lemony character beneath. On the palate it is quite full and sumptuous, flooding across the tongue with intense sweetness, like very ripe berry fruits with a dollop of sugar, before a nice sour, citrus flavour starts to cut in, and gives the beer balance. It is still a sweet finishing beer that some will find cloying, but in fact it does seem balanced and well made to me. 3.2% ABV, 25cl, brewery website.

Van Honsebrouck, St Louis Gueuze Lambic (Belgium) Pouring a darkish golden brown with a fairly thin off-white head, St Louis Gueuze has a nose of sour green apples that is quite typical, but also a certain sense of toffeed sweetness, and a slightly sulphury, mineral note. On the palate it is quite an intensely-flavoured beer, that seems a little fizzy and frisky, and is soon overtaken by a sweetness that overpowers the apple and straw-like fruit flavours. In truth it is a touch saccharin, and though pleasant enough, not a patch on the best gueuze examples. 4.5% ABV, 25cl, �0.99, Beersofeurope.