Think You Know Belgian Beer? Not Until You’ve Tried These Under-the-Radar Brewers

Listed by UNESCO as part of humanity’s ‘tangible cultural heritage,’ Belgian beer combines ancient tradition with modern tastes.

Belgium’s beer culture is renowned worldwide.

There are household brands from the world’s largest brewing company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, such as Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, and Leffe. There are the Trappist ales, produced within the walls of Cistercian monasteries, such as Orval, Westmalle, and Chimay. Then there are the lambics, from producers like Brasserie Cantillon and Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen.

There are also beers produced by multi-generational family breweries that have inspired enthusiasm internationally. Think of the iconic Duvel brand from the Moortgat dynasty, Delirium Tremens from Brouwerij Huyghe, or the powerful Bush beers of Brasserie Dubuisson.

These celebrated brews have made Belgian beer famous around the world. But under the hood of Belgium’s beer scene, beyond the big-name brands, exists a trove of breweries producing lesser known but distinctive, varied, and extraordinary beers.

Related: The Rise and Fall of Pilsner, the Original Pale Lager

These more unfamiliar beers offer exceptional quality, diversity, and character – so much so that they’ve helped Belgium become the only country in the world whose beer culture is recognized by UNESCO as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Whether you’re a seasoned beer enthusiast or a curious newcomer, here are 5 lesser-known Belgian beers to discover.

La Moneuse

Style: Strong amber saison (8% ABV)

Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies

La Moneuse is a strong amber saison brewed by Brasserie de Blaugies in the town of Dour, Belgium, near the country’s border with France. The beer’s name pays homage to a notorious 18th-century highway bandit with family ties to the brewery’s founders.

Antoine-Joseph Moneuse is thought to have committed more than 20 assassinations and 160 thefts over the course of his infamous career. In the late 18th century, he terrorized mansions and robbed stagecoaches with his Chauffeurs du Nord highway gang, reportedly burning victim’s feet in the fireplace to elicit confessions as to where they had hidden their gold.

The La Moneuse beer was the first beer brewed by Pierre-Alex Carlier and Marie-Noëlle Pourtois when they opened Brasserie de Blaugies in 1988. It’s a semi-dry, amber-colored saison with a honeyed, caramel maltiness and fermentation-forward fruit flavors of orange, peach, and apricot. The brewery’s proprietary Belgian ale yeast, developed by Carlier and Pourtois’ son, head brewer Kévin Carlier, ferments at unusually high temperatures (up to 93°F), producing the beer’s signature fruity ester profile.

Passe-Partout

Style: Gluten-free session IPA (3% ABV)

Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar

Ronald Mengerink of Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar strives to overcome boundaries through his beers. His brewery is aptly located in the Belgian enclave, Baarle Hertog, a piece of Belgian land located completely inside the Netherlands.

In Baarle, a “front-door rule” (voordeurregel) determines in which country a house is located by where its front door lies. The national boundaries were only finalized on maps in 1995. Famously, an 84-year-old Belgian woman woke up and discovered that the border had moved a few feet to the south, and that her front door was now in the Netherlands. A proud Belgian, her solution was to swap the door with the window on its left, effectively moving the house back into Belgium.

Much like Baarle, Mengerink defies categorization. He is a Dutchman who brews in a Belgian enclave. His beers have French names, many are brewed with American yeast strains, and most don’t fit any particular mold. Mengerink makes hoppy session beers, classic Belgian ales, and high-ABV, barrel-aged experiments.

Passe-Partout is Mengerinks’ gluten-free session IPA, a beer dominated by citrus, tropical fruit, and pine aromas and flavors. It’s named for a French term that refers to a master key, one that opens any lock. “Passe-partout is a card that gets you anywhere,” says Mengerink. “You can enter any place.”

Colleke

Style: Cream ale (4.5% ABV)

Brewery: Brouwerij de Coureur

Brouwerij de Coureur was founded in 2020 by Bart Delvaux and Ine Van der Stock, located in Kessel-Lo, a suburb of Leuven. The couple were inspired by their love of cycling and the taproom culture they discovered while living in the U.S.

Colleke is their 4.5% ABV cream ale, a crisp, easy-drinking brew with a sweet, cracker-like aroma, subtle floral hop notes, and a grainy, dry profile. Colleke, which translates to “small hill,” symbolizes the refreshing reward after a climb. Cream ale is a style first produced by American brewers in the mid 1800s to compete with the influx of European lagers. The “cream” in its name doesn’t refer to any dairy products, but rather its purported rich, silky mouthfeel. “It’s what the Americans call ‘a lawnmower beer,’” says Delvaux, of the thirst-quenching ale.

Despite opening during the COVID-19 pandemic, the brewery quickly became a beloved community hub, known for its family-friendly environment and cycling-themed decor. Colleke represents the couple commitment to creating a welcoming space for locals to enjoy a refreshing brew after a ride.

Vicaris Winter

Style: Winter ale (10% ABV)

Brewery: Brouwerij Dilewyns

Brouwerij Dilewyns was founded in 2005 by Vincent Dilewyns and his daughters, Claire, Anne-Cathérine, Julie, and Hélène. Vicaris Winter is their seasonal offering in the colder months. It’s a rich, dark reddish-brown ale with complex flavors of dark fruits, burnt caramel, hints of tobacco, and a warming, spicy finish that’s enhanced by licorice and star anise.

The city of Dendermonde in which the brewery is located has a tradition of seating four brothers on a massive model horse every ten years during their Ommegang festival. The spectacle celebrates the legend of the Ros Beiaard, a magical horse known for its strength and intelligence. Claire Dilewijns and her three sisters have historically been excluded from the tradition, which only features men. But the brewery Claire owns and runs produces beers which have become an integral part not only of the decennial Ommegang celebrations (Brouwerij Dilewyns brews the official festival beer) and life in the city year round.

A depiction of a horse carrying four people is featured in the logo for Brouwerij Dilewyns, and appears on every bottle and glass from the brewery today.

White Gold

Style: Witloof tripel (8% ABV)

Brewery: Brouwerij Hof ten Dormaal

White Gold is a Tripel produced by Brouwerij Hof ten Dormaal in Tildonk. It’s made with the roots of Belgian endive (witloof), adding a soft, lingering bitterness that complements a bready malt backbone alongside banana, citrus, and black pepper notes.

Hof ten Dormaal is a family-run brewery founded in 2009 by the Janssens family, who turned to brewing after patriarch André Janssens suffered a stroke and moved his family to a farm. The brewery’s use of witloof roots pays homage to their agricultural roots in Flemish Brabant, the heartland of this hardy vegetable.

In 2015, a devastating fire threatened to put the family out of business, but the Janssens persevered, brewing without a roof for three years until they had the funds to rebuild. The success of White Gold and other beers has led to wider recognition.

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