What Makes a Beer "Belgian?"

Copyright L. Daniel Mouer 2008

“I'm not a big Belgian fan,” says Barstool #1.

“Oh, Man!, You don't know good beer! Belgians are the best!”

Most home brewers and beer lovers know that some very unusual, very characterful, brews come from Belgium. Most know, too, that there are plenty of North American breweries doing their best to mimic certain Belgian brews, or to take inspiration from some Belgian beers for their own exciting and innovative brews. But what is it that makes a beer “Belgian?” {Note: by “Belgian,” I mean certain types of Belgian beers as well as brews that attempt to copy them, or which are inspired by their unique characteristics.}

Well, of course, if a beer comes from Belgium, then it's “Belgian,” right? Well, no. I don't think anyone would consider Belgium's best-known and one of it's best-selling beers—Stella Artois—as standard exemplary of “Belgian” beer! Nope. It's a global, generic, pale beer like thousands of others generally inspired by Bohemian and Bavarian lagers.

“Belgian” beers are all very high in alcohol, right? Well, no. German doppelbocks, American imperial IPAs, and British barley wines are all high-octane brews that no knowledgeable drinker would mistake for a “Belgian.” Likewise, De Koninck pale ale, the trademark brew of Antwerp, is a decidedly Belgian beer in many ways, but it is also a beer of very modest gravity. Most folks even recognize a distinctively English-ale heritage in De Koninck, but it is, nonetheless, quintessentially “Belgian.”

It must be spices, then! Don't all “Belgian” beers contain pepper or coriander or other spices? Well, no. Spices are used in a few interesting examples, but, by no means all.. That said, there is a certain “spiciness” that seems to be nearly universal in those beers we define as “Belgian,” (or “Belgian-like,” or “Belgian-inspired”). More about that later.

Hey, I got it! Aren't those “Belgians” all sour. Tart and funky? You know, full of lactic acid and Brettanomyces yeast? Well, this description is valid for some “Belgian” beers, such as the lambics, Flanders Sours and Oud Bruins, but those are really a special class of beers that are not what most folks think when they are thinking “Belgian.” As it happens, these funky beers do share some characteristics with the main line of “Belgian” beers, but those earthy and sour and woodsy flavors and smells suggest that we set them aside as a unique phenomenon distinct from the majority of “Belgians” we beer-loving home brewers seek out and try our best to emulate.

Okay, so what makes a beer “Belgian?” As I comb through my brewing library at the words of some of the masters of “Belgian” brewing, I find lots of weasel words. Most authorities recognize more variation than convergence in “Belgian” styles. There are wide ranges of variation within many of the most widely accepted style categories. As a beer judge in competitions, I share others' frustration when trying to pin down BJCP style guidelines while judging a flight of “Belgian” home brews.

That said, I love “Belgians,” and as I try to tailor my own home brews to express the qualities I find so attractive in “Belgian” beers, it dawns on me that there really are a few characteristics that define the category. Before I explore the specifics, let me clarify just what I mean by “Belgian” beers. In BJCP terms, I am referring to the following styles: Belgian and French Ales (Category 16) and Belgian Strong Ales (Category 18): Belgian Wit (16A), Belgian Pale Ale (16B), Saisons (16C), Bières de Gardes (16D), and Belgian Specialty Ales (16E), Belgian Blond Ales (18A), Belgian Dubbels (18B), Belgian Trippels (18C), Belgian Golden Strong (18D) and Belgian Dark Strong (18E) ales.

This is a lot of styles, and most folks concede that even within these styles, there is huge variation. I have not included the various sour beers. What's more, at least one style category (Belgian Specialty Ales) is a huge, open-ended catch-all that even includes fruit beers, stouts, and Scotch ale-type brews.

So what do these beers share? It might be easier to specify what they do not share. As noted above, it'd not all about alcohol, although many “Belgian” styles are strong beers. They do not share a color category, as “Belgians” run from the very pale trippels and blonds, through the strong goldens to the dubbels and big dark ales. Some catergories, such as saisons, can come in nearly every color of the brewer's rainbow.

“Belgians” are Ales!

One thing that they all have in common, however, is that they are ales. Some are bottle conditioned with lager yeasts after primary fermentation with top fermenting strains. Some, like bières de gardes, are actually lagered, but they are, nonetheless, fermented with ale yeasts. So, while the best-selling beers in Belgium might be global pale lagers, like Stella Artois and Jupiler, these are not the “Belgians” I'm talking about. Some “Belgian” ales are fermented warm, and some are fermented quite cool. Some begin cool and warm through fermentation. But all are ales.

As ales, they carry influences from other ale-brewing centers, especially England and Scotland, but many also share characteristics with German alts and Weissbiers. In fact, one of the best ways to discover what elements are truly “Belgian,” is to compare certain “Belgian” styles with their close parallels from other brewing traditions.

For instance, pour a de Silly Scotch Ale (a “Belgian” weighing in at about 8% abv) and drink it beside a Belhaven Wee Heavy (from Scotland with about 6.5% abv). The Silly is the “bigger” beer in alcohol content, and yet it is remarkably drinkable and refreshing. There is plenty of sweet malt character, but the beer slides down and finishes dry and clean. The Belhaven, on the other hand, is thick, rich, luscious, syrupy. Tasty, yes. But not exactly refreshing. It's full body and heavy sweetness almost makes a bottle feel like a whole meal! Yes they are similar, but the Belhaven is clearly “Scotch,” while the de Silly is certainly “Belgian,” and it leaves you hoping for more.

For another example, try a Schneider Edel-Weiss German Weissbier (white beer) alongside a bottle of Hoegaarden Wit, a “Belgian” white beer. Both are made with wheat (either malted or not), with very light pils-style base malt, and with a light hopping of German or Central European hops. The beers are similar in color and in cloudiness, but there the similarities end. The Schneider is full in body, rich in flavor, and redolent of rich cookie-like malt, clove phenols and banana esters. The Hoegaarden, tastes light, crisp, peppery, with a hint of tartness and the faintest suggestion of oranges. Finish the Schneider, and you don't even need dessert. Finish the Hoegaaden and you'll be looking around for a second glass.

Perhaps what makes the true characteristics of “Belgians” stand out obviously is the unexpected reactions we often have when drinking one of the stronger Belgian ales, such as a Trappist or Abbey trippel, or a a strong golden ale such as Duvel or Hoegaarden Grand Cru. The beers, with alcohol in the 8-9 percent by volume range, clearly leave a warm trail down your throat from the alcohol, However, they are not full of, say, barleywine-style fruity esters or treacally sweetness. They are very complex and full-flavored while, at the same time, being light, refreshing, zesty and very quaffable. They finish cleanly and leave you thinking about ordering a second 750mm bottle...uh, but don't do that unless you have a trustworthy designated driver!

What all these beers share are that they are ales brewed with a class of related yeast strains that promote spicy flavors, and that finish with relatively low terminal gravities. What's more, brewing techniques are selected to enhance the light mouth feel and refreshing clean, dry finish that sets “Belgians” apart. Mash temperatures are often on the low side, chosen to produce highly fermentable worts with low dextrins.

Hops are typically way in the background, often used for little more that to sanitize and stabilize the wort, rather than to add bitterness, flavor or aroma. Many traditional Belgian brewers use old hops that have lost much of their aroma and flavor, just for that reason. While hoppiness contributes to a dry sensation in many beer styles, “Belgians” are truly dry by having very low residual sugar content, by leaving spicy flavors in the brew, and by pumping up the bubbles! In fact, compared to a best bitter on tap in a British pub, a typical bottled “Belgian” has many times higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in solution.

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Another contributor to the light, dry mouth feel of “Belgians” is sugar. Relatively large amounts of brewing sugars (not, generally, the rock candy sugar sold in home brew stores) are used to thin the body and increase the alcohol content. If the mantra of German brewers is the Reinheitsgebot—nothing used but malt, yeast, hops and water—then the credo of the “Belgian” brewer is throw in anything that makes the beer lighter in body, drier in finish, and more complex in flavor. If the yeast isn't quite spicy enough, then a little coriander, or anise, or seeds of paradise might help. If your yeast doesn't produce fruity esters because your climate is too chilly for warm fermentation, then pare a little peel from a curacao orange into the wort at the end of the brew.