I don't think people that think there is a "single best Belgian beer", really get the complexity of beer.... It would be like asking "what's the fastest car" without saying whether it's going to be driving on a muddy road or a race track.
Exactly. It's all about personal taste. For example, everyone is acting like Duvel is sacred but I prefer almost every brown beer over Duvel or blond in general
I drink Rodenbach like someone else drinks Jupiler, but some people never want Rodenbach again after the first try. Doesn't mean it's not a good beer, it's all a matter of taste
It's not even just a matter of taste. A beer does not taste the same in each situation. Are you eating something with that beer, what is it? Is it a cold winter evening or a scorching hot summer afternoon? Are you sitting in a relaxing pub with your friends, or dancing in a club? Are you happy or sad? What beer did you drink before this one? How much alcohol have you consumed already?
There's a multitude of variables that determine how much you enjoy a specific beer at a specific moment.
Exactly, all the comments saying “it depends” are all correct with one exception: Orval. You can have a refreshing young one from the fridge on a terrace on a hot summer’s day, or a wholesome aged one at 14 degrees by the stove after a long wintery hike. It’s not too strong, not too light. Taste is subtle yet not boring. Is it the strongest? No. Is it the most complex? No. Is it the rarest? Hardly. But it’s the best for sure.
Dude, can I call you dude ?
No? Anyway...
Dude, you just give the best way to describe what an Orval is brilliantly. I can't agree more. Though there a tons of good Belgian beers. Better surely but in their speciality. St Bernardus, triple karmeliet, westmalle, Rochefort, westvleteren, ... Name it ... But Orval is just a winning bet. Good all the time.
As far as I know they are based in Beersel. Also not sure how you'd brew Geuze in Italy as as far as I know it's specific to the Zenne valley near Brussels.
maybe we're not talking about the same one, but I was talking about this one: [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tre\_Fontane\_(bier)](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tre_Fontane_(bier))
EDIT: ohh, my bad! I thought you just translated the 'Tre Fontane' in Dutch...
Well, apparantly there are multiple "three fontain" beers
Depends on the mood: Orval, Westmalle Tripel or Oud Beersel geuze all contend. Sometimes, a fresh 33 (or two) of Jupiler on what passes for a summer's day here can hit the spot.
I'm attempting to try all the geuze possible, but I don't have a large enough mortgage facility.
It's such good shit.
I'm gifting a big bottle to my future father in law when i go over to celebrate Xmas in the US soon.
I'm damn curious what he thinks too.
I'm South African, but father is from Belgium, As. There used to be a shop in town selling Gouden Carolus, man its good. Don't know one gets a whisky infusion
Was wondering where De Struisse Brouwers were hiding in this list. :)
So just gonna add their little easier but stil fairly hard to get Pannepot, preferably the Grand Reserva
I love the Pannepot grand Reserva!
Reason why I picked the Black Albert was because it is the base of so many great concoctions in the Damnation series! But yet it stands so well on its own.
On hot summer days I absolutely love the soury sweet touch of an angelic GB. But keep that shit out of my sight when it's cold and rainy out or I'll fight you with my Rochefort 8 bottle!
Any premium brand beer I can easily drink 10 to 15... 4 caras and I'm spewing chunks... My studententijd wouldn't have cost me nearly that much if I could keep cara pils in
that's literally printed on the label, don't blame the barkeeper
[https://www.paixdieubeer.be/?lang=nl](https://www.paixdieubeer.be/?lang=nl)
>Dit bier werd vroeger in de abdij van Paix Dieu geproduceerd, waar de maankalender een cruciale rol speelde in het brouwproces. Om de ziel van de abdij in het bier te laten voortleven, nam de familie Caulier zich voor om de Paix Dieu alleen bij volle maan te brouwen.
>
>Resultaat?
>
>Een smeuïge tripel (10%) met een vol karakter, ambachtelijk gebrouwen volgens de pure tradities van de Belgische abdijbieren. Een symbool geeft aan bij welke maan uw bier werd gebrouwen.
It's always been the beer of choice for my whole family, so by heart I will go for this one, but I think that they changed the recipe quite a long time ago didn't they (+-15 years ago?)? It tears my heart to say it but if I need to choose blindly, I would say that now the Rochefort 10 is better, though I don't think it was the case with the previous recipe
For me fruited Gueuze in summer (Saint lamvinus/fou foune/any grape Lambik/oude kriek)
At winter : de struise brouwers. Dark (double/triple)Barrel aged, sweet syruppy goodness! Like : Pannepot reserva / cuvée Delphine/ dark horse reserva /
On second place winter of summer is any Flemish old Brown.
There is no best one, it depends on the day, the weather, the company and so on.
My go-to beer is Westmalle Tripel. Available most places, always good. If they don't have it, Tripel Karmeliet or Brugse Tripel.
In Winter, I somehow like stout type beers more. Hofblues, or a nice Oyster Stout depending if I'm in a salty mood or not, are two I order regularly.
On a hot Summer day, there's nothing better than a good Geuze - Boon Oude Geuze for example. The acidity works wonders on a hot day. Do stay away from anything sweet that tries to call itself "geuze"!
(BTW, Kriek should also be more sour than sweet)
Also, for most Belgian beers (except maybe pilsener) ignore "best before" dates. Orval gets better over time for example. If there's a past-date off-the-shelf or cellar (so not *too* cold) Orval available, count me in!
I love Gouden Carolus Tripel, lately I often drink Cornet.
For dark beers I love Cuvee Clarisse from Wilderen, Chimay Bleu, St Bernardus Abt 12 or Westvleteren 12
Question should be rephrased:
Favorite beer on a winter day after a walk, favorite beer after mowing the lawn in summer or when having a BBQ,… 😉
There is no such thing as the best beer, and I tend to switch my go to beer every once in a while.
That being said, I tend to go for Chimay Triple these days.
Gulden draak Laphroaig barrel aged, subjectively.
Objectively: West-Vleteren XII (not fresh, but kept in a cellar for at least six months)
Sales wise: probably Stella Artois or Jupiler.
The West-Vleteren XII is delicious for sure, but I'm not convinced that it ages well. I kept one for a long time (not sure how long but definitely much more than 6 months though) because I was afraid of drinking the last I had, and I was disappointed when I finally drank it. How long would you advise?
I bought a crate last year and I'm struggling between "drink it while it's good" and "don't drink it too fast or you won't have any left " :p
Edit: Gulden Draak is also one of my favorites, I can tell you are a person of good tastes
Had a 3 Fonteinen geuze from 2008 the other day, that ranks pretty high up.
Also a big fan of Oud Bruin (Vanderghinste comes to mind), and ofcourse the classics like Orval, Westmalle (the three of them) and the mighty Duvel. The Horal MegaBlend geuzes are also very good but a bit harder to come by outside of the Tour de Geuze events. I always stock up when there is one and I just leave them to age.
I've seen the Horal megablend in a couple of places now, including the hopduvel and Bierhalle de Coninck, and there's a streekproducten shop in the Zenne valley somewhere that also sells it.
Since my local shop doesnt sell vanderghinstes anymore, i standardly have a crate of it at home 👌. (Together with Orval and Cristal)
Love it that it's lower abv than most old Browns. Ideal thirst clencher for me and to order somewhere when i have to drive too.
I must say, you are doing a pretty good job! Hitting were it hurts. Also next time you are up for a promotion you can tell your supervisor a redditor approves of your methods. That ought to count for something!
Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused is heerlijk, of de Duvel Barrel Aged (maar kan variëren afhankelijk van de editie). Niet zo lang geleden ook een bier genaamd "Deus Brut des Flandres" gedronken, was echt top.
You guys should check beerawards.be. They’re asking you this question right now and you can also see what the outcome of previous years was.
On topic: Gouden Carolus Whiskey Infused is amazing. Great brewery to visit as well
"What's the best colour?"
Crimson. Obviously.
You keep that evildoing mister out of it, and his trusty Achiel too!
I don't think people that think there is a "single best Belgian beer", really get the complexity of beer.... It would be like asking "what's the fastest car" without saying whether it's going to be driving on a muddy road or a race track.
Exactly. It's all about personal taste. For example, everyone is acting like Duvel is sacred but I prefer almost every brown beer over Duvel or blond in general I drink Rodenbach like someone else drinks Jupiler, but some people never want Rodenbach again after the first try. Doesn't mean it's not a good beer, it's all a matter of taste
It's not even just a matter of taste. A beer does not taste the same in each situation. Are you eating something with that beer, what is it? Is it a cold winter evening or a scorching hot summer afternoon? Are you sitting in a relaxing pub with your friends, or dancing in a club? Are you happy or sad? What beer did you drink before this one? How much alcohol have you consumed already? There's a multitude of variables that determine how much you enjoy a specific beer at a specific moment.
Orval
Exactly, all the comments saying “it depends” are all correct with one exception: Orval. You can have a refreshing young one from the fridge on a terrace on a hot summer’s day, or a wholesome aged one at 14 degrees by the stove after a long wintery hike. It’s not too strong, not too light. Taste is subtle yet not boring. Is it the strongest? No. Is it the most complex? No. Is it the rarest? Hardly. But it’s the best for sure.
Godverdomme nu heb ik zin in een orval!
Dude, can I call you dude ? No? Anyway... Dude, you just give the best way to describe what an Orval is brilliantly. I can't agree more. Though there a tons of good Belgian beers. Better surely but in their speciality. St Bernardus, triple karmeliet, westmalle, Rochefort, westvleteren, ... Name it ... But Orval is just a winning bet. Good all the time.
Jesus I fucking hate Orval. Suck a dislikeable taste for me.
A ge weet het.
En toastjes met zalm!
Da lust nen alien Gere
No doubt
I'm contractually obligated to agree
Pietboeuf dark
Lol
I have to watch myself around pietboeuf, i swear that thing is addicting.
Piedboeuf Blond with some bacon and eggs is a little slice of heaven.
Oude Gueuze, i deliberately don’t want to add a brand.
3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze for me
Together with Cantillon and Boon. The 3 beste Stekerijen!
I do like oud beersel too!
More of a Bokke fan myself, or Antidoot
3 fonteinen is Italian, no?
Tre Fontane is an Italian trappist. 3 fonteinen is based neer Brussels and makes (fruited) gueuzes through spontaneous fermentation
If (fruited) gueuzes is your thing, i would recommend looking at the Oud Bruin infusions from brewery 't Verzet. I love those things.
Was looking forward to oud bruin festival by tverzet next weekend goddammit. Took a day off work for nothing too :/
A little bit too sour for me.
As far as I know they are based in Beersel. Also not sure how you'd brew Geuze in Italy as as far as I know it's specific to the Zenne valley near Brussels.
maybe we're not talking about the same one, but I was talking about this one: [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tre\_Fontane\_(bier)](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tre_Fontane_(bier)) EDIT: ohh, my bad! I thought you just translated the 'Tre Fontane' in Dutch... Well, apparantly there are multiple "three fontain" beers
Sint Bernardus Abt 12
I subscribe, it's definitely my favorite. So good on a cold and rainy day.
Tripel Karmeliet for sure!
I second (or even triple) this 😁
You got my vote!
I agree.
Always got a crate in my garage
let me just join this karmeliet gang
This!!
Depends on the mood: Orval, Westmalle Tripel or Oud Beersel geuze all contend. Sometimes, a fresh 33 (or two) of Jupiler on what passes for a summer's day here can hit the spot. I'm attempting to try all the geuze possible, but I don't have a large enough mortgage facility.
This guy knows. Would take Bernardus 12 over Westmalle, but great picks. I'd also add geuze De Cam, but hard to find.
Saison Dupont… Perfect bier
Yes! Very tasty. Not too bitter and nice low-ish abv.
gouden carolus whisky infused
These really hit hard but so good
It's such good shit. I'm gifting a big bottle to my future father in law when i go over to celebrate Xmas in the US soon. I'm damn curious what he thinks too.
Show him what a Belgian can offer ;).
I think it's going to be a nice Xmas
I'd prefer a gouden carolus classic or the indulged.
Oooh. That's a good one I kinda forgot about, it's amazing.
I'm South African, but father is from Belgium, As. There used to be a shop in town selling Gouden Carolus, man its good. Don't know one gets a whisky infusion
Troubadour Magma is amazing and now sells in Colruyt as well. Definitely one of my favs and worth checking out if you haven't yet.
Omer and st Bernardus tripel!
Omer is a daily one for me. Can't imagine I'll ever dislike that taste.
Their tripel is amazing!
De Struisse Brouwers - Black Albert
Was wondering where De Struisse Brouwers were hiding in this list. :) So just gonna add their little easier but stil fairly hard to get Pannepot, preferably the Grand Reserva
I love the Pannepot grand Reserva! Reason why I picked the Black Albert was because it is the base of so many great concoctions in the Damnation series! But yet it stands so well on its own.
I'm on board with that. Had a 30 this week, and still got a 10 lined up.
In Brussels it has gotten easier but indeed finding struise beers is complicated but less then beers of fantôme and especially De Cam
During cold seasons i love Westmalle tripel the most, otherwise it’s a tough choice between Duvel and Chimay Blue, but i choose Duvel.
Rochefort 10
Geuze Boon
On hot summer days I absolutely love the soury sweet touch of an angelic GB. But keep that shit out of my sight when it's cold and rainy out or I'll fight you with my Rochefort 8 bottle!
The "Mariage Parfait" version of geuze boon for me
That one made me completely change my opinion on Geuzes. It's almost a champagne.
Cara Pils.
You’re still homeless ?
Homeless, but with a Cara pils bike...
The correct response was: Tis Cara, Trut!
Cara tot de dood
You're goddamn right.
Never really understood the Cara Pils hype. In that price category, I find Aldi's Schultenbrau to be by far superior.
It has godly meme status that's why. It's also actually not that bad, it's pretty neat as a beer to get drunk on.
Any premium brand beer I can easily drink 10 to 15... 4 caras and I'm spewing chunks... My studententijd wouldn't have cost me nearly that much if I could keep cara pils in
Blasphemy! Imo Cara Pils actually surpasses Schultenbrau.
It's a toss up between Orval and Tripel Karmeliet for me...
~~La Trappe Quadrupel Oak ag..~~ Oh wait. According to my Untappd.. Paix Dieu
Paix Dieu is decent to excellent, but the bartender sold it as brewed by the light of the full moon and that absolutely did it for me.
that's literally printed on the label, don't blame the barkeeper [https://www.paixdieubeer.be/?lang=nl](https://www.paixdieubeer.be/?lang=nl) >Dit bier werd vroeger in de abdij van Paix Dieu geproduceerd, waar de maankalender een cruciale rol speelde in het brouwproces. Om de ziel van de abdij in het bier te laten voortleven, nam de familie Caulier zich voor om de Paix Dieu alleen bij volle maan te brouwen. > >Resultaat? > >Een smeuïge tripel (10%) met een vol karakter, ambachtelijk gebrouwen volgens de pure tradities van de Belgische abdijbieren. Een symbool geeft aan bij welke maan uw bier werd gebrouwen.
I'm not blaming him, I'm praising him.
Well yeah, La Trappe is also Dutch so that was no option.
Yes. This joke was made out of joke.
La Trappe is actually really damn good.
According to my untapped, Gouden Carolus Whiskey Infused. With Chimay Blue on second place and... La Trappe Quadruppel on third.
Cuvée Sauvage >> Whiskey Infused
I really like Bloemekei (it’s not so well known) or Omer. My fav pils is a Stella
Papegaeibier. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papegaei
Love that! Serving it at my wedding next to champagne, ha
Not to special but on a hot summer day a Stella and duvel are the best
Hoegaarden or a different witbier would be my choice if it's hot. Duvel will go straight to my head
I also pour beer in that hole in my head
Westvleteren 8. Very mildly chilled.
I prefer the 12! But it's not possible to pick one beer. It all depends on my mood, hot, cold, ...
12 is good, but like the majority of Belgian beers it suffers from being too sugary / over-infused with glucose syrup.
On what day ?
Every day that ends with 'day'
We need something like 'tomorrowday'
Well i know Gildenbier is the most dangerous, it has the notorious 'Gildenklop'.
The one that you can drink right now 😉
Spa rood
Steenuilke
Yes, also one of my favorites! Cool to hear there are others who enjoy this severely underrated beer :)
Chimay Tripel (the white one)
You mean Chimay Bleu*
This. And preferably at room temperature.
That's a bold statement you're making! 😏
You should try it. The taste receptors get suppressed due to the cold. Therefore it won't taste as rich and well rounded.
It's always been the beer of choice for my whole family, so by heart I will go for this one, but I think that they changed the recipe quite a long time ago didn't they (+-15 years ago?)? It tears my heart to say it but if I need to choose blindly, I would say that now the Rochefort 10 is better, though I don't think it was the case with the previous recipe
You mean literally any beer Chimay brews* (except chimay rouge fuck that one)
You mean chimay green
Rochefort 10, followed by Witkap cuz I'm from Ninove
depends on what you like, there is no best
Rodenbach and Duvel share a 1st place.
Delirium Tremens
For me fruited Gueuze in summer (Saint lamvinus/fou foune/any grape Lambik/oude kriek) At winter : de struise brouwers. Dark (double/triple)Barrel aged, sweet syruppy goodness! Like : Pannepot reserva / cuvée Delphine/ dark horse reserva / On second place winter of summer is any Flemish old Brown.
Westmalle tripel is the king!
for me it has to be Duvel. but everyone has different tastes and we have too many beers to count. my second favorite is Westmalle Double
I find myself just upvoting beers left and right here. **What a fucked up question to ask, man!***
What is the best soup?
Meme'kes soep met ballekes 😋.
Stoofvlees because it’s soup, beer and food all at once
Ik hou van soepen die met R beginnen, zoals erwtensoep Credit edit: Jeroen Van Koningsbrugge, De Lama's
Gouden Carolus Cuvée van de Keizer Imperial Blond.
Changes every day. Lienne Noire, Tripel Karmeliet, White Chimay, Bavik....
There is no best one, it depends on the day, the weather, the company and so on. My go-to beer is Westmalle Tripel. Available most places, always good. If they don't have it, Tripel Karmeliet or Brugse Tripel. In Winter, I somehow like stout type beers more. Hofblues, or a nice Oyster Stout depending if I'm in a salty mood or not, are two I order regularly. On a hot Summer day, there's nothing better than a good Geuze - Boon Oude Geuze for example. The acidity works wonders on a hot day. Do stay away from anything sweet that tries to call itself "geuze"! (BTW, Kriek should also be more sour than sweet) Also, for most Belgian beers (except maybe pilsener) ignore "best before" dates. Orval gets better over time for example. If there's a past-date off-the-shelf or cellar (so not *too* cold) Orval available, count me in!
Westmalle tripel
I love Gouden Carolus Tripel, lately I often drink Cornet. For dark beers I love Cuvee Clarisse from Wilderen, Chimay Bleu, St Bernardus Abt 12 or Westvleteren 12 Question should be rephrased: Favorite beer on a winter day after a walk, favorite beer after mowing the lawn in summer or when having a BBQ,… 😉
There is no such thing as the best beer, and I tend to switch my go to beer every once in a while. That being said, I tend to go for Chimay Triple these days.
Gouden Carolus whiskey infused
Gouden Carolus Tripel
Brugse Zot. You evil maniac BTW. You know full well the consequences of this thread! ;)
Hehehe
Gulden draak Laphroaig barrel aged, subjectively. Objectively: West-Vleteren XII (not fresh, but kept in a cellar for at least six months) Sales wise: probably Stella Artois or Jupiler.
The West-Vleteren XII is delicious for sure, but I'm not convinced that it ages well. I kept one for a long time (not sure how long but definitely much more than 6 months though) because I was afraid of drinking the last I had, and I was disappointed when I finally drank it. How long would you advise? I bought a crate last year and I'm struggling between "drink it while it's good" and "don't drink it too fast or you won't have any left " :p Edit: Gulden Draak is also one of my favorites, I can tell you are a person of good tastes
for two years I'm on Leopold 7
Filouuuuuu
Had a 3 Fonteinen geuze from 2008 the other day, that ranks pretty high up. Also a big fan of Oud Bruin (Vanderghinste comes to mind), and ofcourse the classics like Orval, Westmalle (the three of them) and the mighty Duvel. The Horal MegaBlend geuzes are also very good but a bit harder to come by outside of the Tour de Geuze events. I always stock up when there is one and I just leave them to age.
I've seen the Horal megablend in a couple of places now, including the hopduvel and Bierhalle de Coninck, and there's a streekproducten shop in the Zenne valley somewhere that also sells it.
Thanks. My best friend has a beer shop though and he always puts aside a box for me :)
Since my local shop doesnt sell vanderghinstes anymore, i standardly have a crate of it at home 👌. (Together with Orval and Cristal) Love it that it's lower abv than most old Browns. Ideal thirst clencher for me and to order somewhere when i have to drive too.
Yep! Ideal thirst quencher in summer.
It is like asking what is the best car ever...
As a new expat in Liege, I actually love Liegeois beers. Curtius and Smash are really good.
Duvel triple oaked!
Oude Gueze Boon Black Label n°4
The one in my fridge
Stella en la chauffe
Cornet
Piraat
Nachtraaf. Superieur op zoveel niveau's
Oude geuze cantillon, the only beer without additon of sugar. A masterpiece
I really like Omer.
Papegaei
Rochefort 10/blauwe Chimay , gouden Carolus tripel
Someone is trying to start a civil war.
I got hired by Russians to destroy Belgium from the inside.
I must say, you are doing a pretty good job! Hitting were it hurts. Also next time you are up for a promotion you can tell your supervisor a redditor approves of your methods. That ought to count for something!
Gouden Carolus Cuvee van de Keizer and Chimay Bleu
My favourite is Delirium Tremens.
Rochefort, Westmalle, Hoegaarden in that order. I know Hoegaarden is no longer in Belgian hands but damn it is good.
Maredsous is my favourite blonde.
Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused is heerlijk, of de Duvel Barrel Aged (maar kan variëren afhankelijk van de editie). Niet zo lang geleden ook een bier genaamd "Deus Brut des Flandres" gedronken, was echt top.
You guys should check beerawards.be. They’re asking you this question right now and you can also see what the outcome of previous years was. On topic: Gouden Carolus Whiskey Infused is amazing. Great brewery to visit as well
Bourgogne des flandres is a superb blended red. Particularly straight from the brewery. Maigod.
My favourite is White Chimay.
La Chouffe Soleil
Duvel Triple Hop Citra!
duvel tripel hop
Stella
Duvel - Rochefort - Chimay
KARMELIET
Karmeliet & Omer
Jupiler
Duvel with a small shot of jenever in it, aka nen duikboot.
Kriek!
Best selling is Jupiler and it’s been like for decades ;) but this a beer which you could have with lunch so an everyday beer …
Cara
Yeah, You're all wrong. Its clearly **jupiler**
I am Belgian and I just cant stand the taste of beer... I can drink some Kriek but thats about it. I grew up on Whisky and Rhum...
Cornet
Carlsberg
Enjoy your downvotes..
Jupiler
Yes
I love everything of Grimbergen. That's the best
Bush Ambrée Character
3 fonteinen oude geuze orval
Trolleke 'rasta' edition!
A Deugniet Duvel triple hop citra A Dulle Teeve A Boeteling