Belgium: pils type beers on tap

If you go to Belgium avoid the anonymous pils and try great traditional local styles as lambic, oude geuze & kriek, saison, trappist and so on.

I suggest you a visit at De Kulminator pub in Antwerp. There is a sign there saying: we do not sell pils here!

Merry Christmas from Italy!

Lorenzo Dabove aka Kuaska Prince of Pajottenland

"bruce phipps" ha scritto nel messaggio news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com...

In message , bruce phipps writes

The 2 big ones are Jupiler and Maas pils. Avoid both, they make UK lager's taste full of flavour. There's a good chance you'll never see draught Stella (also to be avoided).

In Antwerp head straight for the De Koninck taps, its the local beer and you should have little trouble finding it. Can't remember even noticing any other vat beers! We do like De Koninck a lot though ;)

I personally would not recommend Kulminator, it stank of Alsation urine when we tried it and its 'massive beer list' consisted of 10-20 vintages of a few dozen beers, most at ludicrous prices. Head for Vagant for a few jenevers instead, then hop across the road to buy takeaways. No point only drinking beer in Belgium...

I'm quite fond of draught Rodenbach though I'm not sure you'll find it north of Gent or in Brussels.

Hi Lorenzo, for a nice Christmas Greeting involving an English Village Pub go to

-- Dave Croft Warrington England

Available in a number of bars in both locations.

Don't ask for bar names as I tend to meander and look in whatever bar looks reasonable. No harm in going in finding the place has nothing beyond the small window menu and leaving again...

Oh well. I quite like Stella (in cans) and was hoping for good pint on draught over there.

Thanks. I have drank De Koninck in Amsterdam and not been mucho impressed with it. Seems to me the Belgians do bottled beers best...but stuff like Trappist is too strong for my taste. I was hoping for a German experience -- good beers on draught in virtually every pub.

Bruce

No.

I know I last went there a few years ago, but for what its worth:

Antwerp: There is a bar called the Pelgrom. Rather there are two bars of that name, both serving excellent beer "van't vat", one is underground the other isn't.

Afspanning 't Waagstuk. Wonderful place, bar staff very knowledgable.

Het Elfde Gebot: The Eleventh Commandment, opposite the cathedral. Amazing place.

De Cluyse: cellar bar, very atmospheric.

Personally, I found that staying with the draught wheat beer was a much better prospect than taking a chance with other draught beers, but then I'm addicted to wheat beer! The Haacht Wit was like a meal in a glass.

I'm so jealous.

In message , bruce phipps writes

The keg version we get in the UK is pretty damaged by the process so you might be pleasantly surprised. Antoon is a lighter, bitterer De Koninck beer you should find in plenty of bars, not a pils but closer. If you really have to try a pils the Maas is the best (of a poor bunch) you're likely to see.

You'll find no shortage of vat beers, just be aware they don't do good pils. They also don't understand our habit of swilling a gallon of beer or cater to it. Typically you'll find at least 1 or 2 belgian pils, a wit beer (Dentergems if lucky) and perhaps a local beer in ordinary bars. Pasteurised draught may not actually taste any better than bottles though!

There are plenty of reasonable strength bottled beers in any case.

They do seem to relate to people who buy a beer and sit reading a book while drinking though...

But arguably tastier than the first two.

Ditto, and also in Antwerp and several other places. I find it is one of those beers where its past reputation far outweighs its taste. I like the glass shape tho ;-)

When in Belgium stay with the bottled beers for the best taste experiences.

John B

Belgium is completley different. If you like light beers you could experiment with wheat beers ("blanche", "witteke") , aviable on draught everywhere, with many alternatives to you-know-Hoe. The best pils I had was the house beer at Domus in Leuven, but that's not saying a heck of a lot.

For my money, it is the best session beer in the country...but it is a session beer, not one that knocks your socks off at first taste. And much better on draught in Antwerp.

Well I'm an impatient perfectionist see. I want the ecstasy at the first sip ;-)

Do you know why that would be the case? I've always suspected that is one of those urban myth thingummys.

I've sort-of-enjoyed it there too, but put it more down to the atmosphere of the places I was drinking in.

John B

In message , JohnB writes

No myth unfortunately, or I'd be drinking it every week in Leicester ;(

First, its local to Antwerp and fiercely supported by the locals, so bars have more incentive to look after it (and its travelled less). I suspect it sells faster as well which always helps with draught beer.

Second, Belgian brewers have an annoying habit of badly pasteurising some of their beer. De Koninck loses a lot of its nutty flavours in the process and can end up pretty nasty. Its distinctly possible you were drinking a different beer outside Antwerp, or even in some bars in the city.

Give me a well crafted hoppy real ale anyday.

You mean a bit like Greene King in Bury St Edmunds ;-)

So I'll avoid it then as its clearly so variable.

John B

In message , JohnB writes

...but you never intended trying 'foreign' beer anyway.

? Pretty difficult as I spend a considerable amount of time in Belgium.

John B

I've no idea on the extent of its availability but look out for Bockor (

"bruce phipps" schreef in bericht

If you find a sign saying 'Christal Alken', you'll find IMO the best belgian pilsener. Don't know where they have it in Antwerp or Brussels (must be at some place), But in the Limburg province, you'll see lost of it. It's the one with the highest bitter units (around 28 I think) Jupiler and the likes are around 24, and to compare with that famous Dutch brand: Heineken has 22.

Else a draught Stella isn't bad either I'd say. Bell Pils should be quite good as well, but it's rare further than a couple of miles from the brewery. (But I haven't tried it myself)

I'd stay far from Primus, Jupiler & Maes, but if 'light lager" is your thing you may like it. Furthermore there are "some" places that have German beers like Warsteiner or Bitburger, especially in Brussels.

Other common beers on draught:

Kriek Belle Vue (sweet cherry beer) Palm (amber ale, sweeter than De Koninck De Koninck (Amber ale, nice bitterness when fresh) Hoegaarden (White) Brugs Tarwe Bier (White) Dentergems witbier (white) Leffe Bruin/Brune(dark abbey-style) Grimbergen Bruin/Brune (dark abbey-style)

Cheers,

March