Why does Bison Brew so many Belgian Styles?

By Taylor Ramos  Depending on how strictly you define the craft, Bison Brewing offers at least three Belgian-style beers.  But what exactly makes a Belgian beer a Belgian beer?  Well, like all good questions, there are many correct answers.  I’ll give you mine.

If I were to sum up the Belgian-style of brewing beer in one word it would be: diverse.  From a country with a passionately individualistic populace, a steady climate, and groups of brewers with the fortitude to pursue unique endeavors, Belgium has yielded some of the most well revered styles of beer the world has ever known.  Belgian beers are so diverse, in fact, that the Great American Beer Festival dedicates sixteen categories of competition to Belgian-style beers alone.  Several of these categories are “Other Belgian” catchalls for the plethora of Belgian-styles of beer for which they have no category.  So how did this beer producing Mecca get its start?

The oldest style of Belgian brewing is called lambic brewing.  Brewing in the lambic style uses spontaneous fermentation, that is, the yeast naturally forms in the beer with no brewery-added yeast.  This style of brewing literally dates back before medieval times.  Brewers would seal a barrel full of a sweet liquid, and several months later – Presto!  Alcoholic beer!  This style is still in place today, frequently being used to brew fruit-infused beers such as Framboise (raspberries), Peche (peaches), or Kreik (cherries).

One of the most famous styles of Belgian beer is the abbey ale.  This style of beer was, and occasionally still is, brewed by monks living on trappist monasteries.  Indicative of a monastic lifestyle, these beers are patiently brewed to become some of the most complex beers in the world, with a price tag to match.  The abbey style of Belgian brewing is made in Enkel (single), Dubbel, Tripel, and sometimes even Quadrupel strengths.  It is not unusual for a Belgian style Tripel to contain up to twelve percent alcohol by volume- nearly three times what a typical light domestic beer contains!

Belgian beers are characteristically intense in flavor, created by the unique ingredients Belgian brewers are willing risk using in pursuit of brewing a better beer.  Belgian wit (white) beers incorporate coriander and orange peel to give their beers a spicy, citrus nose.  Lactic yeast is used in Belgian style Flanders, which gives them a characteristically sour taste.  Candy sugars are sometimes added to Belgian Strong Ales to increase alcohol content.  Belgian abbey style beers can even incorporate raisins, figs, and ginger.  The list of ingredients used in Belgian brewing is innumerable, which means that every Belgian style beer you drink is likely to hold taste nuances that are pleasantly surprising.

As the Belgian beer styles are diverse, so are the ways in which they should be served.  Nearly every Belgian beer has its own glass design specifically to accentuate the characteristics of that particular beer.  It has been said that in Belgium, the glass is designed before the beer.  These beers are always poured to retain a fair bit of head, and customarily served with a small snack.  The temperature at which Belgian beers are served ranges from around forty degrees fahrenheit to around sixty.  As a general rule, lighter, sweeter beers such as wheats and lambics are served colder, and darker, heavier beers such as quadrupels are served warm.

Belgian beers are so varied, that many share little in common with each other beyond their geographical association.  From the fermentation, to the ingredients, the way in which they are served, Belgian beers run the gamut in brewing styles.  One thing can be agreed upon- five hundred years of Belgian brewing has yielded more award winning beers than any other country in the world.  So, the next time you’re in the market, spend an extra couple of bucks on that Belgian calling your name.  Then raise your pint (and your expectations) to a country that’s brought us some of the greatest beers in history.