Like its larger brewing rival Germany, Belgium has a brewing history dating back to the Middle Ages. Centuries of unique Belgian brewing traditions have produced some of the best beers in the world. From Lambic, Flemish, Abbey, Farmhouse, Pale, White and many other styles, Belgium has something for every beer lover.
While you might think of Belgian beers as rustic and yeasty, and many of them are, the country’s assortment of beers is impressive, perhaps unrivaled. They run the gamut from crisp, easy-drinking everyday brews to earthy, funky, yeast beers to sour, acidic, and sometimes overly sour beers, not to mention darker, more malty beers. With so much potential in deep diving, the trickiest question is where to start. That’s where we come in.
A wide variety of Belgian beers can be purchased almost anywhere from your local brewery, grocery store, or online retailer. To help you out, we’ve picked and ranked eight of our favorite easier-to-find Belgian beers.
8) Leffe blonde
Alcohol: 6.6%
average price: $9 for a six-pack
beer:
This award-winning Belgian Pale Ale is known for its ease, creaminess and flavor. Abbey beers are known for their spiciness, earthiness and a hint of bitterness. This is a great entry-level Belgian beer for drinkers looking to indulge in the country’s beers.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of freshly baked bread, yeast, dried fruit and winter spices greet you before you take your first sip. Bread notes of malt, yeast, fruit esters, spices and light vanilla continue this trend. Overall, it’s surprisingly soft and dewy.
Bottom line:
Leffe Blonde is a beer for beginners. For seasoned beer lovers, it’s just a little thin and thin.
7) Achouffe La Chouffe
Alcohol: 8%
average price: $12 for a pack of four
beer:
Whether you’ve tried La Chouffe or not, you’ve probably seen this bottle, decorated with a gnome on a unicycle. This 8% ABV Belgian Blonde is known for its spicy, citrus, yeasty and bready flavors.
Tasting Notes:
Before you take your first sip, you encounter sourdough bread, cloves, citrus zest, fruit esters, and banana.The palate continues this trend with hints of grass, bread malt, yeast, ginger, candied orange peel, banana, dried fruit and light spices
Bottom line:
La Chouffe and Duvel are two of the best Belgian golden beers readily available on the market. It’s hard to pick one over the other, but this one is a little heavy on spice.
6) Duvel Belgian Gold Ale
Alcohol: 8.5%
average price: $16 for a pack of four
beer:
This highly rated Belgian strong ale uses a yeast strain selected by Albert Moortgat in the 1920s to achieve its unique flavor profile. It matures in tanks before bottling and ferments again in warm cellars.then moved again, into the cold cellar for another six weeks of fermentation.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of yeast, candied orange peel, bread malt, and bananas get it all started. Drinking it brings out notes of orange peel, more yeast, freshly baked bread, lemon, cloves and ripe banana. The finish is dry and spicy.
Bottom line:
This is a great way to start your Belgian stout ale journey. When it comes to styles at your local grocery store, you’ll be hard-pressed to find better styles than this.
5) Chimei Reserve
Alcohol: 9%
average price: $20 for a pack of four
beer:
First introduced in 1954 as a Christmas beer, Chimay Grand Reserve is a 9% ABV strong ale that is now available year-round. Known for its yeasty and fruity notes, it is drier than some other Belgian strong ales on the market.
Tasting Notes:
Dried fruit, yeast, fruit esters, freshly baked bread, caramel and winter spices complete the welcome aroma. On the palate, you’ll find bread malt, caramel, dried cherries, orange peel, yeast and cloves. The finish is warm and intoxicating.
Bottom line:
Fruit, yeast, spice and a warm finish, this strong ale has it all. This is a great example of a stout that’s easy to find.
4) Orval Trappist Ale
Alcohol: 6.9%
average price: $7 for an 11 oz bottle
beer:
This 6.9% ABV trappist ale is brewed with just water, barley malt, candi sugar, hops and yeast. Bottled with Brettanomyces, it’s known for its fruity, dry, slightly bitter flavor that you can’t get enough of.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of yeast, toast, cloves, caramel, candied orange peel and cider complete an unforgettable nose. Sipping it brings aromas of ripe peaches, citrus peel, fruit esters, dried fruit, bread malt, yeast and more winter spices. The finish is clean, dry and pleasant.
Bottom line:
This is a great Belgian beer. Its complex yet easy-to-drink flavor profile will ensure you continue to imbibe it for years to come.
3) Saison DuPont
Alcohol: 6.5%
average price: $7 for a 375ml bottle
beer:
If you were to poll brewers and beer lovers and ask them to tell you their favorite Saison or Farmhouse beer, you’d see a lot of people shouting Saison DuPont. Since 1844, Saison Dupont has been vinified in winter and fermented in wooden barrels until summer.
Tasting Notes:
Funky yeast starts it all, followed by orange zest, lemon zest, banana and floral hops. Drinking it reveals notes of coriander, banana, yeast, cloves, dried fruit, bread malt, white pepper and floral slightly bitter hops.
Bottom line:
This is a funky, yeasty, fruity, slightly bitter farmhouse ale that needs to be sipped to be believed. It also takes some sampling before you’ll be able to find all the different flavors.
2) St. Bernardus Abt. 12
Alcohol: 10%
average price: $20 for a pack of four
beer:
Flagship beer from St. Bernardus, Abt. 12 is a 10% ABV Quadruple known for its fruity, yeasty and bittersweet flavor profile. This is a complex, highly rated beer loved by Belgian beer lovers.
Tasting Notes:
It smells all of fresh baked bread, yeast, dried fruit and lots of winter spices. It’s very tempting. The palate is full of fresh baked bread, caramel, dried fruit, cloves, fruit esters, yeast and more winter spices. The aftertaste is sweet, slightly bitter and very warm.
Bottom line:
With its warm alcohol content and complex flavor profile, it’s hard to find a better grocery store Belgian beer than St. Bernardus Abt. 12.
1) trembling delirium
Alcohol: 8.5%
average price: $14 for a 750ml bottle
beer:
The name is a reference to severe alcohol withdrawal. While that might seem a bit bleak, there’s nothing bleak about this tasty beer. Few Belgian beers are more famous than Delirium Tremens. This 8.5% ABV Belgian stout is known for its highly complex malty, spicy and warm flavours.
Tasting Notes:
Before your first sip, dried fruit, orange peel, yeast, freshly baked bread and a hint of tropical fruit aromas combine. Drinking it will not disappoint as it has hints of yeast, sweet wheat, more orange peel, banana, bubblegum, fruit esters and light pepper. The finish is dry and pleasant.
Bottom line:
Belgian beer lovers love Delirium Tremens for a reason. It’s yeasty, a little funky, fruity, and everything they crave.