Belgian Beer List
Belgian Ales on Draft
Hoegaarden White—14 oz/28 oz $7 / $13
The original Belgian White Ale, top fermented and completely unfiltered, this beer has no hops in the finish. Instead it is preserved using coriander and Curacao orange peel. With its distinctive hazy pale yellow color, Hoegaarden is very appealing. Decidedly interesting and refreshing.4.8%/vol.
Lindeman’s Lambic rotating flavors—8 oz $7.5
Like a fine Spumanti, this is a beer to celebrate with. Quite sweet and cidery, Lindeman’s wheat beer is naturally fermented using wild yeast. After fermentation it is then barrel aged with selected fruit. A perfect aperitif or dessert!5.5%/vol.
Chimay “White Label”—10 oz / Trappist $8
This triple is golden, strong, effervescent and full of fruit, spice and everything nice. You’ll find it to be a bit drier than others in its class with Champagne-like carbonation. Chimay is a true pleasure from the tap and was certainly worth the wait for the draught version.8.0%/vol.
Belgian Ales
Bottle-Conditioned
Pilsner, Bakvik—11.2 oz$5.5
Soft and satisfying, this lager posses a very light golden color, nice creamy white head and round flowing lacing on the glass. The nose is clearly oxidized Saaz hops, the mouth is full of nice fresh grain and the finish is dry. 5.0%/vol.
Saxo Blonde, Brasserie Caracole—11.2 oz $8.5
Possessing an opaque tarnished gold color and a white foam head and some great lacing. Saxo has a great smooth, malty flavor and clover honey sweetness. It is supremely drinkable with a near perfect. 8.5%/vol.
Duvel—11.2 oz $7
This, the original, strong ale stands miles apart from the pack with its huge, rocky, very white head; its small-sustained bead; its satin-smooth body and its distinctive bouquet and palate. This beguiling beer can lead the unwary to the dark side! 8.5%/vol.
Maredsous 10 Triple—11.2 oz $7
Appearance is a fined dark golden color with a huge, billowy off-white head on top, strong retention. Aroma is of black pepper and artisan bread. In the mouth some citrus, hops and spice are prominent. No fooling here, the booziness of this beer is not masked well at all!
Bruin, Abbaye des Rocs—11.2 oz $7.5
Here you have a full bodied brown Double with a deep ruby color. An aroma of black molasses hits the olfactory senses, and is followed Morello cherry. The finish has a surprising freshness to it which stops the richness from becoming overwhelming, having said that, this is definitely a sipping beer rich and flavorsome. Dessert anyone? 9.0%/vol.
Abt 12, St. Bernardus—11.2 oz $8
Almost ebony in color but if you look closely you’ll notice tiny dark yeast flakes swirling about in a dance of suspension. If your nose gets close to the rim, it will be hit with the aroma of fresh bread, cocoa and even tobacco. Only the flavor will “one-up” the aroma with that of rum, raisins, figs and even coconut cavorting about. Yum. 10.0%/vol.
Vichtenaar Sour, Verhaeghe—11.2 oz $7.5
This lovely brown sour pours a clear caramel brown. In the aroma there is a sweet caramel as well as noticeable sour notes akin to sour cherry and raisin. Toffee-like flavors contribute to some sweetness which rounds out the sourness to creates a flavor synergy.If you like Flanders and sour ales like we do at the Old Town, you will respect this fine yet subtle example! 5.1%/vol.
Gueuze 1882, Girardin—12.7 oz $11
This operation is everything one could hope for - a small family farm that grows and mills their own wheat, ages their own hops, and grows barley, which up until not too long ago was malted and went into their own brews. The Lambic is made in a traditional turbid mash before being poured into chestnut barrels that are sometimes up to 100 years old. The result is highly traditional with a somewhat pronounced bitterness. Aroma is quite bready with plenty of green apples, and the requisite touch of gym socks. This treat is crisp and refreshing with moderate tartness and sourness.
Saison, Brasserie DuPont—12.7 oz $7.5
The fine farmhouse example is hazed golden in color with yellow highlights with solid retention and nice sticking lace. Nose is intensely fruity with banana, yellow pears, apricot, chalk, dry yeast. It is elegant and powerful all at once. Palette is tangy and any sweetness in this beer is a mind trick, as it is well attenuated. The finish is earthy, bitter, crisp, and long.
Orval - Trappist—11.2 oz $8.5
Sitting calm under the explosive bottle conditioned cap of foam, this Belgian treat has the hue of unfiltered honey and loads of complexity including hints of lemon, orange and some floral accents. The yeast used is a symbiosis of 10 strains that consumes sugars other yeasts are unable to digest. This process results in a leathery aroma with a smooth vanilla character which plays down the hops a little. Orval finishes, though with a surprisingly assertive bitter herbal hoppiness. 6.2%/vol.
What’s With The Belgian Beers?
The respect one finds for fine wine in most countries is in Belgium, accorded to its beers. No other country has so many distinct native styles. No other country has beers so complex in character as the finest in Belgium. No other country has as many breweries per capita. Nor does any other country have such a sophisticated “beer cuisine” surrounding its brewer’s gift.
The spontaneously fermenting “wild” Lambic beers brewed outside of Brussels represent a unique tradition found only in Belgium. So do the tart, acidic “sour” brown beers of Flanders. Belgium’s spiced “white” beers predate the general acceptance of hops as the universal preservative of beer. No other country has as many “Methode Champenoise” beers, in which an additional dosage of yeast or blending of young and mature beers introduces a second fermentation in the bottle. No other country has persisted with the use of fruits, spices, herbs and candy sugar in their beer. Lastly, Belgium is the only country that produces Trappist Ales and has kept the fine art of monastic brewing alive on a commercial scale.
In the United States and particularly the Pacific Northwest we are well into the third decade of our beer revolution. Gone are the days of little variety from huge producers. We have wonderful beer to drink that is always readily available. Yet, for the beer renaissance to continue we must expand the horizons of our palates and allow our tastes to evolve. Studying the styles, flavors, techniques, and brewing traditions of other regions will open our eyes to a vast new world of beers which our revolution has only begun to experiment with.
Here at the Old Town Alehouse we are proud to offer a glorious collection of a few of Belgium’s finest beers. Three of these fine examples are even available on draught. We attempt to keep offerings available from a few of the world’s six Trappist Breweries. Belgian beers are a gift from the past and a prize to behold. Enjoy!