A tasting tour of Belgium’s best breweries

The best thing about Belgium is that beer means beer – beer in its purest form, from spontaneously fermented barnyard lambics (a specific type of Belgian beer) to bold brews with spicy aromas.

Being a lover, and now a purveyor, of beer, Belgium is my destination of choice. My love of the stuff extends to my bar in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan district, Blue Supreme, which serves several Belgian brews. Flanked by France and the Netherlands, the nation packs more than 200 breweries, many of which date back centuries, into a little over 30,500 square kilometres. Here are eight of my favourites.

Brussels

Moeder Lambic

The original in Saint-Gilles is one of the city’s oldest breweries, with a second branch in Place Fontainas. The latter  has more than 40 taps – including several serving cask Cantillon lambic that made me giggle like a little kid. Cheese and meat plates, proper glassware and bantering staff: it’s hard not to leave very happy.

Cantillon

Arguably the favourite among beer geeks, Cantillon  is a family-run lambic brewery in Anderlecht. In the tasting room, I encountered Rosé de Gambrinus, made with raspberries. The berries awaken the dormant wild yeast and ferment out the sugar, resulting in a huge raspberry aroma balanced by earthy, piquant greatness.

De Heeren van Liedekercke

Lambic fans have beaten a path to this cellar , boasting a vast array of vintage oude gueuze, beer created by mixing old and young lambics. As oude gueuze ages, it exhibits aromas like musky wet hay. The bistro menu, featuring dishes like parsnip soup with guinea fowl, and cod fried in onions, is designed to contrast with the piquancy and effervescence of the beer.

La Porte Noire

Built in the 1600s, this vaulted, red-bricked cellar  was used as the kitchen for a convent. Now it’s home to a Celtic-themed bar that regularly hosts local rock bands and DJs. Just as rock’n’roll is gulping pints of Gueuze Tilquin chased with sips of Oban malt whisky.

Antwerp

Billie’s Bier Kafetaria

Billie  is the resident French bulldog of this gastropub with excellent craft beer. Every year it hosts one of Europe’s great beer festivals – catch the next Billie’s Craft Beer Fest at the Waagnatie exhibition centre over 29-30 November.

Spéciale Belge Taproom

The menu of this taproom showcases both contemporary and traditional Belgian brews: compare a full-bodied tripel (strong pale ale) from Westmalle (notes of candied bananas) with De Ranke’s dry, bitter, apricot-tinged Guldenberg.

Bruges

In’t Nieuw Museum

In its warmly lit, country home interior, I wolfed down a charred aged steak with a bottle of vintage Chimay Grande Reserve. As it conditions in bottle, it forms aromas of dried raisins and liquorice. The place gets its name from the museum-like collection of brewery plaques, money boxes and other vintage mementos on the walls.

De Republiek

This space was built with the creative beer drinking classes in mind. It’s home not only to a beer cafe that serves seasonal dishes, but also pop-up areas for local entrepreneurs and craftsmen to showcase their work.