Belgian beers

Restaurants, food, beverage, hawkers, and local markets and suppliers. This is the place for discussion on Hua Hin's culinary options.
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hhfarang
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by hhfarang »

Thanks for that Dannie Boy. I guess my beer logic is flawed. I thought the alcohol content came from those little yeastie beasties eating the sugar and defecating alcohol so in my warped way of thinking, higher alcohol content should mean less sweetness as more of the sugar was turned into it. I'll take your advice and try a low volume alcohol one next time.
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Dannie Boy
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by Dannie Boy »

hhfarang wrote:Thanks for that Dannie Boy. I guess my beer logic is flawed. I thought the alcohol content came from those little yeastie beasties eating the sugar and defecating alcohol so in my warped way of thinking, higher alcohol content should mean less sweetness as more of the sugar was turned into it. I'll take your advice and try a low volume alcohol one next time.
I think your logic is fine HHFR but maybe they stop the fermentation process before the yeast has done its work? Certainly ones that I have tried at around 9% were too sweet (and strong) for my liking, whereas those at about 6% tasted just like a strong and pleasant beer.
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by Pleng »

hhfarang wrote:Thanks for that Dannie Boy. I guess my beer logic is flawed. I thought the alcohol content came from those little yeastie beasties eating the sugar and defecating alcohol so in my warped way of thinking, higher alcohol content should mean less sweetness as more of the sugar was turned into it. I'll take your advice and try a low volume alcohol one next time.
It's a combination of yeast and suger. The more yeast you have, the more sugar you need. And the resulting beer will be sweater as a result.
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dtaai-maai
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by dtaai-maai »

Pleng wrote: And the resulting beer will be sweater as a result.
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by cookie102 »

You should try a beer called Kwak, its not a dark beer but is also not a lager.
It is also a new experience drinking it due to the shape of the glass.
They sell it in Lost and also the new modern bar opposite.
Good luck!!!
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by Arcadian »

My first experience of Belgian beer was on a cross channel ferry, wanting to try something different I ordered one with a fancy pump handle, I complained that it was cloudy, and the haughty barman explained that it was a white beer and that`s the way it`s supposed to be. :oops:
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STEVE G
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by STEVE G »

I normally stick to the local poison but finding myself in a bar yesterday afternoon not far from Belgium and remembering this thread, I thought I'd see what was on offer.
I can recommend Leffe Brune if you can find it. It is a bit sweet, but not overly so, and has a deep malty flavour with a hint of a chocolate taste, it's really a very fine beer and I'll certainly drink it again.
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chelsea
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by chelsea »

kendo wrote:
dtaai-maai wrote:
dozer wrote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_artois

Stella Artois is brewed in Leuvin, Belgium.
But it's still gnat's pee!
DM Stella is no way weak its 5% come and try sinking about 10 pints with me in an afternoon and tell me the same thing it's not really a session beer that's why its got the nick name Wife Beater.

Kendo. :cheers:
Funny what you say there Kendo. I drink Stella most of the time in Australia and when I went back to the UK last year, my mates all thought I was mad drinking it every night. Most of them used to drink it a lot, but now shy away from it, stating they love it but cannot take the hangovers it gives them.
You are right about it having a kick as well, and 10 pints in the afternoon is a fairly big session.
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by kendo »

I love Stella, but after binging all day the hang over takes a lot longer to subside these days, and now i have a baby i don't want to be hanging whilst looking after her.

I used to drink in the Moon And Sixpence in Woodvale and the OBH Scarbourgh are they still there, it's been ten years since my last trip to Perth.

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Re: Belgian beers

Post by chelsea »

kendo wrote:I love Stella, but after binging all day the hang over takes a lot longer to subside these days, and now i have a baby i don't want to be hanging whilst looking after her.

I used to drink in the Moon And Sixpence in Woodvale and the OBH Scarbourgh are they still there, it's been ten years since my last trip to Perth.

Kendo. :cheers:
OBH is at Cottesloe, the one in Scarborough was the Sir Stamford (under Rendevous City Hotel). Moon and Sixpence is still there and only about 10 mins up the road from where I live. Recently done up and is a good place to drink. I normally go and watch the football on a Saturday night when I need to.
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by Nereus »

I don't drink any of it, but an interesting article:
.........................................................................
The Quip - Something familiar about Stella (Catch up with beer reviews on The Sip Archive)

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifes ... ut-stella/

New York, London, Paris, Perth. It doesn’t matter to Paul Van De Walle.

If the Belgian beer expert has done his job properly, his prized beverage will taste like, well, a Stella Artois in any city.

Van De Walle is Stella Artois’ global brewmaster. And it is his job to travel the world making sure the famous beer is up to the company’s fastidious standards.

That means the Pilsner should have particular characteristics regardless of where you consume it and whether it was produced by one of the 22 brewers globally with a licence to manufacture Stella Artois.

Indeed, the drink should be as it was when first produced as a Christmas beer in 1926.

“We have our recipe which is traditional so that helps us maintain a consistency even if Stella is brewed somewhere else,” Van De Walle told The Sip during his recent Australian visit.

“It is my job to ensure that the Stella Artois, and our Becks, regardless of location are tasting the same.

“We have procedures to ensure that is the case.”

One of those rules has troubled many licensed operator. Van De Walle makes detailed inspections of premises and equipment before approval to brew Stella Artois is given. And the brewers need to produce five trial batches, that go before a taste team in Belgium, before they can commercially release under the beer’s label.

“But it doesn’t stop there. We will continually look over their shoulder to see how they brew,” said Van De Walle. “And that is why I travel for about four months of the year checking various breweries around the world.”

Each month Lionco, which has the Australian licence for Stella Artois, has to send samples of their product to Belgium for evaluation.

One of the platforms that allows Van De Walle to maintain uniformity in his brew around the world is the yeast.

The same yeast that was used to brew Stella Artois in 1926 is still in use today.

“And we only use it for Stella Artois. It gives pineapple esters in the flavour,” said Van De Walle.

“When I started at the brewer in Leuven there has always been a lot of attention and care in our yeast strain to keep its integrity.

“We have done a lot of work to ensure the yeast doesn’t change or mutate over time.

“We ask our breweries, like Lion, to change the yeast every three months. They have to get rid of all the yeast and replace it. They are not allowed to make sub-cultures of the yeast. It means we don’t have any deviations in the brewing over time.

“We have a whole team in Leuven who just look after the yeast.”

Van De Walle also believes that no matter the location, drinkers of Stella Artois should consume the brew from the specially designed chalice for which the beer has become famous.

The glassware allows the drinker to avoid warming up the glass by holding a stem.

There is also a ritual about pouring a Stella.

“There should be a 2cm foam head to keep in the flavour,” he said. “It is a protection layer between the air and the beer.”

And fortunately for lovers of the Belgian favourite Van De Walle’s scrutiny ensures that when the golden liquid touches the lips it is exactly as the drinker remembers it.
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by chelsea »

I have just decided I want his job, although I do not think my recent heart surgeon would agree to that 55555
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by oakdale160 »

We don't have any 'beer events' in HH, we need to have a Belgian beer night, an organised pub crawl from one bar with Belgian beers to another.
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by PeteC »

Here's a list of Belgian beers from Wiki. At the end of 2011 there were 1150 of them. :shock: That has to be the world record and I would think Germany doesn't come close. Pete

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Belgian_beer
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Re: Belgian beers

Post by Zero »

If you like Belgian beer, you're most definitely in luck! There is a great little cafe near to the beach/pier end of Soi 57 (opposite the 3 ATM's). It's run by a Belgian guy and his Thai wife who are really easygoing, I don't actually know the name of the place, I just know it simply as "The Belgian" or Erik's.

I've been in quite a few times with my pal who swears by the place and I must say I have always been impressed. There is a menu with info on the bottled Belgian beers they sell, it's beer geek heaven tbh. I'm guessing that they must have a couple of dozen brews and for specially imported beer, it's really not that expensive either.

Authentically, all the blonde and dark beers are served in their own special glasses too, which adds to the fun. Some of the beers are deceptively strong - up to 13%, so go easy...or Erik will laugh at you.

They also serve simple but really decent food, again Belgian. Ham and cheese croques, waffles, omelettes, pancakes etc. Well worth a try if you fancy something different in the Old Town.
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