Do you not like Belgian beers?

[admin]

And if not, why not?

Personally I get what I can only describe as a "dish water" flavour off most beers fermented with a Belgian type yeast. From talking to others I may be unique in this regard!

[delzep]

[Partridge9]

Belgian Beers .. I visit Brussels about twice a year - and I have to say - I absolutely love the place.

What I like most about Belgian beers is the diversity - the diversity in taste and also the diversity in the way they make beer.

From the Strong Triples or the Sour Lambic or the wonderfully sweet cheery beers  - or the ones which are hard to define like Kwak or the trustworthy Leffe.

I get one authentic bottle of Westvleteren (a Trappist Beer) every year - from my friend who is on the 'list' - and its fabulous !

I think beers in Belgium have evolved from revolutionary and sometimes controversial brewing methods - but its these risks that they take that results in such fantastic results.

So - in short - Im a big fan of belgian beers !

[matthewdick23]

love Belgians. they're what moved me to AG. that country was my 'gateway' beer

working on recipe for a dubbel and quad next. gonna throw some lacto yeast in half the quad

[Weiss]

Not a big fan of them but when they hit the right spot....... 

[Taf]

Not a fan of them either, and would never buy one. However, when someone brings one to a tasting I do try them, and don't mind them, but just not into them. Not enough hops really, and not mad about the general Begium funkiness.

[Bubbles]

I was mad into craft beer - indeed, mad into homebrewing before I'd even tasted a Belgian beer. That was about 6 months ago. I've been slowly working my way through some of the more famous Belgian beers and I'm absolutely hooked.

I find them so complex, particularly saisons who's flavour I find absolutely fascinating. Even something as "mainstream" as a Chimay blue - just so complex.

I've got some big plans to brew a few Belgians myself this summer.

[Ciderhead]

I've got some big plans to brew a few Belgians myself this summer.

Prefer French myself

[Eoin]

I'm not a big fan, but then what homebrewers tend to make are the ones I don't like. I think the dishwater that Shane is tasting is probably the coriander addition, green coriander tastes like this for me.
I do like the stuff that no homebrewer tends to take on, which are the sours, but then they are nothing like the others.

[matthewdick23]

which of those chimays, west, etc do you like/not like?

[Eoin]

I'd be the same on Chimay, it's pish.

If it's in wheatbeers too then it's wheat or yeast you don't like.

[matthewdick23]

shane, give the other chimays a whack. they're all v different from each other- dubble, tripel etc etc.

if you get the same taste in all the beers of one monastery, then its the yeast

[Padraic]

I've only ever had the one with the pale coloured label (I think) and as I didn't like it (that was a few years ago) I've sort of ignored Chimay as a whole since then.

The yellow/white label is the tripel and isn't an amazing beer (not sure if i've found a tripel that I love), the other two are decent beers! They really benefit from some ageing! It's worth buying a few bottles and leaving them in the cellar for a few years, obviously that would be better with Rochfort or Westie but also a lot more expensive!

I'm a fan of belgians that being said, I do find I don't buy them as often these days!

[imark]

Tripel Karmeliet is one of my favourite beers

[delzep]

Tripel Karmeliet is one of my favourite beers

Best tripel available over here. My favourite in Belgium is tripel de graal

Have a few westvleteren 8 and 12 knocking about at home that are 6 years old. Aged black Albert and a couple of others