Belgium is the beer lover’s paradise. There are 125 breweries in the country. The largest brewery in the world, Inbev, calls belgium home. In total, there are over a thousand types of Belgium beers. With so many beers its a good thing Belgium also has literally thousands of pubs, or “cafes”, as they are called in Belgium.

      So the numbers are pretty staggering. It makes me thirsty just thinking about it. What is just as amazing is the diversity of all the beers. From Pils to Lambics, I’ll introduce you to the beauty of all the Belgian Beers.

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Beer is broadly defined as a fermented malt beverage. The word beer comes from the Latin word ‘bibere’ meaning ‘to drink’. The Greek goddess of agriculture, Ceres, is the root of the Spanish word for beer, cerveza. One of the first great works of world literature, the Gilgamesh Epic, references the importance of beer. Beer has played an important role in the lives of many cultures throughout history, however it’s impact on these societies is not widely known. High Schools don’t teach “Beer History” classes. This is niche of history that while largely untaught is very interesting to people today, history buff or not. This is because roughly the same beverage that the Samarians brewed 6000 years ago still has an influential place in our society. I won’t try to give the entire history of beer, the internet has given us encyclopedic references for that (see references), however I will give an outline for those not willing to read that much.

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Beer is made from 4 simple ingredients; water, grain (barley, wheat, rice, corn, or other cereals), yeast, and hops. Other ingredients are used by many brewers to create distinctive tastes and characters. Brewing beer is a mix of both chemistry and art. The most successful brewer will not only understand all aspects of brewing but will also have the love and devotion of the beer drinker.

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“Son, a woman is like a beer. They smell good, they look good, you’d step over your own mother just to get one! But you can’t stop at one. You wanna drink another woman”, 
       Homer Simpson

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Learning to taste beer is something you may have developed without instruction. It’s only a matter of getting the most flavor out of the beer. Learning to taste beer can help you appreciate, and enjoy beer to its fullest. So it is worth doing. While evaluating the taste of a beer is most certainly an art, there are some simple steps you can take. The following techniques will help you take your love for beer to a method of evaluation.

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