The Belgian Attitude

Here is where it all began.

As a Scot with a Belgian grandmother and a father who is a huge real ale fan, I suppose the chances were pretty high that I'd develop a fondness for beer.  Over the years I've enjoyed a wide range of good beers, and I've always come back to some of the fantastic Belgian trappist ales when I felt like something special.  For my tastebuds, the king of the trappist ale is Orval - a hoppy, fruity delight of an ale which can be savoured from the first sip to the last.

Earlier this year, my wife and I had a few days holiday in Belgium. One afternoon, while sitting in a cafe near the Belfry in Bruges and sipping an Orval, I realised something which I've probably always known but hadn't really given much thought to - the Belgian attitude to beer is exactly right.  Go into any bar and you can expect to find a beer menu with a large range of different ales, each of which will customarily be served with care in its own particular glass, said to be designed to best bring out the flavour of each individual beer.  The beer is treated as a drink to be respected, savoured, relished and enjoyed at leisure.  Compare this with your average bar in Scotland; a fridge full of generic bottled lagers, a few taps of different lagers, perhaps a Guinness tap, and if you're lucky perhaps an ale or two.  It's like comparing a locally-run delicatessen, where the best of produce is lovingly sold, to a pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap supermarket.

Given the choice of savouring a couple of nice trappist ales or throwing six pints of mass-produced tasteless lager down my throat, I'll take the Belgian approach any day of the week!  They brew strong beer which is full of flavour, and which really should be treated with respect.

Thankfully, I think this approach is slowly gaining headway in Scotland.  Independent Scottish breweries such as Fyne Ales, Williams Bros, WEST and the magnificent Brewdog seem to be becoming much more popular, and the availability of craft beer from other countries is steadily improving.  So bring it on - let's keep that Belgian attitude and savour some great quality beer!