By Joseph Chierchie
Before mass-produced beers ruled the earth, brewers used a variety of yeast strains, spices, grains, and artisanal methods to produce rich, brews full of robust aromas and exciting flavors. For years, the tiny nation of Belgium, located at the crossroads of many European culinary traditions and agricultural regions, has been at the center of this brewing heritage, where hundreds of breweries produce countless styles and varieties of beer. The Belgian style of beer is a time honored tradition that dates back to the middle Ages beginning in monasteries. The Monks started making beer that was exclusively for them and the word soon spread that there was something special “brewing”.
These days you can pretty much go to any distributor on Long Island and find many styles of Belgian Beer from the traditional dubbel (brown in color) and tripel ( strong pale ale) to the more well known White or Wheat beers. Many of these beers are bottle conditioned and unfiltered. When you pick up a bottle from the shelf you might notice a very cloudy appearance with some stuff floating around the bottom of the bottle, do not be alarmed this is the way it is supposed to be. They leave the yeast in the bottle so the fermentation can continue until the bottle is opened.
There are many Belgian styles that are produced in the states, and few do it better than Brewery Ommegang. This authentic Belgian brewery is nestled in the picturesque town of Cooperstown, NY. Started in 1997 on an old hop farm Brewery Ommegang was based on the philosophy that truly unique ales must be built from the ground up. They now produce 5 award winning Belgian Style ales. Ommegang is the only brewery that I know of that ages their beer in caves to keep a constant temperature. They use the famous Howe Caverns which is only a short drive from the brewery.
If you are looking for Belgium beers that are imported you might want to try one of the finely crafted brews from Brewery Van Steenberge–their two most popular beers are Gulden Draak and Piraat. Another brewery receiving high praise is Brewery Bavik, offering their Bavik Pilsner and their Wittekerke Wit. Newest to the scene is the Brewery Musketeers which started in 2004 and already picked up a Gold medal at this year’s World Beer Cup for their Troubadour Blonde.
If you are looking for a chance to try these great Belgian beers and others like St. Feuillien, Urthel, Rodenbach, Leffe, and Affligem come down to the International Great Beer Expo at the Nassau Coliseum on November 13. Take a world beer tour, no passport required. Cheers!