Belgian Beer Primer

Decoding the world’s most acclaimed (and confusing) brews.

Canned Beer That's Actually Good

Craft brewers see sense in cans.

Candy's Black Sheep

Salty, medicinal black licorice won’t satisfy your sweet tooth, but you might like it anyway.

Black licorice can go both ways.

City Beer is a newly opened beer store and tasting room unlike any other beer store around.

is available and once again brewed by Unibroue. This is an excellent Belgian style dubbel and a great bargain at $4.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

I’ve got a bottle of Port Brewing Hop 15, and one each of Anderson Valley Dubbel and Trippel.

Those are wildly different beers. Sounds to me like he’d be up for most anything Belgian. The only ones I’d avoid would be the lame, insipid ones like Stella Artois, Palm, and Steenbrugge Dubbel (made by Palm). Those...

For me its not the Holidays without some really good Belgian Ale, usually Corsendonk Dubbel or Kwak – paired with a Red Dragon, a nice cheddar-like cheese made with mustard seed. What’s yours?

of traditional Flemish dishes. Not haute cuisine, just good, hearty food. He’ll probably try to sell you a bottle of Augistijn beer, which is worth drinking. Reservations essential. Afterwards go to Den Engel for a draft...

recognized the name: Grimbergen Dubbel—a Belgian dubbel that is the color of classic brown ale that you’d expect to be heavy but in fact is round and malty. Now I’ll have to be on the look-out for this beer at...

(Brugge): - this is a nice hotel restaurant, with a modern feel and a great beer list. Bornem Dubbel: (tap) solid dubbel. Not spectacular, but a good version. Verhaege Blonde (tap) very tasty. From the makers of Duchesse. Dertig:...

to stand up to this beauty. Amazing. TWO beers accompanied the next course, a large Venison and Leek Dumpling: Ashman’s signature Pullman Brown Ale and his Abbaye Dubbel, a great tri-pairing of rich malt in the brown ale and...

There are some Belgian dubbels and tripels on the market. Dubbel is a brown beer, probably 7-8% alcohol by volume, somewhat sweet. Tripel is blond, 8%-10%, drier. Duvel is a strong blond beer, paler than a tripel, with a big...

, innocent and layered with flavor. A genius beer. Two beers accompanied the next course, a large Venison and Leek Dumpling: Ashman’s signature Pullman Brown Ale and his Abbaye Dubbel, a great tri-pairing of rich malt in the...