Drunken Crayfish

The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer.

Egyptian proverb

Do you know that?
Brasserie de Bellevaux is located in the town of Bellevaux in Wallonia.

This is actually a realization of a dream project: the owners, Carla and Wil Schuwer have bought the property (which used to be a farm) in order to transform it into a brewery producing characteristic beers of the highest quality.

Ardennes spring-water, the finest ingredients and craftsmanship are at the base of the four excellent beer at Brasserie de Bellevaux – Blonde, Brune, Black and Blanche.

Brasserie de Bellevaux produces two principal brands: the inviting and smooth Brune and the feisty, more complex Blonde. In addition, it brews two seasonal beers: the crisp Blanche notifies of the arrival of spring. At the end of the summer, the fresh Blanche is replaced by a full-bodied Black that ushers in the winter.

Brasserie de Bellevaux is committed to brewing the best beer that their diligent efforts can produce. Enjoyment and passion for quality is at the heart of the brewery?s commitment and it always looks forward to welcoming you at its premises.

Cheers!

EU: Western European beer marked down 2.5% last year ? report

The Western European beer market fell 2.5 percent in volume terms in 2009, with nearly all markets falling, independent researcher Plato Logic communicated on May, 24.

The world’s four biggest brewer – Anheuser-Busch InBev, SABMiller, Heineken and Carlsberg – are all based in Western Europe and have relied on growth from the emerging markets of Latin America and Asia rather than recession-hit western Europe.

“Nearly all markets were lower in what was clearly a difficult year, with volumes in the on-trade channel falling by around 6 percent,” Plato director Ian Pressnell said.

The premium beer market declined by more than 3 percent, showing it had suffered more as beer drinkers traded down to cheaper brews in tough economic times, he said.

The Heineken brand sold over 11 million hectolitres of beer in 2009 to retain its top spot while Carlsberg with nearly 8 million hectolitres leapfrogged Molson Coors’ Carling beer into second place.

Heineken brews Foster’s and Amstel filled fourth and fifth spots, while Carlsberg’s Kronenbourg came sixth and AB InBev’s Stella Artois seventh.

Beer is the beverage of sophistication

Beer is the beverage of sophistication, as it has always been, Seattle PI communicates.

Sophistication is defined as a change from the natural character or simplicity, or the resulting condition; complexity, as in design or organization.

A bottle of beer contains several base ingredients such as barley, hops, yeast, and water ? beyond this the list of ingredients is limited only by the brewer?s imagination – and this creates a complex flavour. With other drinks, such as wine, for instance, there is hardly a possibility to let your creative genius free.

There is a greater range of color available within the world of beer. This is extremely important because humans rely on visual stimuli to rate quality and perceived taste. This is why beer should always be poured into a glass, rather than consumed from a bottle.

Beer color ranges from a pale straw to black, with a myriad of colors in between.

Brewing is an art. Winemakers are limited by their own profession to creating what has already been created. Creating a fine wine is a standard, not an art. Beer brewers are challenged to create new and interesting beers that will capture the hearts of beer drinkers around the world.

Brewers are able to use any ingredients they so desire. Brewers are allowed to take risks. Beers have been brewed with fruit, peppers, wheat, and chocolate. Some beers require the addition of hops or fruit during the fermentation process; the brewer must have perfect timing to pull off such an addition or the entire brew will be destroyed.

Beer being more popular among the masses sounds like it would go against the argument of sophistication, but it does not. Queen Victoria said, “Give my people plenty of beer, good beer, and cheap beer, and you will have no revolution among them.? A happy nation is a peaceful nation.

When attending a sporting event the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverage is beer. This is not because it is cheap, but because it is the preferred drink of the masses. The most popular events today are sporting events, even among the rich.

Beer is the philosopher?s drink. Great ideas are never hatched over a bottle of wine, but instead a case of beer. Plato?s favorite beverage was an IPA, Seattle PI claims.

Beer has a wide range of ABV – from 3 to 25 percent, or even greater.

Beer has a long way to go before it will take its rightful place in the eyes of the world as the true beverage of sophistication. The craft beer movement is a start, but beer education is a necessity. People must know that beer should be treated respectfully in public places.

Would the eyes of the world, outside of Belgium, be opened to the complexity and sophistication of beer? One can only imagine the possibilities!

Hops have not always been in beer

Today?s beer as we know it uses hops for spicing. Hops provide bitterness, flavor, and aroma to beer. Hops balance out malt character to improve beer drinkability. Hops act as a preservative, helping to maintain flavor stability in beer as it is aged, transported, and stored. But did you know that hops have only really been used in beer for about the last 500 years. It wasn?t until the 16th century that hops in beer was the standard.

Taking into account that beer has been around for at least 4000-9000 years or more, there was a long time when other herbs, such as gale, yarrow, and rosemary, among many others.

The ancient brews (which are, by the way, still produced in some places today) are called gruit ales, or simply gruits. They were brewed all over the European continent (and beyond) between 700 and 1700 AD. The exclusive use of gruit herbs in Europe started to change around 1100AD when it was learned that hops were a very good antiseptic, meaning that they retarded the growth of bacteria and preserved the ale longer then the herbs did. Remember also that there was no refrigeration in those days and a batch of brew would last only so long with just alcohol and the herbs or hops to prevent spoilage. Because of this bacteria problem the brews of that era were stronger in alcohol and bitterer then today?s beers.

The other very significant difference between hops and gruit herbs is that the hops have a sedative value to them (they make you sleepy) and the gruit herbs have psychoactive properties that wake you up. That is why we?ve heard the tales of bawdy partying for days on end. Gruit ales were made from a many recipes that were proprietary to the brewer, hence brewers don?t have a lot of ancient formulas to make the modern gruits by. Well, this leaves a lot of possibilities for expertiments!

Cheers!

Belgian beer awarded in Australia

A number of Belgian beers have been highly appreciated at the Australian Beer Awards 2010.

The three beers that got the gold in the Belgian and French style ale category are La Triple Moine (Bocq brewery), St Bernardus (Saint-Bernard), and La Floreffe Prima Melior (Brasserie Lefebvre).

Het Sas pils by Brasserie Leroy was awarded the silver medal in the category Pilsner, Bocq?s Blanche de Namur got the silver in the category Witbier, and the honey beer Barbar by Brasserie Lefebvre won the silver in the Hybrid Beer category.

No doubt: if more Belgian brewers presented their beers to the jury, the longer the list would be.

Cheers!

Excellent Belgian chocolate with no added sugar

Cavalier is a Belgian family company that takes care of chocolate lovers who want to or have to avoid sugars either to enjoy chocolate in a healthier manner, to keep in shape or for medical reasons, but without compromising on taste.

Cavalier has been exclusively developing, producing and distributing chocolate products with no added sugar since 1996.

Cavalier is the undisputed market leader in Belgium in chocolate products with no added sugar. Its products can be enjoyed in more than 45 countries.

Thanks to the broad range of products with no added sugar, everyone can find something at Cavalier. Whether you want to enjoy chocolate in a healthier manner, wish to keep in shape or you have to avoid sugar for medical reasons, everyone can enjoy wonderful Cavalier chocolate.