The Great Beers of Belgium - Hardcover

Michael Jackson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1853754641 ISBN 13: 9781853754647

Publisher: Prion Books, 2001

Synopsis

Belgium is to beer what Burgandy and Bordeaux are to wine. With an introduction about Belgium and its traditions, Michael Jackson takes us on a tour of its ancient regions, such as Flanders and Brabant, and places the various brewing traditions in their local contexts. He describes the time honoured traditional ingredients: water; the yeasts; the hops; the varieties of barley and the various brewing techniques. He then takes the reader round the famous breweries, frequently monasteries, and the styles - lambic, gueuze, kriek, framboise, brown beers, wheat beers, fruit beers, the famous trappoist and other abbey beers, and golden ales.

About this title

Review

Belgium must be Michael Jackson's idea of heaven. The diversity, individuality, and ubiquity of beer in that country astounds even the beer sophisticate. Belgians lay claim to dozens of brewing styles that, motley as they are, read like a royal registry of beer: Lambics, Abbey Ales, Belgian Whites, Strong Golden Ales, Trappist Ales, Belgian Browns. Consider the Lambic brewer's "wind through the rafters" approach, in which wild yeast and airborne bacteria are responsible for the fermentation process and the otherworldly flavor characteristics of the final product. The brewing style is so dependent on the microflora of the greater Brussels area that it cannot be successfully duplicated anywhere else in the world.

Jackson exposes the history and inner workings of this quiet, quirky brewing behemoth with characteristic thoroughness and enthusiasm. We learn the origins of monastic brewing, the good fortune of spiders in Lambic breweries, and the reasoning behind using orange peels, coriander seeds, and three years' worth of stale hops in the brewing process. Ample tasting notes of commercial Belgian products--from those famous worldwide to those available only locally--provide a reference point for the reader's own beer hunting.

A few bottles of Belgian brew and a copy of Great Beers of Belgium are as close to a brewing tour of Belgium one can get, short of visiting the country itself. Such armchair exploration, with Jackson as a guide, may be just the revelation that makes a physical trip irresistible. --Todd Gehman

About the Author

Michael Jackson is the frequently awarded writer of books on beer, whiskey and travels. Maker of the world-famous television series 'The Beer Hunter', he received the 2000 Travel Award of the British Guild of Beer Writers. As a top author and the biggest beer expert on Earth, he has tasted beer and visited breweries from Alaska to Patagonia. In 1999, he was awarded a Glenfiddich Award as Drinks Journalist of the Year for his articles in 'The Independent', 'High Life' and the cocktail magazine 'Class'.

Edition details

• Publisher: Prion Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1853754641
• ISBN 13: 9781853754647
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 342