Brussels Local Custom Tips by tere1

Belgian Fries, simply delicious!!! Eating Review

Freedom fries, chips, or frites – whichever name you prefer to use – they’re Belgian! And we take this responsibility very seriously. Made with Belgian Bintje potatoes, cooked twice and served in a paper cone with a side of mayonnaise, these Belgian treats embody potato perfection.

A favorite place to sample fries are at frietkots or fritures, which are outdoor vendors who sell – you guessed it – Belgian fries. There are more than 4000 frietkots throughout Belgium and many carry a selection of over 50 dipping sauces to choose from. One of the most visited frietkots in Brussels is a local favorite, Antoine's, a landmark stand on the Place Jourdan. Whether enjoyed at a three star Michelin restaurant or right off the street, this Belgian specialty is not to be missed.

Delicious Waffles ( Gauffres)!!! Eating Review

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Waffles!

Forget about the mal-represented ‘Belgian Waffles’ served for breakfast at your local diner. Waffles have been an important part of the Belgian diet for centuries and are an epicurean encounter which can only be experienced in their natural habitat. Aside from the delicious recipe, the authentic Belgian waffle is unique because of the special waffle irons used to bake them. These waffle irons are only available in Belgium and give Belgian waffles their signature crunchy-golden outside and fluffy inside.

In Belgium there are two types of waffles (or gauffres as we like to call them): the Brussels and the Liege waffle. The Brussels is rectangular in shape with a golden-brown exterior, deep divots and is usually eaten with a knife and fork. Brussels waffles are served with a variety of toppings such as powdered sugar, whipped cream, ice cream, strawberries and chocolate. The Liege waffle is golden-yellow, more dense in texture and has a burned sugar coating on the outside giving it a lightly sweet flavor. This hand-held waffle is sold by street vendors all over Belgium.

Delicious Belgium Beer! Drinking Review

Besides chocolates, beer is also an institution in Belgium. And I must admit I have never had such great beers like the ones I had in Belgium. Simply delicious!!!!!

There are several different types of Belgian beers:

Abbey Ales
Amber ales
Blond Ales
BOKBIER
Lambic
Pilsner
RED & BROWN ALES
Saison Ales
Special Ales
Stouts
Triples
WIT

I am going to splurge a little on beer tips in this page, as I found them to be amazingly delicious and one of the most interesting icons of Belgium.

Beers: WIT Drinking Review

WIT is the identification for Belgian Wheat Ales.
They are absolutely different from German or US wheat beers.

A WIT must be brewed using at least 25 % of wheat malts. Belgian wheat beers are fruitier, with a slight lemony touch, because the use of coriander seeds, orange peels, and other spices is very common.

Labels: Ertvelds Wit , Joseph , Wittekerke , Wittekerke Rose .

Beers: TRIPLES Drinking Review

On the European continent, beers with the highest alcohol content are called Triples. On the British Isles (and in the USA) the tradition is to call them Barley Wines. We generally consider a beer a Triple in Belgium when the alcohol content is 9 % alcohol by volume and higher. There are some “commercial” exceptions, I mean some beers are labeled Triple although they have not the required alcohol strength.

Why do we call them triples? When the brewster starts with three times the ‘normal’ amount of malt in her brew kettle, she starts with more starches, she has more sugars after boiling and will end up with more alcohol after fermentation.

The triples are considered the best and most complex beers. More historical facts about triples in the “Beer & Life” section.

Labels: Biere Du Boucanier Golden , Biere Du Boucanier Dark , Bornem Triple , Gulden Draak , La Divine Triple , Keizersberg, Petrus Gouden Triple , Piraat.

Beers: STOUT Drinking Review

The workman’s beer in the 19th and early 20th century. Very dark, with high food value, stout was the staple beer of the laborers in the Flemish textile factories, the Walloon coal mines and on the docks of the Flemish harbors, where physical labor was exhausting, and 12-14 hour days the standard. These Belgian stouts are ‘milder’, which means sweeter than the Irish stouts.

Stouts had a very manly image with muscular arms pictured on the publicity posters. Today, however, the sweeter and rounder undertone with a complex taste and aroma of the best Belgians stouts attract a lot of female drinkers.

Labels: Troubadour Obscura

Beers: Special Ales Drinking Review

Here belong all beers that are difficult to place with a specific style.
Due to the exceptional nature of most Belgian beers, it is no surprise that a lot of beers could be catalogued under this style. Beers using uncommon spices, sweeteners and grains, for example.

Beers that are blends of different beers, and even non-beer liquids like juices, ciders, or hard liquor.

Labels: Bieken , Poperings Hommel , Sara, Tikka Gold

Beers: SCOTCH Drinking Review

Scottish style ale, brewed outside Scotland, is an ale brewed with some typical ingredients like Kent hops, special yeast, and candy sugar.

Normally, such beer should trace its origin back to some Scottish influence.

The color is red to dark, sweet taste, average to higher in alcohol, and with some typical velvety and licorice flavors.

Beers: Saison Ales Drinking Review

This style is typical for the country side of Hainaut, a Province of Belgium and a Departement of France. It is a rural area with large grain farms, and these farms all used to brew. A lot of beer was needed for the many farm workers. The original style of Saison is a blend of 2 or 3 beers, with one of them being an old slightly sour beer. This extra touch of sourness gave it its thirst quenching nature for the farm workers in the summer. That was the only season (harvest) it used to be brewed. The quality image of this beer style used to be very bad.

The farmer was making room in his vessels by dumping old sour beer, and the drinkers were the poorest of all workers. They were people wandering from season to season, from crop to crop, to work.

Today however, the quality of the Saison beers is perfect, but a real Saison should still be a blend of 2 beers. Blending beer is an art, and not all brewers master it. Unfortunately some brewers just give the name Saison to their amber ale.

Labels: Silly Saison

Beers: RED & BROWN ALES Drinking Review

Flemish reds or browns need to be aged in oak for some time before we can call them reds or browns.

These beers are normally average on alcohol content, have a sour note (aging) and have the color of their name.

Labels:
Biere Du Boucanier Red
Monks Cafe Flemish Sour Ale
Petrus Aged Pale
Petrus Oud Bruin
Petrus Dubbel Bruin
Petrus Winter