TOPIC:

What Belgians do you think are just not worth the praise they get. I'm drinking a Chimay Red at the mo (not for the first time), and I just don't get the appeal at all. Bruges Zot as well (all varieties)...every bar in Brugge recommends this to people who don't know Belgian beers very well....why? It's terrible.

It is down to personal taste I suppose. For instance I quite like Brugse Zot and my wife loves the stuff. As wits go it is one of my favourites to be honest.

I don't like the Chimays either, dreadful crap.
In fact up until recently I was of the opinion that I didn't like Belgians due to Chimay and Leffe, but I've found that I really like lambics and hoegaarden.

Personally I have had a lot of Belgian beer and for the most part I love it although I am more in to my US and UK beers as well as of course Irish beers.

Wow, what a thread!

A positive vote for Hoegaarden and Chimay as "Dreadful crap"$$ at least there was a vote against Leffe, I guess... ;(

Chimay's use of "bugs" makes it very much an acquired taste. I've tried several different beers that utilize "Brett" now and I usually find it an offensive taste that I'm just not fond of at least not yet, but at the same time I find it WAY, WAY more subtle in Chimay and think the balance is about perfect in Chimay.


I find Hoegaarden to taste like the giant corporate watered down crap that it is; it is to Belgian Wit what Erdinger is to a proper German Hefeweizen; watered-down with the flavor removed just enough to appeal to a wider audience. Hoegaarden's corporate overlords will be very happy with this thread so far. <!-- s;-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt="" title="Wink" /><!-- s;-) --> -They took a beer made with craft and passion and ruined it.

I feel that Leffe is in the exact same boat (although I do generally like slightly sweeter beer and I genuinely like the taste of Leffe, I really do NOT like what it stands for). And although it appears to often be beer blasphemy to speak poorly against a Trappist product, Westmalle has certainly scaled up production and scaled down distinct flavor over the years. I'm glad they've "stuck to their guns" on the attenuation issue at least and have refused to start selling it sweeter.


I did have a Belgium-made "Strubbes Chocolate" "chocolate beer" that was pretty bad. I also had an otherwise delicious tasting Belgian-made IPA that had 3/4 of an inch of yeast sediment that detracted from the experience and flavor.


We can't forget Stella Artois, or what I've long called "the only bad beer made in Belgium"$$ not because of any flaws that produce off flavors, but because it's a soulless, tasteless, macro lager that's stealing market share from good passionately made Belgian craft beer.


Adam

&amp;quot;Biertourist&amp;quot;:3vpcfd43 wrote: what I've long called "the only bad beer made in Belgium"$$ not because of any flaws that produce off flavors, but because it's a soulless, tasteless, macro lager that's stealing market share from good passionately made Belgian craft beer.[/quote:3vpcfd43]Not nearly as much market share as Belgium's really big beer brands: Jupiler and Maes.