"If you like beer, you will love Belgium. If you don't like beer, you will learn to like it once you visit Belgium."
That's what the guidebook said - and I agree wholeheartedly. This book also had a special section which dealt with the different kinds of Belgian beers. I read almost every line twice - this was my very short "beer education":
The first thing that really shocked me about beer is that you really have to use the proper glass for each one. I initially thought this was just a load of BS - but there really is a huge difference in taste. For example, I tried pouring half a bottle of Chimay Blue (which incidentally is my favorite) into an ordinary glass. I then poured the remaining half into the proper chalice-shaped glass - the difference in taste was HUGE!I think its because of the way the bubbles (or "head") forms - using the proper glass forces it to give off the correct aroma, which accounts for the big difference in taste.
Beer shopping is difficult, there are so many kinds of Belgian beers available that you will just go crazy trying to pick the "correct" ones.
Fortunately, I had a shopping list - courtesy of a Belgian officemate who was also a beer nut. I looked for, and bought, every beer on the list.
I'll post comments about the beers I liked in a seperate entry - I must have tried 2 dozen different kinds.
Cheers!
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