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| Seppe holding a Kwak |
"Serving and drinking Heineken in Belgium is a shame. It is considered kattenpis (cat's urine) for us. The Netherlands are very good in many fields, but they cannot compare their beers with ours. We do know how to make them". Seppe de Landtsheer has just made clear how relevant this product is for his country. Indeed beer goes beyond being a simple alcoholic drink in Belgium. It plays a major role in keeping the nation united and together.
With a very strong regional identity, this Benelux-state finds itself politically, culturally, economically and lingüistically divided among the industrial, rich, Flemish/Dutch-speaking area of Flanders in the North; the more unemployed, French-speaking zone of Wallonia in the South; and the German-speaking region in the East. Brussels, meanwhile, resists as the bilingual, neutral, mainly Walloon-populated capital, located in Flemish territory. Such is the rift that several are and have been the separatists attempts, solid the support of nationalists movements -basically in Flanders- and instable the political sphere. In fact, Belgium recorded the longest time without a constituted government after elections (589 days).
Beer is way present in Belgians' lives. On average, each of them drinks 84 litres a year, which used to be 200 litres by 1900. In addition, the country hosts several beer festivals all year round and contains thousands of beer cafés offering a wide selection, reaching even over 1000 in a specialized one. This derives in a great knowledge within this particular habitat among locals as manifested my Mr. de Landtsheer when talking on the awards for the best worldwide beer.
This Brugge-born youngster (25), currently living and working in Seville (Spain), cannot help sharing with me his feelings and opinions on this topic while drinking a Tripel Karmeliet in the Andalusian capital.
"I feel proud when I see a Belgian beer in a bar abroad, regardless the region it comes from. It is something that, together with the national football team, Vincent Kompany (Belgian footballer) and potatoes, I can identify with as a whole when I am far from my homeland. It shows, somehow, its significance".
Actually, some of these factors have been used by the competent authorities to grow this spirit of communion. One of the most recent episodes took place during the last 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil. After some absences, Belgium showed up in the tournament as the stand-out team. New worldwide star players had emerged (Courtois, Fellaini, Hazard...), thus attracting the focus of both international press and sport-lovers. So, the football federation decided to concentrate the interests of the nation in a formula made up of Jupiler (the best-known beer brand) as sponsor, Stromae (one of the most popular singers) as the author of the official track, and Vincent Kompany (Man. City's defender and most prominent player abroad) as captain.
History, economy, gastronomy
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| Stoofvlees/Carbonade |
Nowadays, there are over 1000 types of Belgian beer varying from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. This is the consequence of the historical path of this drink in the country, a liquid that dates back even long before the nation itself became independent, strongly enrooting in the Belgian culture.
One can talk about beer in Belgium as of the first crusades in the 1100s. Under Catholic church permission, local French and Flemish abbeys started brewing and distributing it as a fund raising method. This process continued for the next seven centuries, firmly supervised by abbeys, evolving techniques that we now know as traditional and artisanal.
Consequently, its economic weight is important. There are, approximately, 180 breweries in the country, ranging from international giants to microbreweries. Moreover, Belgium exports 60% of the overall production.
More than one will be happier after knowing about the healthy uses of beer. Let's be more specific though. It turns out that at the time of its introduction in Belgium it was preferred as a sanitary option to available drinking water due to its, relatively, low-alcohol. One should wonder, then, how beneficial that water was.
Anyway, this might explain why beer is so present in Belgian gastronomy. A number of traditional dishes use this drink as a key ingredient. One of them is, as suggested by Mr. de Landtsheer, Stoverij/Stoofvlees (in Flemish) or Carbonade (in French), consisting of a stew of beef cooked in this very same liquid. The beer used, remarks Mr. de Landtsheer, is often the regional speciality, therefore resulting in a diverse taste. A resource more than an obligation.
Likewise, as it happens with wines in other parts of the world, the wide range of beers in Belgium makes it possible to match them with the different courses of a meal. Thus, one can expect to combine 1) wheat beer with seafood or fish; 2) white beers/tripel with chicken and white meat; 3) dark beers are good with dark meat; and 4) for the dessert, fruit lambics.
All about the glass
This talk about beer in Belgium comes out after Mr. de Landtsheer takes me to an international drinks bar in Seville. He is very keen on drinking again a Tripel Karmeliet several months later. He is suffering from this particular homesickness, which is not only about enjoying this specific brand, but also regarding the whole process related to it. One who is not familiar to it, as my case, cannot understand why or what is going on at first. A few jars and the appropriate explanations reveal quite helpful.
It all begins, Seppe describes, with the container. While getting his, he explains me that these days Belgian beers are sold in brown/dark green-tinted glass bottles to avoid negative effects of light on the liquid, including sometimes a bit of yeast to reseed, and so favoring an extra fermentation.
His is a 'special beer', as stronger or bottled beers are normally called, and as such he is given an elaborated branded glassware where he proceeds to serve it in. There is a detail Mr. de Landtsheer wants me to pay attention to: the foam. If it does not make, relatively, much then it is not clean at all.
The vast selection of glasses as well as the attributes adhered to them speaks, once more, on the relevance and weight of this product in Belgium. Using the correct glass is considered to improve the flavour. Among the most common types is the tulip one. Its shape plays a double function: on the one hand, it helps trap the aroma and therefore creating an olfatory sensation; on the other hand, it maintains large heads, and so adding a visual attractive.
Another top-ranked vessel is the flute-like one, preferred to serve lambics and fruit beers. Its narrowness helps preserve carboration, while providing a strong aromatic front.
Kwak
The crowning to this cultural journey along this peculiar romance between Belgium and beer comes with one the most acclaimed brands whose specific glass is worldwide known.
Seppe and I order some Kwak each to have a toast for our collaboration -sharing work at Triana Backpackers included-, and he cannot help telling me some facts about this brand, starting from the origin of its name, popularly believed to derive from the sound made while pouring it, with special attention to the last big drops.
Apparently, people must leave a shoe as a deposit when purchasing a Kwak, just given back after returning the distinctive glass. Measuring 25cm long, this tube-shaped vessel is flared on top, and rounded and bulbous on bottom. It is always held in a wooden stand since any attempt to set it down on the table would end up tipping it over.
Let's simply raise it and say SANTÉ!