The Belgian Connection Breandán Kearney

The Belgian Connection

The brewers of Belgium and the UK have enjoyed a long history of learning from one another. Breandán Kearney considers whether contemporary UK brewers are influenced by Belgian beer as much as their predecessors, and what that influence might mean for the UK beer scene today.

Belgian beer has always occupied a niche space in the United Kingdom. Imports of Belgian beer to the UK remain modest, if consistent, with diversification in recent years rather than growth. Belgian beer makes up less than 2% of the entire UK beer market. When you consider the place that industrial Lagers, Americaninspired IPAs, and traditional English ales occupy in the UK, Belgian beer is not only commercially irrelevant, but feels disjointed from the rest of the scene.

Despite all this, Belgian beer continues to have an important influence on UK brewers.

Deeply intertwined

Part of the reason for this is that the UK and Belgium have long enjoyed a close relationship when it comes to beer, learning from each other and influencing each other's brewing cultures. This deeply intertwined history has left a mark, even if subconsciously so. There are the similarities in the conditioning of beers, with the secondary fermentation in package of the UK’s real ale mirroring the traditions of Belgian bottle refermentation; a tradition which is alive and well in Belgium today among regional family brewers and smaller independent producers alike. Importantly, it was a journalist from the UK, beer writer Michael Jackson, who not only popularised Belgian beer around the world with his 1991 best-selling book Great Beers of Belgium, but who classified Belgian beer to help UK consumers and brewers understand it, defining styles which are largely followed today when describing Belgian beer.

Process and Tradition

The hop growers of Kent have shaped the ways in which their counterparts in Poperinge have evolved, particularly when it comes to growing techniques and hop variety selections. Belgian hop farmer Joris Cambie of De Plukker, for example, works with an English hop cooperative for the pelletising and distribution of his hops, the main varieties of which are mostly of UK origin: Goldings, Target, Challenger, Pilgrim, Brewer’s Gold, and Fuggles. The influence of UK beer styles can be seen to this day in iconic Belgian beers: the process of dry-hopping Orval since 1931 is thought to have been brought back from England by an assistant brewer at the Abbey who came from East Flanders but who had studied brewing in the UK before arriving at Orval. Rodenbach’s origins of foeder-aging its Oud Bruin beers are thought to be connected to the production of Porter in London, with Eugene Rodenbach having studied in England to learn more about acidification, wood aging, and blending. Malty, lower alcohol Belgian Pale Ales such as De Koninck were heavily influenced by the influx of English ales brought over by British soldiers during the First World War. Brasserie Silly claims that Belgian Scotch originated when Scottish soldier Jack Peyne assisted Silly in producing an ale with imported UK ingredients specifically for consumption by soldiers stationed there. After the war, Peyne married a Belgian woman and settled in Silly, working for the brewery for many years.

Theatre of Beer

When it comes to Belgian beer influencing contemporary UK brewers, there seem to be three main factors.

The first is the theatre of Belgian beer. In a changing market, UK brewers are more keen than ever to stand out in their glassware, packaging choices, and presentation. The aesthetics of Belgian beer has inspired UK brewers to think more about the beer experiences they offer, rather than just what’s in the glass. Six°North in North East Scotland, for example, has produced beers inspired by Belgian beer culture since 2013, with its bars in Stonehaven, Aberdeen, and Dundee all serving different styles of beer in carefully selected glassware, from stemmed tulips to gold-rimmed goblets to dimpled tumblers. Other producers have opted for Bières Belges, Champagne, or Steinie bottles, sometimes with cork and cage for extra panache and sense of occasion.

Acid Test

The second factor of influence is Belgium’s sophistication when it comes to acid, and an increasing interest in the possibilities of complex fermentations. More and more UK brewers are embarking on spontaneous and mixed fermentation projects, offering huge potential for flavour diversity. Burning Sky brewery, located in a Sussex barn, for example, produces a range of beers inspired by Belgium, including provision ales matured in oak and beers which have been spontaneously fermented after inoculation in a coolship. Wild Beer Co. of Westcombe has been inspired by Belgian barrel-ageing for acidity since it began. Duration Brewing in Norfolk borrows the spirit of Belgian farmhouse brewing in producing, among other beers, wild ales that are considered and complex. Holy Goat is a Dundee-based brewery specialising in the production of mixed fermentation and wood-aged beers, and recently poured alongside Belgian brewers and blenders at the Oud Bruin Fest in Kortrijk in West Flanders.

Belgian beer has always occupied a niche space in the United Kingdom. Imports of Belgian beer to the UK remain modest, if consistent, with diversification in recent years rather than growth. Close Encounters

Much of the relationship between the Belgian and UK beer industries is built on proximity. But Brexit threatens to create distance. Freedom of movement has ended, with a right to travel and work no longer guaranteed for UK nationals in the EU. Cultural collaborations are likely to be affected, particularly in the fields of academia, science, and the arts; a development that will impact education and research for UK’s brewing community in the long term. Increased duties on the import and export of ingredients and equipment following Brexit may force Belgian brewers to work less with UK materials and UK brewers to work less with Belgian ones, changing how they brew and what they produce over time. As the beer industry changes faster now than ever, it would be exciting to see UK and Belgian brewers matching the significant creative collaborations of their predecessors. But questions remain: will Brexit put an end to this influence over time; or will the historical connections between these two proud brewing countries be strong enough to ensure they inspire each other for generations to come?

Experimentation

The third factor is a penchant for experimentation, while trying to maintain the balance and drinkability so obvious in Belgian beers. This might be in the use of more technically challenging ingredients such as raw wheat or in the deployment of a nuanced spice and herb addition.

It’s here that breweries such as Solvay Society excel. Founder Roman Hochuli was born in Brussels but opened his brewery in London, producing what he describes as “truly inauthentic modern Belgian beer”: think of a Saison with kiwi; a Witbier meets Session IPA; a dry-hopped Patersbier. The owners of Anspach & Hobday—born in Bermondsey and with sites in Croydon and Camberwell—have maintained strong personal relationships with Belgian breweries over the years, and this shows up in beers such as their Table beer and Witbier.

And Bristol’s Lost and Grounded has a Belgian range which includes a Witbier (Hop Hand Fallacy, 4.4% ABV), a Belgian Tripel (Apophenia, 8.8% ABV), and a Belgian Style Ale (Saison D’Avon, 6.5 % ABV), all executed to be both authentic representations of classic styles as well as super-drinkable interpretations of their own.

Breandán Kearney is a writer, photographer, and podcaster, originally from Ireland but now based in Belgium. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the awardwinning website and podcast Belgian Smaak.