About 3 months ago Michal Jackson was on Flemish television in Belgium (no ...not the moonwalker ...the beerguy) and simply stated that for the moment the (relatively) small artisanal breweries your side of the pond are taking over the leading role in beer-brewing.
But ...I stick to DUVEL ...always ...it's like an Almebic thing ...or a Harley ... cheers!
Paul TBO
Say it ain't so, Paul! I've been impressed with a lot of artisanal American beers over the past few years, but in my mind Belgie reigns supreme, with Deutschland neck in neck. And of course, the oldest Belgian beer - lambic, has linguistic ties to our bass of choice - not to mention that Paul TBO is directly a member of the Lambic Lineage. Maybe this Dan Brown fella could do up a new book - The Alembic Code. I'd want Ridley Scott to direct the movie version, though, not Opie.
My beers of choice:
B:
Rochefort 8 & 10
Liefmans Goudenband (Provision Beer - a meal in a bottle:-)
Vandervelden Lambic
Westvleteren (very hard to get)
D:
Schneider Hefewisen und Aventinus
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (sort of like smoked ham in a bottle :-)
For a light beer, easily available, I like a Maibock - Holsten is easiest to get here, but I prefer Domus Maibock from Leuven, (but that might have changed - I haven't been there since it was acquired.)
Michael Jackson (the beer one) sent me on a wild goose chase in Franconia several years ago - he mentioned a rauchbier brewery Fischer-Greuth in Herscheid.
After driving up and down every street in Herscheid, we were doing a small roads drive in the Jefferson Campervan when I noticed a lot of town names ended in greuth, so I asked my wife to look for one named Greuth - found it well off the beaten path and there was the Fischer brewery (more like the Fischer farm, actually). I wonder if Jackson really does his research.
Frank
