Beer

Since we arrived in Belgium, I've kind of made it my mission to learn about and try as many Belgian beers as possible. We are incredibly blessed to live upstairs from one of the best restaurants in the area. We have gotten to know the owner pretty well. We have had some really interesting discussions about the different types of beer, where they come from, and also the history of the restaurant (it's an old army recruiting site), and about Belgium in general.

We usually wait until Axel is asleep, then we walk downstairs to the restaurant. We ate lunch there today and Johan mentioned that we haven't had lunch together in who knows how long. I couldn't either remember the last time we had lunch just the two of us. We've had several dinners out since we arrived. It's so nice because since Johan's company pays for all of his meals, we don't have to be super cheap like we usually are since we only pay for me.

I have actually never liked beer. Whenever I order beer, I usually ask for the beer that tastes the most like Miller Lite. I basically want my beer to taste as much like water as possible. I don't like hops, and I don't like a strong aftertaste. So imagine my surprise when I got here, and all of a sudden, I love beer and am fascinated by it. I don't really know what happened either, but I'm rolling with it. And I think Johan is enjoying it too.

So we've started taking photos of each new beer we try, so that we can keep a record of what we've had, and what we liked or didn't like.

Sint Bernardus

Leffe brown, Omer

Duvel, Westmalle triple

La Chouffe blonde, Schuppenboer

St Feuillien blonde

Chimay Triple, Westmalle double

Now, before you start judging us for drinking this much beer in one week, let me just tell you that we are at the apex (Oh Lord, I hope so) of the terrible two's. This beer has been both delicious and enjoyable, as well as completely necessary.

• So far, our super favorites are: Chimay Triple, St. Feuillien Blonde, Omer, Westmalle Triple, Sint Bernardus
• Pretty darn good, but won't be dreaming about it: La Chouffe blonde, Schuppenboer, Duvel
• Eh, not my style: Leffe Brown
• Haven't yet tried the Westmalle double

I am particularly interested in the Trappist beers (as are probably many other people). I didn't know this until I was educated by our new friend, the restaurant owner, but Trappist beers are brewed by Trappist monks in their abbeys. There are only eight in the world, six are in Belgium. The other two are in Nederlands and Austria. The Trappist beers are Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Achel.

Trappist breweries started at monasteries in France, and were later introduced in monasteries of other countries as the Trappist order spread from France into the rest of Europe. The Trappists, like many other religious people, originally brewed beer to feed the community, in a perspective of self-sufficiency. Nowadays, Trappist breweries also brew beer to fund their works and for good causes. In order to keep people from abusing the Trappist name, they have to follow strict rules.

• The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision.
• The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life
• The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need.
• Trappist breweries are constantly monitored to assure the irreproachable quality of their beers.

I was really impressed when I learned this about the monasteries. I had assumed that they made the beer for profit, but their intentions seem very good. The also don't allow visitors in to the breweries, so they don't do it for the fame either. This is all just fascinating to me.

Okay, enough about beer. The rest of our time here is consumed by the terrible two's, but I'll save that discussion for another day.