Belgium\u2019s beer culture<\/a> is world-renowned. In fact, Belgian Beer Culture was inscribed on UNESCO\u2019s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016, recognizing the country\u2019s unique brewing traditions and beer gastronomy.<\/p>\n In Belgium, beer isn\u2019t just a liquid; it\u2019s a piece of the country\u2019s history, a part of its DNA as important to the daily life and the social fabric as water (maybe even more!). With hundreds of breweries founded by families, farmers, and monks, who still use centuries-old brewing techniques, Belgium\u2019s unique beer styles span a colorful historical timeline. <\/p>\n Belgium\u2019s beer repertoire includes Trappist and Abbey beers made by monks\u2014like the single, rich, malty dubbel, and spicy, strong tripel<\/a>\u2014unfiltered, cloudy wheat beers called witbiers<\/a>, funky farmhouse saisons<\/a>, complex, sour lambic and geuze<\/a>, and uniquely brown ales called oud bruin. <\/p>\n Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2026, Belgian Beer Culture has reached a major milestone, recognizable now around the world. <\/p>\n \u201cThis ten-year anniversary of recognition of the Belgian Beer Culture by UNESCO reminds us that Belgian beer isn\u2019t just about what\u2019s in the glass,\u201d says VISITFLANDERS<\/a> Trade & Partnerships Manager, North America, Marco Frank. \u201cIt\u2019s about the people, the stories, and the traditions we share. It\u2019s a source of pride that connects generations and brings communities together.\u201d<\/p>\n But to truly understand this historic piece of Belgian history, you have to experience how those beers are enjoyed at the table. In Flanders, food and beer have evolved side by side for centuries, creating pairings that celebrate seasonality, local ingredients, and regional traditions. <\/p>\n But much like cooking and brewing, pairing the right beer with each traditional Flemish dish is a sprinkling of science and a dash of art. <\/p>\n We\u2019re by no means experts in Flanders heritage, so to dish up the perfect Flemish food and beer pairings, we spoke with HOP Gastrobar<\/a> chef and owner Bram Verbeken. <\/p>\n Verbeken, who started working as a waiter back when he was just a student, always knew he wanted to become a professional in a kitchen. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery time, it\u2019s like a Mission Impossible,\u201d he says of being a chef. After moving into the kitchen at a classic French restaurant, Verbeken traveled, cooking in places all across Belgium. <\/p>\n In 2018, he opened HOP Gastrobar in Leuven, a Flemish, brewery-packed city about 18 miles (30km) east of Brussels. <\/p>\n The open-kitchen restaurant focuses first on seasonality, handmaking everything from scratch right in front of its guests. \u201cIt\u2019s really honest and open,\u201d says Verbeken.<\/p>\n And uniquely, instead of showcasing wine (although that is available), Verbeken focuses specifically on beer pairings. <\/p>\n \u201cThere were some restaurants that had beers on the list, but usually, they were a bit dusty, classical choices,\u201d he says, noting the whole idea with HOP was to really pair the beer with the food. <\/p>\n The seasoned chef forms dishes around how sipping on a saison, geuze, or even oud bruin can complement his cuisine. <\/p>\n It\u2019s this beer-first approach that makes Verbeken an excellent guide here and champion for the entire Flemish region. <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Visit Flanders<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A fairly small region in Northern Belgium, Flanders, has a big heart. Known for its chocolate, fries, and, of course, beer, Flanders is home to historic cities such as Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven, and Mechelen, all within easy reach of Brussels. <\/p>\n A cradle for cycling, cuisine, and craft, Flanders is welcoming to every type of traveler, from the adventurer to the foodie to the beer geek. <\/p>\n \u201cFlanders is so so tiny small,\u201d says Verbeken, \u201cBut we have really diverse beer styles for such a small place on Earth.\u201d <\/p>\n Verbeken speaks at length about geuze, drinking one during our conversation, and oud bruin, a brown Flemish sour, along with saison, which he points out isn\u2019t necessarily from Flanders, but is still an important Belgian beer style, and Trappist beers. <\/p>\n \u201cLong ago, every village had its own brewery,\u201d he shares, \u201cAlong with a church and their own tripel!\u201d <\/p>\n Traditions remain strong in Flanders. Verbeken describes Flemish people in one word: stubborn. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have our own ways of doing things, eating things, drinking things,\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd also sometimes not saying things. That is typically Flemish.\u201d <\/p>\n It goes without saying that being \u201cstubborn\u201d has led to some iconic eating and drinking traditions. <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Eva Beeusaert<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When it comes to food in Flanders, Verbeken breaks the cuisine down to one word: seasonal. <\/p>\n It\u2019s very common in Belgium for small farmers to specialize in one crop, harvested at the same time. Consequently, when in season, that ingredient appears on menus and is eaten by everybody for as long as it\u2019s fresh. <\/p>\n Verbeken himself grew up with parents who managed a big vegetable garden at home. \u201cWe just ate what was there,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n In the winter, that meant chicory (what those in North America call endive), a teardrop-shaped white-to-pale-yellow leafy vegetable, along with Brussels sprouts and cabbage. In spring, white asparagus, freshly picked beans, and peas appeared on the table. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re visiting Belgium, it\u2019s really easy. You can make a calendar,\u201d explains Verbeken. \u201cIn the summer you eat mussels, in the autumn you start having endive, and in spring you eat asparagus.\u201d <\/p>\n He adds, \u201cSeasons are the most important in Flemish food traditions.\u201d <\/p>\n One thing you won\u2019t find very traditional in Flanders? Waffles. <\/p>\n \u201cI always think it\u2019s funny when you go to Brussels, and there are always waffles,\u201d says Verbeken. \u201cWe never eat waffles!\u201d <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Visit Flanders<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Verbeken\u2019s best advice is to look for complementary flavors. <\/p>\n \u201cA beer should always bring out the taste really beautifully,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n For instance, Verbeken says spicy food pairs really well with a juicy IPA because the fruity notes tame the heat. Contrastingly, excessive bitterness alongside spiciness can make the flavors even more bitter and unpleasant. <\/p>\n Herbal and dry notes in saisons pair nicely with something clean and classic, like a nice fish in a white wine sauce. <\/p>\n While it is possible to pair beer and food with contrasting flavors, Verbeken says you really need to know what you\u2019re doing, and he doesn\u2019t find that to be the traditional way in Belgium. <\/p>\n For more insight, we asked Verbeken to help us identify the most popular Flemish dishes and which beer styles he would recommend pairing with each. <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Visit Flanders<\/p>\n<\/div>\n One of the more traditional Flemish dishes, stoofvlees<\/em>, is a rich, traditional beef stew made with beer. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is always funny is that everybody has their own recipe,\u201d says Verbeken, noting some add gingerbread, others mustard, and some like to add dark beer, while others swear by table beer. \u201cEverybody has their own way of making it, and, of course, everyone has the best!\u201d <\/p>\n Verbeken recommends pairing this decadent stew with a dark beer, such as a dubbel or a blonde ale. <\/p>\n A well-recognized Trappist beer, dubbels (along with tripels<\/a>), began to emerge in the mid-1800s from monasteries such as Westmalle and Westvleteren. At the simplest level, while the Belgian single is a lower-ABV (4.8-6%, according to the BJCP) blonde ale with a distinct yeast expression, a Belgian dubbel registers a reddish-copper with a maltier backbone and a mid-level ABV (6.5-7%, according to the BJCP). With dubbels, monks wanted a better beer to drink at their table, doubling the ingredients\u2014malts and hops.<\/p>\n Given complementary flavors, this style of dark beer pairs well with a dark stew. But a blonde could also work based on how you make this traditional Flemish dish. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you make it really pure and meat-forward, you could go with a rounder blonde beer,\u201d he says. \u201cBut if you\u2019re going to put in a lot of spices and dark beer, then, of course, you\u2019re better with a dubbel.\u201d <\/p>\n Verbeken recommends a Brouwerij Westmalle Dubbel because it\u2019s the only Trappist brewery in Flanders. <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Visit Flanders<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In season from around October to the end of March, chicory or Belgian endive becomes very popular in the winter. <\/p>\n \u201cWe eat it every week,\u201d says Verbeken<\/p>\n A bit laborious to grow, Belgian endive comes from local farms all over Flanders.<\/p>\n A typical preparation called hesperollen<\/em> includes cooking the endive before rolling it in a slice of ham, adding cheese sauce, and lightly torching it in the oven (au gratin-style). <\/p>\n Verbeken likes to pair endive with a saison. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really good combination because you have a complementary bitterness with the endives,\u201d says Verbeken. \u201cBut at the same time, the saison is also really dry, so it cleanses the palate after that really creamy cheese sauce.\u201d <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Visit Flanders<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Another local ingredient from small boat fisherman, North Sea gray shrimp, is the star in a tomate crevette. The summer dish requires hollowing out a tomato, then stuffing it with fresh North Sea shrimps, a bit of mayonnaise, and some frites on the side. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really beautiful,\u201d says Verbeken wistfully. <\/p>\n Without hesitation, Verbeken says you should pair this seafood-forward dish with the Flemish brown sour known as oud bruin. <\/p>\n Popular in the Eastern region of Flanders, oud bruin is a dark reddish-brown sour Belgian brown ale known for its complex compilation of robust malt and fruity esters. Typically, a base of Pils and dark cara malts or black or roast malt contributes to the color and tasting notes, while the addition of Saccharomyces and Lactobacillus adds that characteristic sourness. <\/p>\n According to the Beer Judge Certification Program, oud bruins are often aged and blended in stainless-steel vats to round out their sourness. Thanks to their grace through aging, oud bruins were often referred to as \u201cProvision Beers,\u201d making them the perfect sour starter for those new to the style. Especially because flavor profiles often play in the sweeter range of toffee, dried dark fruits, caramel, and treacle. <\/p>\n Perhaps the most iconic version, Brouwerij Liefmans oud bruin, called Goudenband, dates back to the 1600s. Often called \u201cThe Champagne of Dark Beers,\u201d Liefmans\u2019 version more recently won gold at the 2014 Brussels Beer Challenge and was named the Best Belgian Beer. <\/p>\nFirst, What Is Flanders?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nHow Do You Define Flemish Food<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nHow to Pair Beer With Flemish Food<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nA Few Traditional Flemish Dishes to Pair With Belgian Beers<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nStoofvlees (Flemish Beef Stew) + Dubbel<\/h3>\n
Chicory (Endive) + Saison<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nTomate Crevettes + Oud Bruin<\/h3>\n
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