Belgian Beer Styles

Amber

Modifications of British-style ales that were developed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the discerning Belgian taste. During the past 20 years, amber ales were gradually disappearing. When still produced in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Vieux-Temps was the perfect example of Brabant Wallon amber ale style. Nowadays, one can find Belgian Pale-Ale crafted with respect of the brewing tradition in different places. The 5% abv De Koninck brand with its distinctive spherical glasses (‘bollekes’) is popular in its native city Antwerp.

British-type Bitters and Hoppy Beers

A few Belgian beers are pale and assertively hopped, like an English bitter or India Pale Ale. De Ranke’s “XX Bitter” wears its allegiance on its sleeve.

Blonde or Golden Ale

Duvel is the archetypal Belgian blonde ale, and the most popular bottled beer in the country as well as being well-known internationally. Its name means “Devil” and some other blonde beers follow the theme — Satan, Lucifer, Brigand, Piraat and so on.

Dubbel

Dubbel has a characteristic brown color. It is one of the classic Abbey/Trappist types, having been developed in the 19th century at the Trappist monastery in Westmalle. Today, some commercial brewers using abbey names call their strong brown beers “Dubbel”. Typically, a dubbel is between 6 and 8% abv.

Dubbels are characteristically bottle conditioned.

Enkel

This beer is the basic recipe for what is usually a range of three beers of increasing alcohol content. Unlike the words “dubbel” and “tripel”, it is currently not in use by either Trappists or abbey breweries as the name of a beer.

Flemish Red

Typified by Rodenbach, the eponymous brand that started this type over a century ago, this beer’s distinguishing features from a technical viewpoint are a specially roasted malt, fermentation by a mixture of several ‘ordinary’ top-fermenting yeasts and a lactobacillus culture (the same type of bacteria yogurt is made with) and maturation in oak. The result is a mildly strong ‘drinking’ beer with a deep reddish-brown color and a distinctly acidic, sour yet fruity and mouthy taste.

Lambic beers (including Gueuze and Fruit Lambics)

Lambic is a wheat beer brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium spontaneous fermentation. Most modern beers are fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewer’s yeasts. Lambic’s fermentation, however, is produced by exposure to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are said to be native to the Senne valley, in which Brussels lies. The beer then undergoes a long aging period ranging from three to six months (considered “young”) to two or three years for “mature”. It is this unusual process which gives the beer its distinctive flavor: dry, vinous, and cidery, with a slightly sour aftertaste.

Lambic can be broken into three subclasses: Gueuze, Kriek and Framboise, and Faro.

The first of these, gueuze, blends both old and young mixtures to stimulate a second fermentation. Many are laid down like fine wines to age for several more years. Some more mainstream brewers like Mort Subite and Saint-Louis do not subscribe to the orthodox rules of lambic production, adding extra sugars to sweeten their beers. Gueuze, also known informally as Brussels Champagne, is a sparkling beer produced by combining a young Lambic with more mature vintages. Exponents of this style are Girardin, Oud Beersel, 3 Fonteinen, Cantillon and Boon. Fruit beers are made by adding fruit or fruit concentrate to Lambic beer. The most common type is Kriek (made with cherries). Other fruits used are raspberry (Framboos), peach and black currant. Kriek and Framboos blend the fruit to trigger the second fermentation. The last of the Lambic brews, Faro, adds sugar or caramel to prompt the fermentation.

Oud bruin, or Flemish Sour Brown Ale

This style, aged in wooden casks, is a fuller-bodied cousin to the sour red style. Examples include Goudenband and Petrus.

Pilsner-Style Lager, or Pils

Although Belgium is best known internationally for its unique ales, it is the common bottom-fermented pilsner lager which heads the lists of both domestic consumption and exports. They are classified by their bottom-fermented method and are recognized for their light color and smooth taste. The pilsners make up almost 75 percent of Belgian beer production. The best-known brand internationally is Stella Artois, while Jupiler is the most popular in Belgium, along with Maes pils.

Saison

Bottle-conditioned farmhouse pale ales, brewed mainly in the French-speaking region of Wallonia. The saison or seasonal beers are somewhat low in alcohol (by Belgian standards) and are characterized by a light to medium body. The lighter and often fruitier taste makes them ideal for the warmer season.

Scotch Ales

These sweet, heavy-bodied brown ales represent a style which originated in the British Isles, but is now defunct there. The Caledonian theme is usually heavily emphasized with tartan and thistles appearing on labels.

Stout

Belgian stouts subdivide into sweet and dry versions, with considerable variation in strength. Examples include Callewaerts and Ellezelloise Hercules. The sweeter versions resemble the almost-defunct British style “Milk stout”, while the stronger ones are sometimes describe as Imperial stouts.

Table Beer

Table beer is a low-alcohol (typically not over 1.5%) brew sold in large bottles to be drunk with meals. The last decade it has gradually lost popularity due to the growing consumption of soft drinks and bottled water. It comes in blonde or brown versions. Table beer used to be served in school refectories until the 1970s; in the early 21st century, several organizations made proposals to reinstate this custom as the table beer is considered more healthy than soft drinks.

Tripel

This is, traditionally, the strongest (in alcohol) of a range of Trappist beers. Although the version developed by Westmalle in 1934 was blond, the color can range to near-black (Westvleteren and Rochefort). The term “tripel” has since been adopted by non-Trappist breweries to signify a strong ale.

White

A particular kind of wheat beer, commonly called witbier in Dutch and biėre blanche in French, which often contains spices, such as coriander and orange peel. A 400 year old style that died out in the 1950’s. It was revived by Pierre Celis at the Hoegaarden brewery. Celis brought the style to America where it is brewed by many craft brewers as Belgian Style White (Wit).

Some classical examples are La Binchoise Blond, Hoegaarden, Brugs, Fruli and Steendonk. Traditionally, white beers are brewed east of the region of Brabant. Their alcohol strength is low, and these beers are quite refreshing. White beers have a moderate light grain sweetness from the wheat used. All should have notes of the spices used, mainly orange peel and coriander, but some varieties use cumin, cardamom, and grains of paradise in addition to these. They can be served with a slice of lemon or orange

Winter Ales

Many breweries produce special beers during December. Some are stronger than the usual beers, others are spiced.

• Steen Brugge Blonde Ale
• Mc Chouffe
• La Chouffe
• Rodenbach Grand Cru
• Maredsous Triple
• Maredsous Blonde Ale
• Saison DuPont
• St. Bernardus Triple
• St. Bernardus Abt 12
• Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale
• Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale
• Duvel
• Floreffe Ale
• Kwah
• Gulden Draak
• Troubadour Blond
• Troubadour Obscura
• Piraat Ale
• Goliath
• Triple Karmeliet
• Achel Trappist Extra
• Signature Ale
• Satan Red
• Gouden Carolus Triple
• Westmalle Trappist Ale
• Trappist Rochefort 10
• Trappist Rochefort 8
• Orval
• Chimay Cinq Cents
• Chimay Premiere
• Chimay Grand Reserve
• Affligem Triple
• Affligem Dubbel
• Bornem
• Delirium Nocturnum
• Delirium Tremens
• Petrus Aged Pale
• Scotch de Silly
• Greens Discovery
• Greens Endeavour
• Kasteel Bier

Tsingtao Lager was first brewed and bottled by the Tsingtao Brewery in 1903.

Tsingtao Lager is now sold in 62 countries and regions around the globe including Japan, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Canada, Brazil and Mexico.

Tsingtao Lager is the #1 consumer product exported from China.

Following its introduction to the United States in 1972,  Tsingtao Lager soon became the #1 selling Chinese beer.

Harbin

Harbin Beer, the earliest Chinese beer, brewed in 1900 in the origin of the beer industry in China. With hundred years of infusion of China’s traditional culture Harbin Beer brings a pure good taste. Inspired by the Tradition and Culture of China’s Most Northern Province of Hellongjiang.

The practice of brewing stretches well back into the middle ages, but it was in the 19th century when large-scale brewing began. At this time, as elsewhere in continental Europe, made ideas, techniques and machines were borrowed from the industrial breweries which were beginning to develop in Britain. The first beers produced in these new Polish breweries also originated in Britain; porter. As in many countries around the Baltic, this style gained popularity through exports from Britain in the late 19th century.

As bottom-fermenting techniques were developed elsewhere in Europe in the middle of the century, these were also adopted (not surprising at a time when large parts of present-day Poland were under German or Austrian rule), giving rise to pale lager beers. Porter, however, was never completely supplanted by these new beers and is still produced today. Beer production grew steadily up until the outbreak of the First World War, after which the state of Poland reappeared.

• Tatra Malt Liquor
• Tatra Beer
• Piast
• Warka
• Warka Light
• Tyskie
• Zamkowe
• Hevelius Kaper
• Eb
• Zywiec
• Lezajska
• Lech
• Okocim
• Okocim Porter
• Okocim Mocne
• Okocim Ok Beer
• Lomza

• 7up
• A & W Cream
• A & W Root Beer
• Abita Root Beer
• Barritts Ginger Beer
• Boylan
• Brisk
• Canada Dry
• China Cola
• Club Colombiana
• Coke
• Coke Cherry
• Coke Lime
• Coke Vanilla
• Colony Uva
• Crush
• Diet Rite
• Dr. Brown
• Dr. Pepper
• Fanta
• Fresca
• Good-o-Kola
• Hawaiian Punch
• Inca Kola
• Ithaca Ginger Beer
• Ithaca Root Beer
• Jamaican Ginger beer
• Mountain Dew
• Mug
• Nestea
• Pepsi
• Red Rock
• Regatta Ginger Beer
• Schweppes
• Seagram’s
• Seltzer
• Sierra Mist
• Sprite
• Sprecher
• Stewart’s
• Sunkist
• Tab
• Tropisol
• Virgil’s

**These drinks are also available in diet. **

• Apple & Eve
• Arizona
• Asante
• Clamato
• Everfresh
• Gatorade
• Mash
• Mira
• Motts
• Nantucket Nectars
• Newleaf
• Orangina
• San Pellegrino
• Snapple
• Ting
• Welch
• Yoga

**Available in ALL flavors.**

Water

• Acqua Panna
• Aquafina
• Canada Dry Tonic Water
• Club Soda
• Crystal Geyser
• Evian
• Fiji
• Isbre
• Janna
• Perrier
• Poland Spring
• Poland Spring Sparkling
• Propel
• San Benedetto
• San Pellegrino
• Saratoga
• Smart Water
• Sobe Life Water
• Vitamin Water
• Volvic
• Voss

**Also available in flavor and sparkling.**

• Hardcore Cider
• Harpoon Cider
• Hornby’s Amber Draft
• Hornby’s Cider Apple
• Kopparberg Pear
• Magner Irish Cider
• Mike’s Hard Spiced Apple
• Samuel Smith Organic Cider
• Strongbow
• Wood Pecker Cider
• Woodchuck Draft Cider 8oz

• Woodchuck Draft Cider Granny Smith
• Woodchuck Draft Cider Pear

Wine Coolers

• Bacardi
• Bartles & Jaymes
• Mike’s Hard
• Parrot Bay
• Smirnoff
• Twisted Tea

• Becks
• Buckler
• Claustaler
• Erdinger
• Kaliber
• Karmi
• O’Douls
• Old Milwaukee
• Paulaner
• Sharp
• St. Pauli Girl
• Warsteiner

Mixers

• Daily’s Mojito Mix
• Daily’s Bloody Mary
• Daily’s Strawberry Mix
• Daily’s Cosmopolitan Mix
• Daily’s Daiquiri & Margarita Mix
• Daily’s Mocha Mudslide

• Kahlúa Mudslide Mix
• Sauza Margarita Mix
• Sauza Non- Alcoholic Margarita Mix
• Sauza Blue Raspberry Margarita Mix

Due to legal, accounting, and shipping logistics, Port Chester Beer does not ship beer.

Can you get a beer for me?

Yes, if it is available in New York State.

As a continuation of laws from the Prohibition-era, all alcoholic beverages are subject to Federal and State laws. These laws state that to be imported into a country, a beer needs to be represented by an U.S. importer, with labeling approved by the Federal government. And to be distributed in our state the beer must have a state-licensed distributor and be approved by the New York State Liquor Authority.

If you don’t see your beer tell us what you’re looking for. If the beer is available in the New York State area, it’s likely that we can order it for you.

Do you carry gluten-free beer?

Yes. Port Chester Beer carries Red Bridge, St. Peter’s, New Grist and Green’s Gluten Free Beers. Most hard ciders are also gluten-free such as Magner’s, Strong Bow, Woodchuck Draft Cider and Woodpecker Cider.

Can you compete with the prices offered by grocery stores or other beer outlets?

Port Chester Beer does not bargain or exchange. While we strive to keep margins low and competitive. Port Chester Beer deals essentially with beer- in comparison, grocery stores have thousands of varieties of products to offset their beer prices.

Many of our customers and beer connoisseurs have told us that we’re on-par for pricing, and that our prices are often far lower than other specialty beer stores.

Are you hiring?

Port Chester Beer is not currently hiring. However, we welcome your application, should we need additional part-time or seasonal help.

Essential “Beer Clerk” duties include greeting customers, accurately checking out product, packaging product to go, assisting with beer tasting events, checking in and merchandising stock.  Acting in compliance with New York State Liquor Authority laws and guidelines, and representing Port Chester Beer Distributor and its offerings to answer customer’s questions and provide beer style recommendations.