Whether it is Cantillon in Brussels or Hook Norton in Oxfordshire, local beer is always the best bet when you go visit someplace … don’t believe me, get a Heinekin in Amsterdam, they are a thousand times better than one anywhere else! In the case of Heinekin, the locality has an effect because the beer you drink is actually brewed in Amsterdam (or right outside of it, since the old Heinekin Brewery in town is now called the Heinekin Experience), but that is not why I enjoy drinking local beers most of the time. It is because they are unique. A perfect example of this can be seen in Belgium, where there are 14 basic beer styles (according to the Good Beer Guide Belgium) and this does not include all of the variations on those styles!
And, this is why I was excited when I got an email from Pop the Cap (a now defunct organization) about a new brewery in Durham, NC called Fullsteam. They are for two things: 1) a southern style of beer & 2) a hands-on approach. Hopefully the next time that I am in Durham, I can stop in and have a pint with a good ole’ meat pie!
For the best guide to Belgium Beer that I found, see:
