5%
v/v - 25 cl bottle
15% of production
Amber beer with subtle bitterness, La Belge is the latest acquisition
of La Binchoise’s product range.
To enjoy it even more, here is a brief insight into the history of this
beer:
In the early 20th century, concerned by the resounding success of English
beers in Belgium, teachers of the various brewing schools decided to
create a typical Belgian beer.
Here is how the idea came about… The country, renown for its diversity
of beer production, needed a fashionable, state-of-the-art beer able
to satisfy even the most delicate palate.
The specifications of this new type of beer were rather vague. Raw materials
were at the sole discretion of the brewer, primitive density had to
be comprised between 4,5 and 5°, the selling price was set to 15-20
cents per glass,…
A competition was organized during the preparation for the Universal
Exhibitation to be held in Liege in 1904. Seventy-three participants
joined the contest, of which fifty-seven in the high-fermentation beer
category, seven in the low-fermentation field and nine in the spontaneous
fermentation category.
In the high-fermentation category, Brasserie Binard from Chatelineau
was granted the first price for its bottle beer named ‘Belge du
Faleau’.
This was quite an atypical beer at that time. Indeed, almost all domestic
beers were dark, while this one was amber.
On the back of the astounding success experienced by the ‘Belge
du Faleau’, many breweries from the Hainaut area started to imitate
it. In naming their beers, brewers always had the word ‘Belge’
followed by the name of their breweries (most of the time).
As a result, Belgian beers were brewed at Marchienne-au-Pont by Les
Allies, at Anderlues by Ponselet, at La Buissiere by Croquet,
at Bracquegnies by Waterloo, at Leval by Adant, at
Tournai by Ligne etc.
However the most famous of all Belgian beers came from Delbruyere’s
brewery. This was produced until 1978.
As all these breweries no longer exist, La Binchoise brewery is proud
to offer you its ‘Belgian beer’ to reconnect with history
and uphold the brewing tradition of this typical Hainaut beer.
