The 21st of July is 'National Day' in Belgium, the anniversary of the swearing in of King Leopold I, the first recognised King of Belgium nearly 200 years ago, in 1831, following the revolution the previous year against the last of many empires encompassing Belgians over hundreds of years, the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Therefore, much celebration will be had in Belgium today as it is a public holiday, nowhere more so than in Brussels (The Brussels Times).
Sadly I cannot make it to Belgium today, although I will be making another visit in the not too distant future, consequently today I had to go shopping for Belgian beer, and this (above) is what I returned from the shops with. I had to go shopping because the first two places I would have gone to for Belgian beers in Hastings would have been the Eel & Bear (blog) and The Jolly Fisherman (blog), who both sell an impressive array of bottled beers. Sadly, both are also closed on Mondays, so woe is me, I was unprepared... 😣
BUT, next year will be different, no doubt, as Belgium National Day falls on a Tuesday! 😁
Anyway, I bought 4 bottles of an Abbey style beer this year, brewed by Leffe (website), where brewing has been ongoing only since 1240 😉 and that is their 6.0% Blonde. Sadly, not as potent as the 6.6% Leffe Blonde we drank back in September (blog), but my brother Dan had brought those back with him from Brussels, we get weaker stuff served up in Britain. 😒 This is pretty much a 'go to' beer for Dan as it's very dependable. Even though a wee bit less body and strength than the Belgians enjoy, there are still hints of caramel and spices in the aroma and taste, particularly cloves, a very gentle bitterness, and a slightly dry finish, nice one.👍
So, Happy Belgium National Day! Cheers 🍻
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