Belgium National Day 2026 - That Evening's Beers!

Knowing they would have a decent number of Belgian beers available, even if a wee bit expensive, on Belgium's National Day this year I visited The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (blog), and I was correct on both counts! As ever though, pleasant company enjoyed, and with John behind the bar a warm welcome guaranteed. 👍

I started with Orval, a trappist ale brewed in the Brasserie d'Orval at the Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval (website). The brewery was founded in 1931 whilst the abbey was being rebuilt. Lay persons carry out work in the brewery. Orval is a 6.2% ale, ostensibly, as there are more than one fermentation processes in it's development, including being bottle conditioned, and no bottled beer is exactly the same! And unique among Belgian beers, it is dry-hopped, thanks to the early influence of a brewer who had worked in England. Indeed, the hops used are Kent Styrian Golding (hopslist) and German Hallertau-Hersbruck (hopslist).

Orval is a golden beer with an orange hue, indeed, including yeast from the bottom of the bottle can make the beer a wee bit cloudy, or very cloudy for those who like to include all the yeast. The beer is dry and slightly tart with a bitter finish, and has a subtle spicy/fruity aroma. My taste has definitely changed since I first drank Orval when I used to regularly visit my brother in Brussels 20-30 years ago, and at the time this was my immediate 'panic buy' when I entered a bar, I was always overawed by the numerous beers on the beer menus. 😕 Strangely, I wasn't particularly fond of Orval at the time, but drinking it again, I really enjoy it! 😁

Second up, a draught beer from Westmalle, brewed at the Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle (brewing since 1836 - website), whose ales are up there amongst the best beers of Belgium. Although the monks no longer brew the beers themselves, they remain in overall charge, ensuring tradition is upkept, and pure ingredients used, including their own water, 100% barley malt, hops, and yeast from their own culture. Westmalle Duo, a 7.2% Blonde beer, is brewed with 6 European hop varieties, and consequently is hoppier than many other Belgian blondes, quite refreshing following a smooth fruity start, with a slightly bitter finish, nice! 👍

Third, from Brouwerij St Bernadus (website), the St Bernadus ABT 12 (10.0%), situated in Watou in Flanders, with a complicated more modern history. You could be forgiven for thinking this is a Trappist beer, but you would be wrong! They started brewing Trappist ales, under different ownership, for the Trappist monks at Westvleteren in 1946, but in 1992 the International Trappist Association (website) set up with agreed rules including that to be authenticated, Trappist ales had to be brewed in a Trappist monastery and either brewed by, or brewing supervised by, monks. For 6 years they had trouble keeping the brewery going.

Then, in 1998 Hans Depypere bought the business, and it has flourished since, with a new brewing hall added in 2014 (history). The St Bernadus ABT 12 is a very deep dark coloured red Quadrupel, brewed with Hallertau Magnum hops (hopslist) for bitterness, and Goldings for aroma (hopslist); all hops used are grown in their own hop field. With a slightly malty/fruity aroma, it's a bit sweet, but has a dry slightly bitter finish. Tasting of dark plum and damson fruits, a Christmas Pudding of a beer as many Quadrupels tend to be, very rich and tasty! 😋

Finally, and I was starting to feel the effects, 😉 the Trappistes Rochefort 10 (website), with records written that brewing starting at the now nearly 800 years old monastery by 1595, the monks previously worked farming and mining only. During the revolutionary period from 1789, the monks fled from French troops, and didn't return until 1889. Looting and destruction of their original church meant they built a new church and brewery and, as farming failed to meet the monastery's financial needs, they supplemented their income by selling their beers. By 1952 professional brewing became their main source of income, and a new brewery was built in 1960.

Since 2020 brewing has been at a brand new 'state of the art' brewhouse, from which comes the Rochefort 10 I drank on Tuesday, a Quadrupel, 11.3% in strength, with the '10' coming from an older Belgian measurement of wort density. A deep reddish brown in colour, another bottle conditioned beer, with a spicy, fruity and slightly smoky, aroma. Excuse the large head, it wouldn't settle until I'd imbibed some. It's pretty much full of dark spicy fruits in the taste, a little chocolate too, my notes on the day say "Black Forest Gateau in a glass" and quite right too, plenty of body, rich and luxurious, gorgeous, cheers m'dears! 😁