Belgian beer

Discover Belgian beer in Beijing

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Updated list

Discover Belgian beer in Beijing, this website gives a unique overview.
The page on Belgian beer in Beijing is updated. Check here!
You will find the PDF of my bottle collection dated April 2025.
Now near 250 bottles listed!
You can view the gallery of the bottles, here the pictures I took of my bottle collection. Updated April 2025.
For sure more to come!

Sometimes I need patience to uncover the original beer stickers, see the one of Vlierbeek (listed in my collection).

There is a lot of Belgian beer to buy online, some I did not try yet. See  here about Leute Bokbier, the Chinese post with translation.

Belgian beer posts

Since I started posting about Belgian beer, a lot has been written. Here a complete overview of previous posts. Explore!

Page of Belgian Beer in Beijing is updated, more pics and the list now counts 220 different beer bottles. What is a stamcafé?
Read here.

Promoting Belgian beers in Beijing happens in many ways with the Belgian embassy on the forefront as well as some bars and restaurants.
Read here.

Top beer exporters in the world? An overview from different sources, Mexico, Netherlands and Belgium leading the way. Belgium has a wide variety of beers!
Read here.

My list of Belgian beers in Beijing that I bought and tasted is growing. See my latest discoveries, the updated list, where can find and the discussion about Westvleteren.
Read here.

Interesting stories of Grimbergen and Bayard beers, one being an existing Abbey Beer, the other from a brewery that closed in 1955.
Read here.

The many types of Belgian beers may confuse, a look at major types such as Trappist, Abbey Beers, Witbier, Lambic, Geuze, and fruited beers. A condensed ABC!
Read here.

Promotion of Belgian Beer in China is done regularly, often by the beer companies but the Belgian embassy and its partners actively promote the different brands.
Read here.

Old tradition of Belgian beer with thousands of beer and hundreds of breweries. It is a big export industry. Scientist might have discovered the reason for its uniqueness.
Read here.

Belgium beer is famous and in China there are many channels to buy and order our beers. Yes, we need that for survival but we also try other beers!
Read here.

I have been writing about it but I am starting a new focus on Belgian beers. More articles are in the pipeline with an updated list of beers discovered in Beijing.
Read here.

The Federation of Belgian Brewers (104 members) has published the results for 2018: The world biggest beer exporter is Belgium.
Read here.

Belgian beer in Beijing updated: about import problems, Gentse Strop, Stroppendragers, new beer list! Keep posted on more beer stories!
Read here.

In Beijing there is plenty of Trappist beer but finding Westvleteren in Beijing was a surprise.Westvleteren is one of the recognized Trappist beers.
Read here.

More about two beers with Waterloo history! Morel’s Restaurant is the only place where you can find “Cuvée Napoleon”. Earlier it had also the Waterloo beer.
Read here.

If Belgium is the land of beer, I have been surprised to find so many of them in Beijing.So I started a Page of Belgian beer!
Read here.

Vandergeeten & EG DistriSelecta launched a Belgian Beer Culture week. I gave a short speech in the Beijing opening party in the new Belgian bar “De Refter”.
Read here.

I should not forget Ghent, my hometown in Belgium, where I was born, grew up, went to school and university. About the Belfort, Gulden Draak and Strop beers.
Read here.

Belgian Beer in Beijing is updated

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Updated list and pics

My Page of Belgian Beer in Beijing is updated, more pics and the list now counts 220 different beer bottles.

Morel’s Restaurant and Café

We can say that Morel’s is our “stamcafé” in Beijing. Besides having great food it is also the place for friends to meet, chat and drink.
“Stamcafé” can be translated as “favorite bar or pub / habitual hound” and “Stammtisch” in German.
“Elke Vlaming zou verplicht een stamcafé moeten hebben”: “Each Flemish person should forcibly have a stamcafé”

An interesting article about our beer culture: “5 September 2018 – Beer-mad Belgium moves to save historic drinking dens” – China Daily.
“Belgians are famous for taking their beer seriously, but authorities are now moving to preserve some of the historic cafes where drinkers have been quaffing since the early 20th century.
In the heart of the village of Alsemberg, in the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant region, south of Brussels, the PastaCafe is one of those that has best kept its 1920s and 1930s decor.”

With my friend Renaat Morel we have been trying out Orval, Gouden Carolus and Westvleteren. And many more.

Promoting Belgian beers

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Our embassy is a key promotor

Promoting Belgian beers in Beijing happens in many ways but the Belgian embassy has been on the forefront many times.
Delegates from the embassy often officially join commercial promotion events, see earlier post.
Biggest fun for me are the official events at the embassy in Beijing where several distributors join as sponsors and promoters.

Some recent events were National Day on 21 July 2023 and King’s Day on 17 November 2023.
I always find some beers I have never seen and are not yet in my list.

Other promotions

Heaven Supermarket often runs videos promoting Hoegaarden on its outdoor video screen.

Georgia Feast, a well-known and great restaurant, recently had a promotion of Grimbergen.
Sometimes a new venue organizes a Belgian Beer Launch, such as Mystic Alley.
I also collected beer glasses (Corsendonk and KVB) as well special promotion items from Hoegaarden.

Top beer exporters

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Dutch ahead in Europe

In 2021, the top Beer exporters were Mexico ($5.49B), Netherlands ($2.11B), Belgium ($1.98B), Germany ($1.38B), and United Kingdom ($513M).
According to figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the Netherlands is still Europe’s biggest exporter of beer, and globally is second only to Mexico.
In 2020, Dutch breweries exported more than two billion euros worth of (non-alcoholic) beer. According to CBS, Heineken is, unsurprisingly, the largest exporter.

In Europe, Belgium comes in a close second; while the Netherlands has been the largest European exporter since 2000, Belgium is quickly closing the gap between the two countries. The Dutch neighbor exported 1,8 billion euros worth of (non-alcoholic) beer last year, climbing ahead of Germany and France who occupy third and fourth place respectively.

Top beer exporters, other source

Below are the countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of beer during 2020.

  •     Mexico: US$4.3 billion (28.4% of total beer exports)
  •     Netherlands: $2.1 billion (14.1%)
  •     Belgium: $2 billion (13.3%)
  •     Germany: $1.3 billion (8.4%)
  •     United States: $645.6 million (4.3%)
  •     United Kingdom: $525.5 million (3.5%)
  •     France: $386.4 million (2.6%)
  •     Czech Republic: $297 million (2%)

Source: Beer exports by Country

Belgian beer for everyone

Abbey beers, Trappists, doubles, triples, brown, blonde, or white Belgian beers are known worldwide for their variety. We estimate there are around 3000 different beers in our country spread out over more than 200 breweries. With so much variety, there’s bound to be a type of beer for everyone, whether you like sour, bitter, or sweet. If a traditional blonde “pilsner” doesn’t do it for you, check out which unique beers Belgium makes, maybe there will be one for you!

International Beer Day – 4 August 2023

Or Journée Internationale de la bière – Internationale dag van het bier.
Belgian beer is an excellent cultural export for Belgium and plays an essential role in our economy. Every year, Belgium exports over 6 billion pints! What’s more, our country brews at least 1,500 different beers in over 400 breweries. Internationally, we’re best known for the excellent flavor of our beer. In short, we can be proud of our Belgian beer!Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium

 

Belgian beers in Beijing

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

More discoveries

My list of Belgian beers in Beijing that I bought and tasted is growing.
See here some of the new ones in the list:

This now the latest list: Beer bottles.pdf
See also: Belgian beer

Bob’s Wine shop

The small shop on Xindong lu has several Belgian beers. In summer it’s nice to sit outside.

There I did make some new discoveries.

Other interesting locations to find Belgian beers

Actually you can find Belgian beers in many bars and restaurants.
Here some.

I found the Bloembier in a Japanese restaurant on Xindong lu, very near the Greek Freak that also has a few different Belgian beers.
Then we have the famous “Heaven Supermarket”: a vast underground beer, disco and music hall under Shimao Gongsan (corner Gongti bei lu and Xindong lu). There are vast fridges where you find an enormous variety of beers and alcohol. Self-service, pay at the checkout and take to a table. Life bands and disco in separate sections.

Comparing Sint-Bernardus and Westvleteren

I had received several Westvleteren bottles from a Belgian diplomat leaving, the ones without a sticker.
A few days later we did a tasting in Morel’s Restaurant to compare it with a St. Bernardus Abt 12, that we feel is the closest in taste.

Later on I bought online in Beijing the 3 different Westvleteren beers for a bit less than 50 euro.
Westvleteren and Sint-Bernardus are said to be the same but there are some differences. The water used is different and that has an influence. For Westvleteren the monks use a Westmalle yeast while for Sint-Bernardus they use the old Westvleteren yeast. This according to this source.
Other articles such as this one still tell another brewing story: