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Get smarter about Belgian beer with the Belgian Smaak newsletter

Receive stories, podcasts, and resources about Belgian beer and culture straight to your inbox for free so you can level up your beer knowledge and enjoy better beer experiences.

Join thousands of subscribers, today.

THE LATEST

Our recent stories.

“Hands On” — The Rolling Hills Brewery of Oudenaarde

A story of family mythology, grief, and revival

22/09/2026 26 min read

After strugges with grief and self-denial, Edward Vandermeersch of Oudenaarde's Rolling Hills built a brewery that brought him back to life.

“World Heritage” — The Real Story of Belgian Beer Culture’s UNESCO Recognition

Inside a Five Year Campaign of Political Intrigue

27/11/2025 24 min read

How did Belgium become the only country to have its beer culture recognised by UNESCO as part of the intangible culture of humanity?

“All In” On Turnhout — How Brouwerij Het Nest Play The Modern Beer Game

What happened when a provincial Belgian brewery bet everything on its hometown heritage?

15/07/2025 26 min read

The owners of Brouwerij Het Nest in Turnhout—the world capital of playing cards—gambled the brewery’s future on strategy, ambition, and luck.

Donkey Work — On Brasserie de la Mule

Joël Galy’s Role in the Rejuvenation of Schaarbeek’s Beer Scene

27/03/2025 31 min read

How stubborn do you have to be to brew German-style beers in Belgium? Joël Galy of Brasserie de la Mule is Schaerbeek should know.

West Is Best — How Westvleteren 12 Accidentally Became “The Best Beer In The World”

A Story of Beer, Buzz, and Belief

28/11/2024 25 min read

Westvleteren 12: How did a strong dark ale from a tiny monastery brewery in North West Belgium become the world’s most sought-after beer?

10,000 Human Decisions — On Mariage Parfait Oude Geuze, Frank Boon, and Belgian Lambic Culture

How One Blend—And One Man—Helped Define Modern Lambic

29/05/2024 40 min read

Mariage Parfait Oude Geuze from Belgian brewery Brouwerij Boon is a beer that speaks to the legacy—and evolution—of Belgium’s Lambic culture.

“Hands On” — The Rolling Hills Brewery of Oudenaarde

A story of family mythology, grief, and revival

22/09/2026 26 min read

After strugges with grief and self-denial, Edward Vandermeersch of Oudenaarde's Rolling Hills built a brewery that brought him back to life.

“World Heritage” — The Real Story of Belgian Beer Culture’s UNESCO Recognition

Inside a Five Year Campaign of Political Intrigue

27/11/2025 24 min read

How did Belgium become the only country to have its beer culture recognised by UNESCO as part of the intangible culture of humanity?

“All In” On Turnhout — How Brouwerij Het Nest Play The Modern Beer Game

What happened when a provincial Belgian brewery bet everything on its hometown heritage?

15/07/2025 26 min read

The owners of Brouwerij Het Nest in Turnhout—the world capital of playing cards—gambled the brewery’s future on strategy, ambition, and luck.

Donkey Work — On Brasserie de la Mule

Joël Galy’s Role in the Rejuvenation of Schaarbeek’s Beer Scene

27/03/2025 31 min read

How stubborn do you have to be to brew German-style beers in Belgium? Joël Galy of Brasserie de la Mule is Schaerbeek should know.

"A passport to the great beer of Belgium..."

"Who better to take you through Belgian beer and culture? This is a passport to the great beer of Belgium."

Dave Myers, Celebrity Chef & Presenter of BBC's The Hairy Bikers

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THE PODCAST

The show that uncorks Belgian beer culture

EP056 | Generational Handover

The Belgian Smaak Podcast

05/02/2026 2 min read

Generational handover in Belgian family breweries: what does it mean to inherit a brewery and to carry a family name forward into the future?

EP055 | Recognition

The Belgian Smaak Podcast

09/12/2025 1 min read

How did Belgium become the first (and to date only) country in the world to have its beer culture recognised as world heritage by UNESCO?

EP054 | The Modern Beer Game

The Belgian Smaak Podcast

17/07/2025 1 min read

In the face of industry challenges, including legal headaches and supply chain disruption, how should a brewery play the modern beer game?

MORE PODCASTS

"An essential primary source..."

"Belgian Smaak picks up where Michael Jackson and others left off, and offers deep dives into the current and historical importance of Belgian drinking culture."

Dan Pixley, Primary author of the Milk The Funk Wiki

CAFÉ SOCIETY

Celebrating the spaces at the heart of Belgian beer

‘t Molenhof

Café Society

26/06/2025 3 min read

‘t Molenhof is a Belgian beer café dating back to 1920 that used to house pigs waiting for transport on regional trains in the Westhoek.

De Helleketel

Café Society

05/06/2025 2 min read

De Helleketel is a former hunting lodge in Poperinge dating back to 1895 that's now a café housing witch statues that hang from the ceiling.

Kaffee de Planck

Café Society

21/05/2025 3 min read

Kaffee de Planck is a tastefully decorated barge café on the canals of Ghent known for its extensive beer menu and proximity to the cinema.

MORE CAFÉS

"My place to go for one-of-a-kind beer stories."

"Rich, touching, engaging, multilayered, paying attention to the detail, just as a glass of a great beer. Whole worlds packed in carefully selected words."

Lana Svitankova, Beer writer, translator, and judge.

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HUMANS OF BELGIAN BEER

Photographic portraits which celebrate a people and their culture.

The Tour Guide

Humans of Belgian Beer

13/12/2023 3 min read

The Heir

Humans of Belgian Beer

26/09/2023 3 min read

The Writer

Humans of Belgian Beer

14/06/2023 4 min read

MORE HUMANS

ABOUT US

Belgian Smaak started life in February 2014 as a simple web log about Belgian beer and food.

It was then, and remains today, our way of better understanding the place where we live: through people, food, culture, and beer.

The team at Belgian Smaak creates award-winning stories, podcasts, and resources which help make your experiences with Belgian beer richer and more fulfilling.