The Belgian Brewer impressed judges at the European Beer Challenge 2022 with some outstanding flavours and took four gold medals. The Strong Blond was the only double-gold medal winner in the Belgian Blond Ale category, which was dominated by breweries from Belgium. The Tripel also won a double-gold medal rating, beating famous breweries such as Affligem, Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu and Brasserie Caulier (Paix Dieu). Apart from the double-gold medals, the Dubbel and Raspberry from the Belgian Brewer also took gold. Such massive success at the European Beer Challenge may seem like a great surprise coming from a small brewery in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, that started up just before the Covid pandemic began, but it is not just a stroke of luck. It is a result of hard work of its founder and Head Brewer, Nik Lemmens.
“European Beer Challenge Medals are extremely valuable to us, as they recognise the absolute top tier of Beer producers in the World,” reported Nik. “We use traditional brewing methods, equipment that brew houses in Belgium use and import our specialist additions such as sugars and yeasts from Belgium. I strive for the highest possible quality and will not compromise on authentic flavours”, he added.
Nik is a Belgian National who by chance at a family reunion discovered his family had a strong brewing history. Enthused with this new knowledge and family support, Nik returned to the UK to learn how to brew Belgian style beer, start replicating traditional family recipes, experimenting with flavours and producing his own true to style interpretations. True Belgian beer takes time and unique techniques to fully produce true to style as testified by the competition results.
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Press release from the Belgian Brewer