There are ancient styles of beer still brewed in Belgium. The most ancient is the brewing of Lambic beer using wild yeast from the atmosphere. The beer tends to be sour and so fruit may be added during the brewing process to sweeten the beer. And so the use of fruit in the brewing process predates modern alcopops by several centuries! Cherish is a lambic beer with the addition of RASPBERRY produced by Van Steenbeerge for their US distributor. It is very fruity, has an alcohol content of 5%, and comes in 25cl bottles.Cherish Raspberry beer is specially produced by Van Steenberge for its US Distributer and is now available in Malta

Celis White is a very pale, top fermented beer, brewed using wheat rather than barley and with a touch of citrus fruit and herbs. When served cold, it gets its cloudy white colour and refreshing light taste.

Peter Celis reintroduced White Beer to Belgium in the late 1960s, brewing in the town of Hoegaarden. His brewery flourished but sadly a major fire in the 1980s meant he needed considerable finance to continue. This was provided by Interbrew (Stella Artois), who bought Hoegaarden from Peter in 1990.

For his next project Celis decided to introduce Belgium's rich brewing tradition to America and in 1992 built a brewery in Austin, Texas. He repeated his success story with many Americans enjoying Belgian style white beer - Celis White as he called it. In 1996 the American mega brewers Miller bought the Texas brerwery, then in 2000 closed it and in 2002 sold the equiptment to a small Michigan brewer ! (Miller was subsequently bought by South African Breweries).

Peter moved back to Belgium and contracted his beer to the Belgian brewery De Smedt who were then taken over by Heineken! And Finally Van Steenberge has now won the contract from Celis to brew Celis White which is flourishing at its new home

The brewing of "Kriek" (cherry beer) has a long tradition in Flanders. Kriek beers are made by adding cherries or cherry juice during the brewing process to either a Belgian Lambic Beer or a Flemish Brown Ale. Bios is Van Steenberges Kriek .

In the second half of the 16th century, Bruegel was the best painter of his time. Today Bruegel is arguably the best of Belgium's amber ales. Unlike some, Bruegel is a living beer with secondary fermentation in the bottle. Its full bodied flavour, refreshing after taste and aromatic head make the second bottle all the more inviting. Van Steenberge's Bruegel is also a great-tasting refreshing alternative to lager. The ideal drink to have with lunch. This beer combines well with all spices, from a hearty warm meat dish to a spicy salad. Amber beer used to be the daily beer of Northern Europe, drunk both with meals and to quench thirst. Bruegel could easily be mistaken for an English Bitter

MonKs Cafe is a sweet and sour aged brown ale - an ancient Flemish beer style - produced by Van Steenberge for their US distributor. Flemish brown ale is used in Belgian cooking in dishes like Gent's signature dish - Stoverij, which is a slow cooked beef stew. Monks Cafe's typical flavour is characterized by a well-balanced, hardly noticeable sourness. This first flavour impression is soon followed by a second pleasant discovery: a slight bitterness followed by a hint of sweetness.

Blonde Ales are one of the fastest growing beer styles in Belgium, France and the UK. Moorgat's Maredsous 6 is an easy drinking Blonde with a balance of graininess and aromatic hop.

The Augustinian fathers of Gent had been brewing beer at their abbeys since 1295. In 1982, the brewing, marketing and distribution of the beer was taken over by Van Steenberge,in return the Abbey receive royalties The Abbey near the centre of Gent can be visited

Augustijn Donker (dark) is a new addition to our range . It provides a second beer with the Augustijn name and label

Augustijn Donker has a russet hazelnut colour with a good, full head. The taste is full-bodied and mild with nicely balanced hints of raisins and chocolate. The finish is slightly bitter and a mild dry taste.

Van Steenberge's Bornem Dubbel is a 'living' abbey beer. This means that after the primary fermentation in the brewery, the beer continues to evolve during the second fermentation in the bottle. This typical double with its warm dark brown colour and bordeaux red undertones, has a fruity flavour that immediately makes you think of grains. You'll also find a hoppy aftertaste in this velvety soft beer. Its creamy, rich and robust head crowns this jewel of a beer.A 'dubbel' means that the brewer uses twice as much malt as for a regular beer. That gives this beer its full round and rich flavor. It is said that the monks ate or drank nothing other than their Dubbel during Lent! Dark doubles are often served with meat dishes, such as steaks, grilled meat, wild game or even sausages.

Moortgat's Maredsous 8 is a fine strong dubbel that is sweet when young but develops a stout like flavour as it ages.

Van Steenberge's Augustijn is a 'living' abbey beer that had been brewed by the Augustinian fathers of Gent since 1295. In 1982, the recipe for the beer was taken over and improved by Van Steenberge, who also took over the marketing and distribution. The abbey, close to the centre of Gent can be visited.

Augustijn has a hoppy flavor with a malty background. You may also detect a light fruity vanilla flavour.

Duvel has a fruity dry aroma, owed to the finest hops, and a bouquet and pallet that reminds experts of Poire William. Its dry but still alcohol-sweet flavour makes the beer an excellent thirst-quencher, with a pronounced hop aroma. Thanks to the balance between a fine aroma and subtle bitterness, this beer occupies a unique position in the rich Belgian Beer tradition. Duvel is the perfect companion for appetisers, digestives and every other occasion.

Moortgat's Maredsous 10 is an orangy-blond big sweet tripel nudging into a barley wine.

Van Steenberge's Piraat is a 'living' beer - it continues to evolve during its secondary fermentation in the bottle. The flavour is so complex and so rich that every swallow conjures up new associations - the spicy light sweetness is richly balanced with the robust bitterness of the hops. Piraat is excellent with both meat and fish dishes, or can simply be enjoyed as a relaxing drink. It is an adventure of a beer, a treat.

Gulden Draak is a beer in a class of its own. It is a beer that is rich and glowing, so full of its very own characteristic flavour, that it reminds some who try it of chocolate and others of coffee. In 1998 Gulden Draak was crowned “best beer in the world” by the American Tasting Institute! This beer has won many other awards too. Gulden Draak is named for the golden statue at the top of the clock tower of the Belgian city of Gent. The statue was originally given to the city of Constantinople by the Norse King Sigrid Magnusson in 1111, during the crusades; hence the form of a Viking ship that the beast was given. During a later crusade, Boudewijn IX (Count of Flanders and Emperor of Constantinople) took it back to Flanders with him because it was so beautiful. In 1382, the cities of Brugge and Gent did battle for the statue. Gent won.