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THE BELGIAN BEER SHOP on the island of Malta |
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Original News story 22 December 2008 Last updated 26 May 2010
By George - the tastes of Belgium in Qawra
The George is in central Qawra/Bugibba close to the bus terminus, on Triq it-Turista and opposite the San Antonio hotel. You cant miss the signs outside advertising Stella, Leffe, Hoegaarden and Van Steeberges fruit beers- but the wind sometimes blows the bottom ones off)
Theres aso a rear entrance from Triq L-imrejkba. It is open daily from 10am.The George has a long narrow inside with a bar along the left hand wall - take a seat at the bar and you will see the beer range in the glass fronted fridges behind the bar. Beyond the bar is the dining area - and to complete the Belgian theme the house signature dish is Mussels. The extensive menu includes breakfast, Sunday lunches and "2 meals for price of 1" deals.
There is a wide choice of beers that sometimes includes bottled Shepherd Neame Spitfire and keg Wells Bombadier from England. But its the range of Belgian beer that impresses.There can be as many as 8 different Belgians available, supplies permitting.
From the world's biggest brewers AB Inbev there is draught Stella, bottled Hoegaarden and 3 Leffe beers - Blonde, Bruin and Radeuse.
and from Van Steenberge there is Bios Kriek, Cherish Framboos, and Bornem Dubbel
So what is Kriek? Well there are a number of ancient styles of beer still brewed in Belgium. For example some Belgian breweries produce beer that is refreshing but sour. Such beer would offend some so there is an equally ancient tradition of adding cherries to the brewing process, so alleviating the sourness with the sweetness of the cherries. These cherry “kriekenbiers” beers are now widely popular.
So what is Framboos? well Brussels Framboos is Celis White, with the addition of rasberry juice. The brewing of "Framboos" also has a long tradition in Flanders, but using White/Wit/Blanche beer as the base is new
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.