Beer in Belgium

Beer in Belgium includes pale ales, lambics, Flemish red ales, sour brown ales, strong ales and stouts. In 2018, there were 304 breweries in Belgium,^[1]^[2]^[3] including international companies, such as AB InBev, and traditional breweries, such as Trappist monasteries.^[4] On average, Belgians drink 68 litres of beer each year,^[1] down from around 200 each year in 1900.^[5] Most beers are bought or served in bottles, rather than cans, and almost every beer has its own branded, sometimes uniquely shaped, glass.^[6] In 2016, UNESCO inscribed Belgian beer culture on their list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.^[7]^[8]

^ ^a ^b Europe, The Brewers of. "Welcome to the Brewers of Europe". The Brewers of Europe.
^ "Number of active beer breweries in Belgium from 2009 to 2016". statista.com.
^ "World: Global number of craft breweries increases to 17,732". inside.beer. 19 March 2017.
^ "B.E.S (Belgian Label Service)". Users.telenet.be. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
^ "Brewed force". The Economist. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
^ Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium, Michael Jackson, ISBN 0-7624-0403-5
^ "Cheers as Belgian beer is added to Unesco cultural heritage list". The Guardian. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
^ Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 11.COM 10.B.5, UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage, accessed 15 June 2017, quote: "Beer culture in Belgium combines know-how concerning nature, social practices and craft skills that constitute an integral part of daily and festive life. Regularly shared between practitioners, knowledge and skills are transmitted from masters to apprentices in breweries but also within families, in public spaces and through formal education. Beer culture in Belgium contributes to the economic and social viability at local level and the constitution of the social identity and continuity of its bearers and practitioners, who promote responsible production and consumption."