I like to drink things. I especially like drinking beer from countries called Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic. And in this new series, every once in a while I will be drinking something from one of these places or their neighbors and then writing things about it.
Just to get this out of the way right from the start: I am not a beer expert. I’m just a guy who likes to drink a few beers in a row and sometimes stumble into something that makes him say “damn, this is a good beer.” I can’t explain exactly what causes that feeling, but as they say, “when you know, you know”.
And I know what you are thinking, and you’re right; this whole thing is pretty much just an excuse to drink.
For the first edition of my European Beer of the Week, I am drinking Blanche de Namur, a Belgian wheat (wit) beer from the family-owned Bocq Brewery in Purnode, Belgium. Bocq claims to be one of the last remaining family-owned breweries of their size, which really makes me like them, since I come from a family, too.
I’ve had Blanche de Namur in bottles and on draft, and it’s consistently been cloudy and creamy with a light muted-yellow color and a teeny-tiny hint of orange flavor, but not too much orange. Blanche de Namur is really refreshing, making it the perfect beer to drink at the park on a hot summer day or to cool off with in the air conditioning after a workout.
If you are wondering, it’s 4.5% and goes for around €1.10-€1.50 per 25cl bottle here in Amsterdam.
In summary, I think that Blanche de Namur is a good beer. The bartender at the dive bar around the corner from us swears that Blanche de Namur is the best wheat beer in the world, and I look forward to doing much more research this summer to confirm this fact.