Belgian beer on the international map: 32 Belgian brewers take a ‘road trip’ in the United States

Belgian beer on the international map: 32 Belgian brewers take a ‘road trip’ in the United States

The ‘Belgian Beer Week USA’ ended Sunday night in Washington DC at Granville Moore’s. The week kicked off in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, on May 2nd. 32 Belgian breweries traveled together along the east coast of the United States. The goal? To firmly put Belgian beer and the rich Belgian beer culture on the map across the Atlantic. The second stop was Washington, D.C., where the agenda included a beer event at the Belgian ambassador’s residence and a ‘Belgian Brewers’ Bash.’ In addition, quite a few brewers also organized meetings with interested U.S. customers individually throughout the week. The American ‘Belgian Beer Week’ is an initiative of the Knighthood of the Belgian Brewers Paddle in cooperation with the Association of Belgian Brewers. The event is part of a broader ambition to explicitly put Belgian beer’s unique diversity as a brand on the international map.

From the largest brewery in the world to a broad spectrum of smaller and medium-sized breweries, some of which were not yet active in the U.S. market today, all traveled for the week to jointly highlight the uniqueness of Belgian beer. ‘The collegiality among Belgian brewers is great,’ stated Grand Master of the Knighthood of the Brewers Paddle Alain De Laet, ‘all brewers understand that together we can put the brand of ‘Belgian beer’ much stronger on the international stage. After that, everybody needs to make their own commercial choices in an attempt to reach the American consumer."

It is the first time such an extensive delegation of Belgian brewers has headed abroad. The beer market in the United States is now the first to visit, as it has been characterized by the ‘craft scene’ for several years. Belgian beer symbolizes passion, quality, and craftsmanship. Attributes that, sometimes, the craft movement might see as not very innovative. But this is a misconception, of course. The enormous diversity and creativity of Belgian beers make us unique and leaders in the world of beer. Generation after generation, Belgian brewers have refined their recipes, which has led to the immense diversity that characterizes Belgian beer culture. Today, Belgium has no fewer than 430 breweries and more than 1,500 different beer brands. This diversity in style, taste, aroma, and color continues to increase year after year, and the social component of beer is a constant factor. ‘Beer brings people together. Always and everywhere. Belgian beer culture is historically embedded in our society and was officially confirmed in 2016 by UNESCO when Belgian Beer was deemed an ‘Intangible cultural heritage.’ ‘That is a critical component we want to draw attention to in the U.S.,’ says Krishan Maudgal, director of the Association of Belgian Brewers. In addition, many U.S. breweries use ‘Belgian style’ on their labels. ‘In itself, as Belgian brewers, we can be quite proud of this, but of course, we have to be careful that these beers actually continue to meet all our style guidelines. With these key messages, the Belgian brewers crossed the Atlantic,’ concludes Krishan Maudgal.

After the events in Florida, the Belgian brewers traveled on to Washington D.C. for numerous planned activities. One of the highlights was a big event at the Belgian ambassador’s residence, where each brewery was able to offer their beers to more than 300 guests. In addition, the brewers made a lot of contacts with local on-trade operators, importers, retailers, and professionals to develop their individual exports further. During the weekend, many meet-and-greets took place between the brewers and interested business partners. The ‘Belgian Brewers’ Bash beer festival for the broader American public helped conclude the week’s event.

The breweries listed below are participating in Belgian Beer Week USA:

AB InBev – Abbaye du Val Dieu – Bières de Chimay – Boon – Cornelissen – De Bie

De Brabandere – De Dool – De Halve Maan – Dilewyns – Dubuisson – Duvel Moortgat –

Het Anker – Het Nest – Huyghe – John Martin – Lefebvre – Lindemans – Orval – Rodenbach – Roman – Saint-Feuillien – Silly – Sint-Bernardus – The Brew Society – The Musketeers – Trappistes de Rochefort – Trappists of Westmalle – Van Steenberge – Vanhonsebrouck – VBDCK – Verhaeghe