The Belgian Smaak Podcast

In the past year, Belgian family breweries Het Anker and De Ryck have ended generations of family ownership. Family breweries sit at the heart of Belgian beer but the topic of generational handover in these breweries is rarely spoken about in much detail: what it means to inherit a brewery, to carry a family name forward, and to take responsibility for something that existed long before any of us...

2026 will mark the ten-year anniversary of the UNESCO recognition of Belgian beer culture as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity (the only country in the world to do so). The behind-the-scenes story of how Belgium pulled it off—with plot twists and political wrangling and strategic compromise—demonstrates the essence of the country's character: ruthlessly pragmatic and quietly per...

T he Flemish city of Turnhout is the playing card capital of the world. Turnhout is to playing cards what Kobe is to Japanese Wagyu beef; what Parma is to Italian Prosciutto; what Fez is to leather. The biggest card-producing company in the world, Cartamundi, is headquartered in Turnhout. 1.3 million decks of cards are produced there every single day. If you have ever played poker, performed a mag...

Joël Galy is the quietly punkish, Swedish-born but Belgian-raised brewer of Brasserie de la Mule. Brasserie de la Mule is a brewery and taproom-slash-music venue that's housed in an abandoned tram shed in Brussels' Schaerbeek neighbourhood. De la Mule specialises in German styles of beer. I sat down with Joël in his taproom for a chat about how he approaches German styles in Belgium, what he's lea...

As we approach the twenty year anniversary of Westvleteren 12's original crowning by RateBeer, Jonny Garrett examines how a strong dark ale produced by a tiny monastery brewery in North West Belgium became the world's most sought-after beer

No other country in the world has a national beer experience centre costing €100 million and housed in one of the most iconic buildings in its capital. Today, we're talking to Krishan Maudgal of the Belgian Brewers Federation about Belgian Beer World.  

Claire Bullen meets the Boons — Frank, Karel, and Jos — to find out how their Mariage Parfait Oude Geuze speaks to the legacy of Lambic. Breandán Kearney hosts.

Through his Lambic blendery Het Boerenerf, Senne Eylenbosch saved his father's farm, discovered his own identity, and began the next chapter in his family's storied Lambic heritage. In this discussion, Senne Eylenbosch and Breandán Kearney talk about the things Senne learned working at Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, how he's conflicted about his family's brewing heritage, how he blends the way he does, ho...

In 2020, three young Belgians started a brewery with an ambition to cohesively merge their widely diverging beer tastes—pastoral Belgian ales, traditional English styles, and mixed fermentation beers packed with fruit. They'd have to do it against a challenging backdrop: disinterest from Brussels drinkers in unfamiliar styles, rolling pandemic lock-downs, the fracturing of their original triumvira...

B elgium has purchase on a roughly 65 kilometre stretch of North Sea coast. With a cumulative six Michelin stars in restaurants in the region, the coast has a density of just over 1 Michelin-starred restaurant for every 10 kilometres.  There are breweries too—at least three, depending on your definition and geographical scope (Brouwerij St Idesbald, Jus de Mer, and Stadsbrouwerij Oostende 't Koels...

Belgium has a rich festival scene. Every single weekend in the year, you could choose between a multitude of music shows, food markets, neighbourhood parties, and cultural shows. Its beer festival circuit is equally rich. From village fairs to international events, Belgians celebrate beer at festivals like few other nations. In this podcast, we're talking Belgian beer festivals with three guests w...

The Lambic Roundtable was an event during the Toer de Geuze 2022 tailor-made for broadcasting in beer bars all over the world, and as you'll hear from the discussion, we took questions live from bars with strong reputations for Lambic in different countries. Sitting at the Lambic Roundtable with were Gert Christiaens, Frank Boon , Kloris Devillé , and Stu Stuart. During the evening's conversation,...

We sat down with Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Jerry Franck to find out about his Lambic documentary "Bottle Conditioned".

We sat down with Marc Coesens of Brouwerij Liefmans, Rudi Ghequire of Brouwerij Rodenbach, and Alex Lippens of Brouwerij 't Verzet to discuss Oud Bruin, Flanders Red, and Flemish sours.

The story of Baarle, Ronald Mengerink, and De Dochter van de Korenaar is one of defying categorisation and rejecting boundaries set for you.

OMER Traditional Blond from Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste is a highly carbonated, fruity, and dry ale with a pleasant but subtle bitterness. But just how does it communicate the complex story of generational transition in Belgian family brewing?

Bart Delvaux and Ine Van der Stock opened Brouwerij De Coureur in 2020, a small brewery and taproom in the Kessel-Lo neighbourhood of Leuven.

The Brussels beer café is an institution that has enjoyed as much acclaim as it has suffered fatigue.  This podcast is a panel discussion recorded in a Brussels beer café in front of an intimate live audience. The central question we were trying to answer was whether the Brussels beer café is a doomed relic or a durable icon. 

Who Owns Fries? Are they French or Belgian? Do those who first created a food own it? Or does it belong to those that perfected it? In this podcast, we go deep into fries: What are they? How does Belgium's relationship with fries differ to other countries? And why do they claim cultural ownership of these elongated pieces of deep fried potatoes?

Mayonnaise is known all around the world; a thick, creamy sauce used to dress sandwiches, burgers, and salads. But few nations have taken it to their hearts in the same way as the Belgians. The relationship between Belgians and their mayonnaise is tied up in their fanatical "frituur" culture and in a law which has made Belgian mayonnaise special. But in the face of complex commercial challenges an...

F ord Lee Stuart III, or Stu Stuart as he is better known, is the owner of a tour company called  Belgian Beer Me! Tours which specialise in fun, smart, and affordable beer tours of Belgium from all around the world. Stu is also a keen student of history and has discovered on his tours that it's impossible to separate the history of Belgium, and particularly stories of war, from the country's worl...

In this  Year in Review  podcast, I talked with Eoghan Walsh about developments in Trappist beer, the rise of the Belgian Blonde and Golden Strong Ales, toxic work environments in the beer industry, how exciting a time it is for spontaneous and mixed fermentation in Belgium, and who might be the Belgian breweries to watch in 2022. 

Janos De Baets is the Head Brewer and Co-Owner of DOK Brewing Co. in Ghent. We chatted about his self-admitted obsessive personality trait.

The town of Geraardsbergen is famous for its association with a small cake: the mattentaart. The cake has a long history and is a source of unifying pride in the town. However, it turns out that the Geraardsbergse Mattentaart is in a precarious situation.

The Haspengouw region of gently rolling hills, charming villages, and fertile vineyards has been described as a "beer wasteland", home to only a few breweries compared to other regions in Belgium. But there has been plenty of activity in the beer scene here in recent years. Just who are the people leading the Haspengouw beer blossom?