There are around 125 beweries in Belgium, producing over 500 different beers. Among them are European pils, lambic, white, dubbel, tripel, blonde, brune, amber and Flemish red. Six out of the seven Trappist breweries in the world are in Belgium. These brew strong ales by traditional methods invented by monks over a thousand years ago.

Most beers have a glass designed specifically for them. The most familiar are probably the Chalices in which Leffe Blonde, Leffe Brune and Stella Artois, among others, are poured. Their goblet-like shape releases the flavor and texture of the beer and allows the bartender to show off his or her pouring technique.

The classic hexagonal bistro tumbler is used for Hoegaarden, a white beer, because the thickness of the glass and its base holds the chilled temperature of the beer longer. A glass for a Gueuze is long and slim so that the beer's yeast can sink to the bottom.

The strangest glass is for Kwak. It's the one without a base that requires a wooden contraption reminiscent of a scaffold to hold it. You grasp the side strut to raise the glass and drink. Its design comes from the days when gentlemen were permitted to drink while handling horses, but not allowed to leave the horses untended on the street to stop off in a bar. So an attachment to the coach or cart not unlike a whip-holder was devised for this glass.

A good Belgian bartender takes the pouring seriously. Each of nine steps serves a particular purpose. And, being Belgian, has a specific title. 

The Purification is Step One. The bartender scrubs the appropriate glass in a cool-water bath with a mild detergent then rinses it with cold water to chill it.

The Sacrifice is Step Two. A snappy twist to the tap opens it to let the first spume foam away without touching the glass so that every drop thereafter is fresh.

The Liquid Alchemy is Step Three. The glass has to be held at a 45-degree angle to create the perfect balance of foam to beer.

The Head is Step Four. Straightening and lowering the glass creates the head.

The Removal is Step Five. With one quick action, the bartender shuts off the tap and moves the glass aside so random drops don't ruin the head.

The Beheading is Step Six. With the head overflowing the glass, the bartender cuts the extra foam with a head cutter at a 45 degree angle to get rid of the bigger bubbles that burst easily and flatten the head.

The Judgment is Step Seven. The bartender assesses the head for a correct two-finger thickness.

The Cleansing is Step Eight. The bartender rinses off the bottom and the sides of the glass.

The Bestowal is Step Nine. A correctly logo-ed beermat is placed in front of the drinker and the glass set down upon it, with its own logo facing the drinker.

And you thought getting a drink was just a case of sluice-in-the-beer-and-hand-it-over? And that the workings of the European Union were contorted?

The Arlington restaurant 3 has just introduced a beer program. Among its more than 70 craft beers are the Belgian Chimay and the aptly named Delirium Tremens.

3 is located at 2950 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, 703 524 4440.

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1 Comment

1. Greg

   Excellent article: I also recommend Brigand, Westmalle Triple, Triple Karmaliet, Leffe Triple for those who like Kwak (one of my favorite beers).