In Belgium today there are 125 breweries which are able to produce 500 different kinds of Belgian Beer. Beer has been brewed in Belgium since the Middle Ages when originally it was produced in monasteries only. However today this is a country where the most varieties of beer are brewed and can be drunk.

The alcohol content of these particular beers is considerably higher than some of the other varieties available in Europe and in some cases it reaches a level of between 6 and 8 percent. Breweries were forced into making higher alcohol content beers because a law was passed stating that spirits (which beer was classed as) could not be drunk in public houses. However, although this law stood for many years it was finally rescinded back in 1983.

As mentioned there are around 500 different types of Belgian beer one can drink today and they fall into a number of different categories, below we take a look at what these are.

Trappist Beer ? This is a beer which is brewed in one of 6 monasteries in Belgium and in order to qualify as being such a beer the complete brewing process is either carried out or overseen by Trappist monks at their monastery. On each bottle of beer appears the authentic Trappist Product Logo and this clearly indicates to the drinker that the monastery producing the beer has complied with various rules that have been laid down by the International Trappist Association.

Lambic Beer - This beer is unique to Belgium and produced through the spontaneous fermentation of wild yeasts and which grows in abundance near the country's capital Brussels. The actual fermentation process of this particular form of Belgian beer can take a considerable period of time. Some beers their fermentation period is 3 to 6 months, and for others the period is between 2 and 3 years.

The fermentation process used to make this type of Belgian beer provides it with a very distinctive flavor and is not to everyone's tastes. The problem is that the beer can taste dry, cidery and vinous and this results in a sour aftertaste when drunk.

Fruit Beer - These are made using fresh fruit or fruit concentrate which has been added to Lambic beer. Kriek is one of the most well known of these types of Belgian beers and contains cherries, but other varieties have in them fruits such as peaches, blackcurrants and raspberries. What is strange about this particular beer is that when the fruit is added a second fermentation process takes place in it.

White Beers - These Belgian beers are very popular in Belgium and the main ingredients used in them are wheat hops and spices along with orange peel and coriander. But there are many different varieties of this beer, each with their own distinctive flavor which comes from the various different brewing methods and ingredients used by the breweries in its manufacture.