THE FOOD ITINERARY

The bright new star on Hong Kong’s beer scene, TED LAI makes a pilgrimage to the land of lambic, oude gueuze and other mysteries

Beer expert TED LAI embarks on a tasting tour of Belgium’s best breweries

THE BEST THING about Belgium is that beer means beer – beer in its purest form, from spontaneously fermented barnyard lambics (a specific type of Belgian beer) to bold brews with spicy aromas.

Being a lover, and now a purveyor, of beer, Belgium is my destination of choice. My love of the stuff extends to my bar in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan district, Blue Supreme, which serves several Belgian brews. Flanked by France and the Netherlands, the nation packs more than 200 breweries, many of which date back centuries, into a little over 30,500 square kilometres. Here are eight of my favourites.間積，面 雖然只有30,500多平方公里，卻有超過200多家釀酒廠，更部分 有數百年歷史。以下是八間我最喜歡的啤酒釀酒廠。

BRUSSELS MOEDER LAMBIC

The original in Saint-Gilles is one of the city’s oldest breweries, with a second branch in Place Fontainas. The latter has more than 40 taps – including several serving cask Cantillon lambic that made me giggle like a little kid. Cheese and meat plates, proper glassware and bantering staff: it’s hard not to leave very happy.

CANTILLON

Arguably the favourite among beer geeks, Cantillon is a family- run lambic brewery in Anderlecht. In the tasting room, I encountered Rosé de Gambrinus, made with raspberries. The berries awaken the dormant wild yeast and ferment out the sugar, resulting in a huge raspberry aroma balanced by earthy, piquant greatness.

DE HEEREN VAN LIEDEKERCKE

Lambic fans have beaten a path to this cellar, boasting a vast array of vintage oude gueuze, beer created by mixing old and young lambics. As oude gueuze