Belgium: Home of the great ones

Okay so perhaps the amount of beers that I've tried isn't THAT many compared to some people out there and maybe I'm not the best at tasting all the subtle flavors in every beer but I still consider myself to be more knowledgeable then most people my age who stick to either what's cheap or what's popular and well known. The one country in my opinion that brews the best beer, or atleast my favorites is Belgium. I urge everyone out there to go pick up some Leffe Blond beer, or Stella Artois, or for something that's really different try some Hoegarden (pronounced Who-gar-den). Stella and Hoegarden are seriously some really great beers. Stella is a great pilsner style beer that far out shines all others that I've tried so far (when I say pilsner style, don't try to compare it to old style pilsner, that mega brewed beer doesn't do the pilsner style any credit and all it's good for is pouring on the ground in contempt). Stella may take some getting used to if all you drink is flavorless Canadian or Kokanee but it's worth it. Hoegarden is also a must drink, it may turn some people off with it's cloudiness but that murk is supposed to be there. It's a very light beer that is hardly bitter at all and also has a slight citrus taste to it (but doesn't make you feel like you're chewing on an orange peel as doesn't Alley kat full moon pale ale). This is also a beer that is a "must pour" you simple can't drink it right from the bottle partly due to the fact that if you don't you'll have sediment stuck to the bottom of the bottle rather then mixed in but also because it's more fun to try to get the pouring done just right to get the perfect glass. Leffe is a light tasting Abbey-made beer (fact: a long time ago most beers were made by the church and were also a large source of income for them nowadays beer is mostly made by huge companies that don't put the love of god in every bottle {that was a joke}). Leffe definitely isn't something I'd make an everyday "drink with all your buddies" beer but I'd recommend people to try it at least once.

-Matt