If you have to drink Belgian Tuesday, drink American

  • By Aaron Swaney Herald Writer
  • Monday, June 30, 2014 11:32pm
  • LifeSports

The United States men’s soccer national team takes on Belgium Tuesday at 1 p.m. in a knockout-round game of the World Cup and many fans will be reaching for a cold, post-lunch beverage to wet their cheering whistle during the match.

It goes without saying you can’t drink a Belgian beer, no matter how delicious they are.

That means no Saison DuPont. No Duvel. No Orval Trappist Ale. No Westmalle Tripel.

But if you can’t go without a nice trippel, the best alternative if you want to drink Belgian is to drink American Belgian.

There are plenty of options. The Lost Abbey, a southern California brewery that specializes in Belgian beers, is one of the nation’s best. All the other way on the other side of the country is Maine’s Allagash Brewery, which has the White, a Belgian-style wheat beer.

In Colorado you can choose from either Avery Brewing, which has the White Rascal, or the perfectly named New Belgium Brewing. The Fort Collins, Colo., brewery has 1554, a black lager recipe born in Belgium, and Trippel, a Belgian-style ale.

One of my favorites American Belgian breweries is Pfriem Brewery out of Hood River, Ore. It’s Belgian Strong Dark and Belgian Strong Blonde are staples, as is the Wit. Unfortunately the brewery’s beer can be hard to find in Washington, but if you do, cheers!

Or as they say in Belgium: A Votre Sante!

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