Ask many experts, and they’ll tell you that Belgium is to beer what France is to wine or what Scotland is to single malt whiskey - in other words, the best. However, many of the defining breweries in the small and often unassuming country remain shrouded in mystery.

Belgian Beer Quest is a new podcast that highlights the fascinating stories that define some of the top beers in the world. Hosted by Nate Cairney, each episode focuses on a single brewery or a theme related to Belgian beer, and uses a blend of storytelling, travel narrative, and expert interviews. During the first season, audiences will get an inside look at legendary labels like Westvleteren, Orval, Chimay, Lindemans, and others.

Belgian Beer Quest isn’t just for beer geeks, either. Though it respects the fundamentals of brewing, the series uses a multifaceted approach to reveal how history, war, religion, personality, economics and geography have helped shape contemporary Belgian beers. Listeners will also be introduced to aspects of beer culture that are uniquely Belgian, including austere Trappist abbeys, and breweries that defined now-global styles like tripel or saison.

Transcript

Since the beginning, humans have been defined by our quests. We search for meaning, for love, for excellence, for truth, for beauty, for the divine, and sometimes we find all of these things and more in unexpected places like say, in Belgium, and with beer. I'm Nate Carney, host of Belgian Beer Quest, a podcast about the people, places, histories and mysteries behind the legendary Belgian beers. I want to invite you to join me as we travel throughout Belgium, a small, beautiful and often unassuming country that has an unparalleled beer culture. I mean, Belgium is to beer what France is to wine or what Scotland is to single malt whiskey. It's the best. Along the way, we'll visit remote monasteries, charming villages, and rarely seen brewing operations, like the famed Westvleteren Abbey, were cloistered monks brew, extremely limited amounts of a beer that is often cited as one of the top, if not the top, beers in the world.