2026 will mark the ten-year anniversary of the UNESCO recognition of Belgian beer culture as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity (the only country in the world to do so).

The behind-the-scenes story of how Belgium pulled it off—with plot twists and political wrangling and strategic compromise—demonstrates the essence of the country's character: ruthlessly pragmatic and quietly persuasive.

The Flemish city of Turnhout is the playing card capital of the world.

Turnhout is to playing cards what Kobe is to Japanese Wagyu beef; what Parma is to Italian Prosciutto; what Fez is to leather. The biggest card-producing company in the world, Cartamundi, is headquartered in Turnhout. 1.3 million decks of cards are produced there every single day. If you have ever played poker, performed a magic trick with cards, traded Pokémon cards, or played Monopoly, Risk, Clue, or Catan, then you've touched something that comes from Turnhout.

The beers of Brouwerij Het Nest of Turnhout are all branded according to a playing card theme. Their most famous beer is their Tripel—the Schuppenboer—Jack of Spades. They started out as a homebrewing collective in 2000 and then in 2015 set up their own brewery.

This podcast is about how a regional brewery in Belgium goes about navigating the pitfalls of the modern beer game: Bart Cuypers of Het Nest and his colleagues would suffer legal headaches due to their playing card branding; there would be COVID closures and a war in Ukraine that would send brewery energy costs through the roof across Europe; export markets on which they relied would collapse like a house of cards; and Belgium's attitude to alcohol—especially amongst its young—would shift more quickly than they could ever have imagined.

So—in the face of mounting industry challenges, how should a brewery play the modern beer game?

The owners of Brouwerij Het Nest of Turnhout—the world capital of playing cards—gambled on the brewery's future with strategy, ambition, and a little bit of luck.

Listen in to find out how.

Discover Brasserie de la Mule, a brewery and taproom-slash-music venue housed in an old tram shed in Brussels’ Schaerbeek neighbourhood.

The post EP053 | Mule Head: An Interview with Joël Galy of Brasserie de la Mule appeared first on Belgian Smaak.

Joël Galy is the quietly punkish, Swedish-born but Belgian-raised brewer of Brasserie de la Mule. Brasserie de la Mule is a brewery and taproom-slash-music venue that's housed in an abandoned tram shed in Brussels' Schaerbeek neighbourhood. De la Mule specialises in German styles of beer.

I sat down with Joël in his taproom for a chat about how he approaches German styles in Belgium, what he's learned from parenting to make him a better leader in the brewery, how he landed jobs as a brewer at Brasserie de la Senne and Brasserie Cantillon before starting his own business, and why everyone's got it wrong about Belgian Saison.

Sit back, listen, and enjoy our interview with Joël Galy of Brasserie de la Mule.

How did Westvleteren 12, a strong dark ale produced by a tiny monastery brewery in Belgium, become the world’s most sought-after beer?

The post EP052 | How Westvleteren 12 Accidentally Became “The Best Beer In The World” appeared first on Belgian Smaak.

As we approach the twenty year anniversary of Westvleteren 12's original crowning by RateBeer, Jonny Garrett examines how a strong dark ale produced by a tiny monastery brewery in North West Belgium became the world's most sought-after beer

No other country in the world has a national beer experience centre costing €100 million and housed in one of the most iconic buildings in its capital. Today, we're talking to Krishan Maudgal of the Belgian Brewers Federation about Belgian Beer World.

Claire Bullen meets to the Boons — Frank, Karel, and Jos — to find out how their Mariage Parfait Oude Geuze speaks to the legacy of Lambic.

The post EP050 | Mariage Parfait and the Evolution of Lambic appeared first on Belgian Smaak.

Claire Bullen meets the Boons — Frank, Karel, and Jos — to find out how their Mariage Parfait Oude Geuze speaks to the legacy of Lambic. Breandán Kearney hosts.

Through his Lambic blendery Het Boerenerf, Senne Eylenbosch saved his father's farm, discovered his own identity, and began the next chapter in his family's storied Lambic heritage.

In this discussion, Senne Eylenbosch and Breandán Kearney talk about the things Senne learned working at Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, how he's conflicted about his family's brewing heritage, how he blends the way he does, how he feels about now being able to use his family name in his business, and where he sees his place in the Lambic ecosystem.