The United Nations' heritage body, UNESCO, on Wednesday added Belgium's beer culture to its coveted list of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."
The history of Belgium beer stretches back to at least the 12th century and the age of the first crusades. Artisanal brewing methods have not stopped evolving since - from brown ales, and golden lagers to trappist brews produced in monasteries. Today some 1,500 different kinds of beer are produced in just about every city and village across the country. Almost every national dish is accompanied by a tall glass of beer, while Belgium is also home to some 30 brewing museums.
Ahead of the nomination Brussels regional leader Rudi Vervoort summed up the rich history of Belgian beer, saying that it "has been a part of our society since time immemorial."
Belgium's 200 breweries, produce 1,500 types of beer
However, UNESCO was forced to firmly stand by the nomination. At a time when alcohol abuse is becoming an increasing global concern, the heritage body said its recognition of Belgian beer was about more than just drinking. "Beer is also used by communities for cooking, producing products like beer-washed cheese, and paired with food," it said in a statement.
UNESCO also said that beer brewing had fostered a unified identity in a country often divided along linguistic lines.
Its inclusion on the UNESCO list confers an obligation on the state to safeguard the tradition. The state is also allowed to apply for financial assistance in doing so.
Beer in Belgium is not just underpinned by history and tradition. This year, in a show of keeping with the times, brewer Brugse Zot built a beer pipeline out of the medieval centre of Bruges to a bottling factory on the outskirts. The innovation addressed worries voiced by locals concerning the environment and the preservation of Bruges' architecture.
Sven Gatz, who went from leading the Belgian Brewers Federation to becoming Cultural Minister for the Flanders region, likened the recognition to the Belgium national football team winning the World Cup.
"We love our beer and appreciate the endless diversity within it, something that can't be equaled anywhere else in the world," Gatz told the Associated Press (AP) news agency. "In Belgium, beer doesn't have to give way to wine or other drinks in terms of quality and diversity."
Celebrating and protecting cultural heritage
The UN's "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" list was created in 2008 to recognize traditional events, ritual and social practices that have been passed down through generations and foster a sense of identity.
Alongside Belgian beer, UNESCO also this year gave the nod to the Cuban rumba dance and Mangal Shobhajatra festival in Bangladesh, a Bengali New Year celebration. They join iconic cultural traditions, such as French gastronomy and Argentina's tango.
The list of nominations was drawn during a meeting in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. It will wind up its review of the nominations on Thursday.
dm/mm (Reuters, AP, AFP)
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
Spoilt for choice
Germany is a beer country - and that's a fact. Using only four ingredients German brewers have managed to create over 5,500 brands of beer. And that number is growing because every week a new beer is released on the market. But Germany manages quantity as well as quality: no other European country produces more beer.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
You can always have a beer
When it comes to drinking alcohol, whether at an office party, during intermission at the theater or just relaxing as pictured here in Berlin's Görlitzer Park, beer is always an appropriate choice in Germany, and can be consumed legally in public.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
Traditional festivals are a must
Funfair stalls, brass bands and "Schlager" music are the ingredients of a traditional German festival. A challenge to get through unless you consume plenty of beer. For these occasions regional breweries often create a festival beer. The best known of these is probably the Oktoberfest beer, which is made especially for the festival in Munich and served in one liter Bavarian beer mugs.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
Football and beer - a winning combination
Football is also a celebration, and beer goes with football the way mustard goes with a bratwurst sausage. It helps fans celebrate and consoles them if their team loses. At any stadium the link between football teams and breweries is obvious: beer advertising features on the players' shirts and banners. And in many Bundesliga football arenas the beer brand sponsoring the team is also served.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
Beer can be bought round the clock
In the Ruhr area it's known as a Trinkhalle, in Mainz it is called a Büdchen and in Berlin it goes by the name of Späti. These neighborhood kiosks sell newspapers, tobacco, sweets, and usually beer. What began more than 150 years ago as a place to sell water, now serves as a pit stop for big city beer drinkers.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
The corner pub - a temple of German beer
Berlin's corner pubs, like the Willi Mangler in the Schönefeld district, are a part of German beer history. They have also become something of a cult. The mix of stuffy air, no nonsense food and a crowd of regular bar flies is what makes them so charming. Tourists rarely venture here, but residents of the neighborhood come to enjoy their after work beer.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
Beer gardens - fun in the sun
Beer gardens are also traditional to German beer culture. These days they can be found all over Germany, but they originate from the beginning of the 19th century in Bavaria. Back then brewers served their beer straight from the cooling cellars along the banks of the river Isar. Especially on hot days the cellar beer gardens were popular among people from Munich.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
Bavaria - cradle of the Beer Purity Law
In Bavaria, where the German Beer Purity Law was adopted in 1516, beer has been an established part of life for centuries. Today, Bavaria has more than 600 breweries, more than in any other state in Germany. In the Middle Ages the breweries were firmly in the grip of monasteries. Some of these still exist, the oldest being Weltenburg Abbey on the Danube.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
Craft beer - modern brewing techniques
Traditional breweries have now been joined by more experimental beer makers like Georg-Augustin Schmidt. His micro-brewery "Braustil" in Frankfurt-am-Main produces small amounts of new varieties which have powerful aromas and are usually made with regional, organic ingredients. The craft-beer scene is especially strong in Hamburg and Berlin.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
How it's done - beer brewing seminars
Those who are crazy about beer beyond drinking it will find more than 30 beer museums, beer hikes and beer brewing seminars in Germany. You can create your own beer at the "Grillakademie" craft beer seminar in Bochum. Participants also learn about the different varieties of beer as well as German brewing traditions and, of course, the German Beer Purity Law.
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Beer culture - this is how Germany drinks
Once in the right glass: Cheers!
To mark German Beer Day on April 23, here's a quick guide. From left to right: the Berliner Weisse goes in a bowl-shaped glass, Kristallweizen wheat beer in a tall glass, lager is served in a beer mug, followed by a short glass for the dark Altbier, the small, narrow glass for the Cologne Kölsch brew, the rounded glass for Pils beer and finally the Bavarian half-liter beer mug.
Author: Christina Deicke/sc/nr
