The beer is then refermented in the bottle with the addition of Belgian yeast culture. Rounding it off is Simcoe, a hop that is highly praised by craft brewers for its notes of passion fruit, pine and a berry fruitiness. This is balanced with Centennial hops, sometimes referred to as 'super-Cascade', because it contains all of the classic lemony Cascade character, but with everything turned all the way up to maximum. The third of the new generation beers that the Belgenius brewers have created brings together three complimentary hops to give a well-balanced ale that has a distinctly citrussy character.įirstly they add the highly fashionable Citra hop, renowned for its wonderfully crisp flavours that are often reminiscent of grapefruit or pomelo - a huge and delicious citrus fruit that grows naturally around the world. Belgian beers enjoy an unmatched reputation around the world for producing the ultimate expressions of the brewers art. Beer culture in Belgium contributes to the economic and social viability at local level and the constitution of the social identity and continuity of its bearers and practitioners, who promote responsible production and consumption'. We're delighted to have the opportunity to bring some innovative Belgian brewing to the UK market, but you don't just have to take our word for it because in 2016 UNESCO noted that - 'beer culture in Belgium combines know-how concerning nature, social practices and craft skills that constitute an integral part of daily and festive life.

Lesser known lighter beers such as saisons are slowly making their way back into production, while fruit beers such as kriek (cherry) and frambozen (raspberry) are also gaining in popularity.

Today's Belgian beers are usually defined by the style that they are produced to - Pils, Blonde, Dubbel and Tripel are among the best known and each have broadly similar general characteristics within their style, such as colour, flavour profile and alcoholic strength. A further 18 producers currently have Abbey status, which means that they produce beers in the Trappist style, but their beers can be produced by non-Trappist brewers, by using the name of an abbey that no longer operates or with their agreement of an existing abbey. Since 1997 Trappist beers have had to conform to strict standards for them to retain their status, and the six that maintain this designation are very different in style from each other. Those early beers, brewed by Trappist monks, almost certainly had low alcohol levels and highly questionable quality, BUT they were definitely more appealing than the water that they were made from! To achieve this, they were given permission by the catholic church to brew beer that they could sell to local people as a way of making money. In 1928, she married opera singer, actor, screenwriter, theater and opera director, Gustaf Bergman (1880-1952).The first recorded Flemish brewers were 12th century monks, and they were expected to find their own ways to pay for the upkeep of their monasteries. She returned to her native Sweden in 1950, after her retirement. In 1938, to escape the Nazis, she made her home in the United States, singing various roles at the Metropolitan Opera. She also appears to wonderful advantage in the live recording of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, with Charles Kullmann (1903–1983) under Bruno Walter, at the Vienna Musikverein in 1936 and the even more famous one with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Carl Schuricht (1880–1967) in 1939. She was especially known for her searingly beautiful Brangäne, which was preserved on record. The famed conductor Bruno Walter (1876–1962) engaged her for the Städtische Oper in Berlin and became her mentor.Īlthough a contralto, Thorborg's upper register was so secure that she sang numerous mezzo-soprano roles, including Venus, Kundry, Fricka, Waltraute, and Magdalena. After six successive seasons at the Royal Swedish Opera, Thorborg was engaged for the next two years at the Nuremberg Opera.

She made her debut in 1924 singing the role of Ortrud in Lohengrin. In addition, she was endowed with a beautifully steady and intense tone.īorn in Venjan, Sweden, Kerstin Thorborg studied singing at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm.

By all accounts, Thorborg was a magnificent actor with great stage presence. The Mezzo-soprano Kerstin Thorborg was one of the best dramatic Wagnerian singers in the two decades between 19. Kerstin Thorborg ( – 12 April 1970) was a Swedish opera singer.

Poducer thorberg