How common spiders keep the secret of the best Belgian beer
How common spiders keep the secret of the best Belgian beer

Video: How common spiders keep the secret of the best Belgian beer

Video: How common spiders keep the secret of the best Belgian beer
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Few people know what good beer and spiders really have in common
Few people know what good beer and spiders really have in common

Visitors to Belgian breweries are usually surprised to find that barrels of their favorite beverage are being infused in a dark, dry room thickly braided with cobwebs. But this does not cause negative emotions among the brewers themselves - they have their own secret.

Creek Belgian beer infused with cherries
Creek Belgian beer infused with cherries

In modern Belgium, there are about 900 brands of beer, some of which have been known since the XII-XV centuries. In the region, the culture of beer is developed as nowhere else in Europe, and local connoisseurs distinguish many unique varieties. Among them stand out kriek and framboise, infused with cherries and raspberries, respectively.

An old Belgian brewery. Leon Frederic, 1895
An old Belgian brewery. Leon Frederic, 1895
Beer bottling line
Beer bottling line

According to local brewers, Belgian beer has a distinct flavor and aroma, not least due to natural yeast and bacteria. But they are difficult to use in modern industries, where absolute sterility and tightness is ensured.

In contrast, traditional breweries use wooden barrels that leak and enter the air. This is much better for brewer's yeast. Their scent, as well as the scent of cherries, attracts tiny fruit flies. Intrusive insects scurry literally everywhere, even climb into barrels, which spoils the taste of beer.

Barrels in the brewery
Barrels in the brewery
The web allows you to get rid of annoying fruit flies
The web allows you to get rid of annoying fruit flies

It is impossible to completely remove insects, as well as to make the container airtight - the taste of the resulting beer immediately suffers. Therefore, the easiest way to avoid insects is to let the spiders weave their webs.

In addition to destroying the pest, spiders are a clear signal of environmentally friendly production. If the beer is made from artificial raw materials, then there will be no flies, and therefore spiders.

Cobwebs on barrels at a Belgian brewery
Cobwebs on barrels at a Belgian brewery
Belgian brewery Het Anke traces its history back to 1471
Belgian brewery Het Anke traces its history back to 1471

In the mid-2000s, the Belgian government forced one of the breweries to make the production sterile, according to standards. As a result, this beer brand lost its flavor and became unpopular.

One of the most famous beer brands in the world is Guinness. It is so popular that the owner of this Irish company leased the brewery for 9,000 years.

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