Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome to the Road to Cicerone: Belgian Styles

    • Welcome to the Road to Cicerone®

    • Introduction to the Belgian Beer Styles Course

    • The Goals of This Course

    • Resources
  • 2

    Guidelines for Purchasing Beer

    • Buying Quality Beer in the Store

    • Avoiding Skunked Beer

    • Avoiding Oxidized Beer

    • About Date Codes

    • Deciding What to Buy
  • 3

    Preparing for Activities

    • Activity-Specific Materials and Beer Styles
  • 4

    References

    • References and Instructions
  • 5

    Belgian Beer and Brewing Culture

    • Belgian Beer and Brewing Culture Overview
  • 6

    Unit 1: Belgian Brewing Culture

    • Introduction

    • Belgian Approach to Brewing

    • Modern Belgian Beer Culture

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 7

    Unit 2: Malts and Adjuncts

    • Introduction

    • Base Malts

    • Adjuncts

    • Specialty Malts

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 8

    Unit 3: Hops, Spices, and Fruit

    • Introduction

    • Hops

    • Spices

    • Fruit

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 9

    Unit 4: Fermentation

    • Introduction

    • Belgian Ale Yeast Strains

    • Non-Saccharomyces Fermentations

    • Brettanomyces

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 10

    Unit 5: Wood Aging

    • Introduction

    • Wood Aging in Belgian Brewing

    • Blending

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 11

    Unit 6: Bottle Conditioning

    • Introduction

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 12

    Unit 7: Beer Service

    • Introduction

    • Glassware

    • Service

    • Lambic Baskets

    • Cuisine à la Bière

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 13

    Belgian Beer Styles

    • Belgian Beer Styles Overview
  • 14

    Unit 8: Witbier

    • Introduction

    • Pierre Celis and Hoegaarden

    • Witbier

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 15

    Unit 9: Saison and Bière de Garde

    • Introduction

    • Saison

    • Bière de Garde

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 16

    Unit 10: Pale, Blond, and Golden Secular Styles

    • Introduction

    • Belgian Pale Ale

    • Belgian Blond Ale

    • Belgian Golden Strong Ale

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 17

    Unit 11: Trappist and Abbey Styles

    • Introduction

    • Trappist vs. Abbey Beer

    • Modern Trappist and Abbey Styles

    • Trappist Single

    • Belgian Dubbel

    • Belgian Tripel

    • Belgian Dark Strong Ale

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 18

    Unit 12: Trappist Breweries Around the Globe

    • Introduction

    • Achel (Saint Benedictus Abbey)

    • Chimay (Abbaye de Notre Dame de Scourmont)

    • La Trappe (Koningshoeven Abbey)

    • Orval (Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval)

    • Rochefort (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy in Rochefort)

    • Spencer (Saint Joseph's Abbey)

    • Stift Engelszell (Engelszell Abbey)

    • Tre Fontane (Tre Fontane Abbey)

    • Tynt Meadow (Mount Saint Bernard Abbey)

    • Westmalle (Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Heart of Westmalle)

    • Westvleteren (Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren)

    • Zundert (Abbey of Maria Toevlucht)

    • Other Trappist Beers

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 19

    Unit 13: Flanders Ales

    • Introduction

    • Flanders Red Ale

    • Oud Bruin

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 20

    Unit 14: Lambic Production

    • Introduction

    • Lambic Brewing

    • Coolships—Cooling and Inoculation

    • Lambic Fermentation

    • Final Steps

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 21

    Unit 15: Lambic Styles

    • Introduction

    • Lambic

    • Gueuze

    • Fruit Lambic

    • Suggested Activities & Discussion
  • 22

    Review Questions

    • Introduction

    • Appendix A: Example Questions for the Certified Cicerone® Exam
  • 23

    Conclusion and End-of-Course Quiz

    • Conclusion

    • Belgian Beer Styles Quiz