" I think that it is good for the sector. People drink more beer. Styles evolve, innovative brands arrive on the market. But big brands are still there and are not ready to give up their market shares, so this it is difficult to find a place to stay. Spots are rare because the growth of craft beers also makes a quick rotation in the bars and the fridges of consumers.
We are lucky to have a possibility to point out our Beer culture everywhere in the world, that’s an excellent weapon to introduce our product. But as I said before, we must remain modest, and always question ourselves. I mean, don’t think that, because it’s a Belgian beer, this is good stuff… unfortunately, this is not true! "
"First of all, penetrating the market now will be difficult. That’s something I would say and repeat to anyone who wants to launch a new brewery. New breweries arrive on the market almost every day, not only in Belgium but all over the world. Even if the Belgian beers keep their reputation, locals are doing great beers, and let’s be honest, everybody is a bit chauvinist, so we like to drink what is produced in the country, not to say in the region…
My advice would be: create something you would enjoy.
But be conscious that your tastes are maybe not everybody’s tastes. In one hand you must target beer specialists that will look for something extraordinary, and that will give an opinion that the rest of the consumers (the majority actually) will take into consideration. These will generate the volume that you need to survive. So the beer must also be "easy to drink."
"I like to taste a bit of everything, and what I like the most is when people try to develop their styles. How many breweries don’t you see brewing “Belgian styles beers.” I think it is a bit sad to refer to a “country style.” For example, in Europe, we are also influenced by the “American style.” I’m not that into this, but I found that in the US they built their style."
Craft Beer
Favorite Beer
Advice
Other Beer Cultures
" Of Course the Lupulus Triple. We even say “Lupulus Ardenne triple.” This is the main product, not only for the volume of production (almost half of the production) but also for the character. The triple has an extraordinary equilibrium. Not “too” anything, but just “enough” of everything. A sharp character, but at the same time very accessible. This is very rare for a beer to receive great comments both from Beer advocates that usually prefer niche products and from the general public that drinks all kind of famous beers."
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