Taste of Belgium Multiple locations Your kids will feel like they're getting away with something eating Taste of Belgium’s Belgian waffles. Made hot and fresh from a thick dough and coarse Belgian beet sugar, the dough caramelizes on the cast iron press for a sweet finish. Kids (and grown-ups) can even pick from toppings like strawberries and cream or Belgian chocolate. For a savory feel, the waffle is used as the bread in a McWaffle sandwich (egg, gruyère and maple syrup). Later in the day, kids could enjoy breakfast for dinner or an item off the L’il Gnomes menu, which features favorites like mac & cheese, chicken nuggets and grilled cheese. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Taste of Belgium at The Banks Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Big news for fans of Trappist beers: Taste of Belgium’s bistro at The Banks will become the second place in the world to offer all of Chimay’s Trappist ales on draft, outside of the brewery in Belgium.

According to Chimay, Trappist ales are “brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery under the supervision and responsibility of the monastic community, which is involved in the entire process of making and selling the ale.” Chimay has been in operation since the 1860s and is one of only 13 such breweries in the world, according to the International Trappist Association.

The four Chimay ales permanently available at the bistro are:

  • Chimay Premiere (7 percent ABV) — The oldest brew, which is a dubbel with flavors of “apricots, brown sugar and nutmeg, making it an incredibly delicious dark ale,” says Taste of Belgium
  • Chimay Cinq Cents (8 percent ABV) — A Tripel with “a rare balance of mellowness and bitterness in the taste with a subtle combination of fresh hops and yeast,” says Taste of Belgium
  • Chimay Doree (4.8 percent ABV) — “For a long time, this ale was reserved for the monastic community and the guests and staff of the abby,” says Taste of Belgium
  • Chimay Grand Reserve (9 percent ABV) — A Quad originally brewed as a Christmas ale in 1948 with flavors of mulling spices and caramel

Taste of Belgium will offer a custom tasting flight of all four brews, and the other restaurants will have rotating Chimay features on draft. 

“Chimay’s biers are authentic and unique Trappist ales with a very special origin,” said Taste of Belgium owner and Belgian native, Jean François Flechet. “We are excited to give bier lovers the opportunity to experience the complete range of bier styles the monks of Chimay create — especially Chimay Doree, which until recently wasn’t even distributed outside the monastery, let alone outside of Belgium.” 

The restaurant has partnered with the Global Beer Network to import the brews. 

Taste of Belgium at The Banks is located at 16 W. Freedom Way, downtown.

This article appears in Jul 17-24, 2019.

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