Other Belgian-Style Ale

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Location:Belgian and French
Category:Ale

Beer Style Description

This is the description of how the Other Belgian-Style Ale style of beer should taste, feel and look. However, there may be perfectly fine beers in this style that fall outside of these ranges and descriptions. This information is just to show the most commonly accepted ranges for the Other Belgian-Style Ale beer style.

Beers in this category recognize the uniqueness and traditions of Belgian brewing, but do not hew to any other classic or “Other” Belgian-style categories defined in these guidelines. Balance is a key component when assessing these beers. Wood- and barrel-aged versions which exhibit attributes of wood aging should be categorized as wood- and barrel-aged beers. Fruited versions are categorized as Belgian-style fruit beers. When using these guidelines as the basis for evaluating entries at competitions, brewers may be asked to provide supplemental information about entries in this category to allow for accurate evaluation of diverse entries. Such information might include an underlying Belgian beer style not otherwise defined in these guidelines or other information unique to the entry such as ingredients or processing which influence perceived sensory outcomes.

  • Color: May vary widely
  • Body: Varies
  • Malt Flavors & Aromas: Malt perception may vary widely
  • Hop Flavors & Aromas: May vary widely
  • IBUs/Bitterness: May vary widely
  • Fermentation Characteristics: Phenolic spiciness may be absent or may be present at low levels. Fruity-ester complexity may range from low to medium, in harmony with malt and other attributes. Diacetyl should not be present.

Brewing Properties of Other Belgian-Style Ale

These are the functional brewing properties of Other Belgian-Style Ale beers, as descided by the Brewers Association. These guidelines reflect, as accurately as possible, the historical significance, authenticity or a common profile in the current commercial beer market.

ABV
The alcohol by volume is shows the amount of alcohol this style of beer should have.
Bitterness
The International Bittering Units (IBU) scale is used to approximately quantify the actual (not perceived) bitterness of beer.
SRM
SRM is a scale for measuring the color intensity of a beer. Low SRM grains impart a pale straw color while higher values mean it will add a darker color to the wort. Learn more »
Varies
Original Gravity
Original Gravity (OG) is a measure of the sugar content in the wort before alcoholic fermentation has started to produce the beer.
Final Gravity
The Final Gravity (FG) is how much sugar is left over in the beer when fermentation is complete.

If you see an error in our data, please let us know!

Based on Brewers Association 2020 Beer Style Guidelines with changes. Used with permission of Brewer's Association.