What do we mean when we say “Belgian inspiration?” To us, and many others, “Belgian” connotes complexity, experimentation, artful refinement, and openness to possibility. Unlike its northern European neighbors such as England and Germany, Belgium’s beer culture has been one of wide-ranging experimentation and innovation. From the wild ales brewed in Brussels with yeast literally drawn from the open air, to bottle-conditioned monk-brewed ales with candy sugar-aided fermentation, this tiny country has been a hotbed of brewing variety and artful refinement for hundreds of years.

We have found it both inspiring and humbling to stand on the shoulders of this brewing heritage, which still has new things to teach us. Yet it gives us the courage to attempt our own experiments. In many ways, America’s freewheeling brewing culture is the philosophical descendent of the Belgian tradition. Like Belgium’s monks, wild-eyed entrepreneurs, and scions of famous brewing families centuries ago, American craft brewers approach their work thinking “hmm… what if?” We at Three Taverns are no exception.