Brussels: From brown ales to goldenpilsners to the strong trappist brews produced in monasteries, Belgian beer is enjoyed around the world.
Now, Belgium is asking the United Nations’ heritage body to add its beer-making and drinking culture to a list of traditionsworth protecting, saying that brewing fosters a unified identityin a country with three official languages.
The country is home to nearly 200 breweries making 1,500 different beers, according to the trade association Belgian Brewers, which prepared the application. National dishes also include beer and the country has some 30 brewing museums.
Submitted by Belgium’s German-speaking region to Unesco, the application says beer brewing improves the well-being of Belgian people by stimulating the economy, promoting local products and strengthening social ties.
The history and broad variety of brews available make Belgium’s beer industry stand out from other brewing traditions around the world, the submission says. Unesco’s ‘intangible heritage’ committee meets next week and will determine whether Belgian beer culture and 36 other practices such as Indian yoga and Czech and Slovak puppetry should enter its list.
