[Hong Kong Cuisine] Featured Event: Belgian Beer Festival

The coldest day of the past two weeks happened to be the day of the ”Belgian Beer Festival”. I was invited along to have a look around and, whilst I was at it, have a few beers XP. It was actually my birthday that day, and I usually try not to schedule any events or work on my birthday. However, as this was a relaxed beer festival get-together where I was treating myself, I didn’t turn down the invitation from my PR friend. I’d also like to thank my PR friend for helping to arrange a promotional discount for the friends who came along with me.
Over the past few years, I have attended the ”German Beer Festival” organised by a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui on several occasions, whether at my own expense or as a guest; however, this was my first time attending the “Belgian Beer Festival” held at the Indian Club. I’ve heard that this event has been running for two years now.
The Indian Club is situated near the Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay. That evening, a group of seven of us, including my friends, arrived at around 7.30 pm to find the venue already packed to the rafters. Right at the main entrance, there was a large display of Belgian beer mugs and bottles of various sizes from different brands. In the past, these items were typically collected by beer connoisseurs, and the larger mugs in particular were particularly hard to come by.
(Sorry everyone, I forgot to bring my camera that day; all the photos below were taken with an iPhone 4.)

Fortunately, I also have two larger Hoegaarden beer glasses at home; although they aren’t the very largest ones, I’m quite happy with the second-largest size, and they’re more practical. As for Stella Artois, it’s less common for people to go out of their way to collect them; perhaps it’s down to their design – Hong Kongers tend to prefer the more rugged-looking Hoegaarden glasses.

Another Belgian beer brand, Leffe Brune, is rather less common; in fact, that day was the first time I’d realised this dark beer was available on the Hong Kong market. Following the advice of a friend from the PR team, we helped ourselves to the beer and food. Normally, a standard ticket would include two glasses of beer and two snacks, but a friend had specially arranged a ‘Blogger’s Pass’ for me, giving me the chance to sample every single beer and snack on offer at the event.

Unfortunately, we arrived too late; by the time everyone had settled in, all that was left to eat were waffles, and the very last pork sausage in the whole place. What a shame! What a shame!

Fortunately, each brand of beer has its own unique charm. For some reason, the beer here really does taste fresher and more aromatic than what you’d find in other bars. Whether it’s all in the mind or there’s another reason, you only need to look at how enchanted these two lovely ladies are to find out.

In particular, Hoegaarden has been my favourite in recent years. I’ve heard that Hoegaarden itself comes in different grades, and one of the top-tier varieties, called Hoegaarden Grand Cru, has been featured at Belgian beer festivals elsewhere. Unfortunately, I didn’t check properly that evening to find out what fine beer I’d been drinking.
To return to the subject, that evening the Hoegaarden had a thick, rich head—it looked to be well over an inch deep—and with every sip, I could feel how velvety and smooth it was. The flavour was wonderfully fresh, with strong floral and honeyed notes. It was rather like the white wine we drink with a seafood meal – the moment it touched my palate, I could tell it paired perfectly with the seafood. It has left me keen to pop into the supermarket to buy a few more bottles to try again, or if any of you happen to spot that pub serving the Grand Cru, do let me know so I can pop round and give it a go.

Another option was Stella Artois. Although it’s the world’s best-selling Belgian beer, I don’t usually drink it very often, so that evening I just had a sip or two and didn’t have any more. My friend said that Stella Artois has a bolder flavour, with a subtle malty aroma and a hint of bitterness, and that it goes best with white meat.

Leffe is a stout I’m even less familiar with; I just noticed that, like usual, it had a rich malty flavour. Whilst drinking it, I couldn’t quite make out what the other flavours were apart from the malt; perhaps I was already nine-tenths drunk. All I know is that it goes very well with red meat or cheese.

As well as beer, there were a few stalls inside the venue selling Belgian chocolate, which also attracted quite a few visitors. I was too busy drinking to go and have a look for myself. On the other side, there was a stage where a jazz band—who knew a bit of Cantonese—performed a famous Hong Kong song, ”Shanghai Beach”. The scene felt somewhat familiar, but the atmosphere was still quite good.

What’s even more amusing is that there are children urinating here and there throughout the beer festival, which has attracted many visitors to stop and take photos—it’s quite an amusing ”attraction”.

Conclusion.
The main aim of the Belgian Beer Festival is to introduce Hong Kongers to various Belgian beer brands through this annual event, I think, in terms of achieving their objectives, they have certainly succeeded. I was particularly struck by the display of beer glasses of all sizes at the entrance, and it also gave me the chance to try a new stout (which was new to me).
However, as the Beer Festival only takes place once a year, although I realise they have to stick to tradition when it comes to the dates, I really wish they could bring it forward to the summer, just as they did this year. It happened to coincide with a sudden cold snap in Hong Kong, which is bound to put many potential visitors off, and that’s not good news for the promotional campaign.
What’s more, as the beer festival only lasts one day—running from midday until around half past ten in the evening—it’s actually rather tricky to organise, I’m not used to drinking in the morning, and by the time I get to the festival in the evening, most of the food will have run out – it really is a bit of a dilemma. I hope I’ll still have the chance to take part in this event next year, and I’m even more hopeful that my favourite, Hoegaarden, will be successfully promoted in Hong Kong and become a huge hit.

Location of the Indian Fun Fair

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Hoegaarden beer @ Wikipedia
Hoegaarden Official Website

Stella Artois beer @ Wikipedia
Stella Artois Official website

Leffe beer @ Wikipedia
Leffe Official Website