Belgium is a tiny country. You might think of chocolate as its most famous export, but beer is just as important, if not more so. There are nearly 200 breweries in this country of about 11 million people, so you know beer there is practically a religion. Coming up on this week’s show, we dive deep into the world of Belgian beers, with a few experts. We’ll talk to a legendary bar owner, Michael Roper, who carries more Belgian beers on his list than just about any bar in the U.S. Then we’ll meet a pair of brewers, each of whom are producing some Belgian-style beers, right here in the middle of the country. Claudia Jendron, the Head Brewer at Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, and Tom Korder, the Founder of Penrose Brewery in bucolic Geneva, Illinois, who'll tell us about Belgian-style session ales, aged in oak barrels with alternative fermentation.
