Belgium Makes Lager Too

For many drinkers outside Belgium, the first Belgian beer they encounter may well be Stella Artois. Yet once you start exploring Belgian beer, lager can quickly disappear behind Trappist ales, lambic, saisons, tripels and an apparently endless collection of strong blond beers.

Belgium makes plenty of lager too, most commonly pils — and some of it is very good indeed.

The 2026 World Beer Awards offered a useful reminder. Bavik Super Pils was named the World’s Best Lager, while Belgian beers also took six Silver awards in the International Lager category, including Stella Artois and Roman Pils. Sas Pils took Bronze.

None of this means Belgium is about to become better known for pils than lambic or Trappist beer. It probably shouldn’t.

But it is another reminder that Belgian beer culture is broader and rather less predictable than its international reputation sometimes suggests.