Catalogue no. BBG065

Betty Ford

Brewery: Brouwerij & Distilleerderij Wilderen
Beer style: Spéciale Belge
Glass style: Pilsner
Capacity: 25cl
Place: Sint-Truiden (Flanders)
Manufactured: 2023

Curator’s Notes

This 25 cl straight-sided glass, manufactured in 2023, is structurally simple. Its decoration is anything but. The exuberant design depicts a glamorous red-haired nurse surrounded by roses beneath the name Betty Ford. The reference is deliberate: the beer is named after the former First Lady of the United States, whose name became internationally associated with addiction treatment through the Betty Ford Center.

There is another joke behind the name. Wilderen describes Betty Ford as a 5.2% “Retro Speciale Belge” and explains that the reference is principally a gimmick about its relatively low alcohol content within the brewery's range. In most other countries — certainly in the UK — a 5.2% beer would be considered relatively strong. Belgian brewing operates on a rather different scale.

The beer itself is an amber, top-fermented Spéciale Belge, its colour derived from specially selected dark malt. The glass therefore provides another example of a traditional Belgian beer style presented through decidedly modern and irreverent branding.

This original glass in the collection acquired a prominent crack descending from its rim in an accident while being transported home. A follow-up visit to the brewery in August 2026 secured this replacement, in pristine condition.

Betty Ford

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Betty Ford