It comes as no surprise to learn that Belgian beer is regarded as among the best in the world.

It was a nice surprise however to find that we can now buy it at a specialist Belgian beer, cheese and chocolate shop in Puerto de la Cruz. La Maison Belge was opened in September two years ago by the effervescent Sandra Cerigliani and has a growing clientele of beer lovers beating a path to her door. As one of the aforementioned people it was great news to hear that a shop was opening that I considered to be my idea of heaven.  
La Maison Belge is a franchise, which forms part of a larger group of shops that can be spotted in most Belgian cities. Sandra was on holiday in Bruges when she was introduced to the flavours and aromas the chain has to offer, she instantly fell in love with the beer and more importantly the idea behind the brand. Upon her return to the Canary Islands she soon got to work, looking for the premises and signing an agreement with the supplier.
Sandra explained to me that she stocks over 250 varieties of Belgian beers, with something to suit everyone's pallet. From the more recognised brands such as Stella Artois (which she can sell in small barrels along with a small cooling system and pump for home use, oh yes) to the less known smaller brewers like my favourite Caracole. The Caracole brand typifies what La Maison Belge is all about, it comes from a tiny brewery in Belgium where the wheat is toasted on wood fires before the brewing process is started. They only use traditional methods that brewers have used for centuries, with no modern equipment or chemicals. The quality of this rich beer is supreme, leaving a lovely aftertaste without overpowering your pallet.  Sandra is an expert on all the beers she sells, having done a course in the brewing process in general and then on each beer one by one. As she talked me through the interesting brewing processes of each beer It occurred to me that as an end product consumer I never knew there was so much involved in making a good beer. From double brewed wheat beer to her extensive range of fruit beers or her house brand of La Belge there is definitely something to suite everyone's taste.
One thing I do know about beer, apart from how to drink it, is that they tend to name some of them in extravagant fashion, amongst the many names on show were, Big Chouffe, Bush, Grimbergen, Kwak, Deus and Lucifer which I presume to be strong with a wicked kick.
Apart from her extensive range of beers Sandra also sells Belgium chocolates and biscuits which is the other thing this country is famous for. I thought there was no way you could mix the two as one would spoil the other, but as Sandra explained, Beer is not that dissimilar to wine in that you have to choose a beer carefully to go with the sort of food you are eating and she then produced a chocolate beer, whatever next?
La Maison Belge is perfect for gift ideas, especially when you have a man that is difficult to buy for, like me. You can buy beer selections by the metre or half metre filling them with a variety of beers that you wish, for convenience and beer safety they are placed in a long wooden presentation box. I know what I'll be asking for this father's day.  
Sandra also does home deliveries offering free delivery on orders over 40 euros and a 3 euro surcharge on smaller orders.
 
To find la Maison Belge, park in the harbour in Puerto de la Cruz and walk towards the town hall. When you start to walk up the cobbled road take the second on the right into the pedestrian walkway, La Maison Belge is on the left.     Tel: 922388428

Tenerife News edition 416