An important beer in a nation of important beers, Brugse Zot has been a family affair since 1865. The beer is the preserve of the renowned De Halve Maan brewery, (that’s Half Moon, not Half Man), the only brewery in Bruges, the beautiful and historic capital of West Flanders. That makes Brugse Zot the city’s ‘Townbeer’, and luckily it fulfils its role admirably.

Brugse Zot comes in two forms, with the Blond as its flagship, and a Dubbel rounding things out. Quintessentially Belgian, the beer has a big body, with fruity banana notes from the yeast blended with complimentary hops. Secondary fermentation in the bottle leads to a long maturation process and a soft carbonation. It’s a beer that gets better and better.

All sounds pretty clever, right? The beer takes its name from a historical wisecrack about the city’s townsfolk. Brugse Zot means ‘Bruges Fools’, which also explains the jester that adorns the bottles’ label. They might be fools, but they know their beer.