Azernews.Az

BAKU – Belgian Beer Night was held in Baku last Friday. The event, hosted by Peter Booms, Deputy Head of Mission at the Belgian Embassy in Azerbaijan, and his spouse, Meltem, in their home was joined by the heads and representatives of diplomatic missions and well-known businessmen. Among the guests were representatives of the embassies of the United States, the EU delegation, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

The guests had the opportunity to taste Stella Artois, Leffe and Hoegaarden beer, the finest brands produced by ABInBev, the largest brewery in the world. The beer was presented by the employees of ILCHIN LTD, ABInBev`s official distributor in Azerbaijan.

Beer is incredibly popular in Belgium. The Belgians also brew the finest beer and therefore prefer domestically produced beer. More than 600 beer brands are available in this small country, with some of them having a history of more than 500 years. One of the most popular brands is Stella Artois. This brand, which is popular across the world, dates back to 1366 and hails from a small town of Leuven, east of Brussels. Stella Artois beer is presently consumed in over 80 countries.

The host said the event aimed to show that a variety of Belgian beers can now be found in the Azerbaijani capital. ``Belgian beer is unique and comes in so many tastes and varieties. Beer brewing is an ancient Belgian tradition and the art of pouring is of the utmost importance to enjoy the full flavour of the beverage`` Booms said.

A video and films about Stella Artois and other Belgian beer brands were screened for participants. Further, ILCHIN LTD company`s employees showed ``the nine golden rules`` of pouring beer, followed by a contest on proper beer-pouring among the guests. Though more than 50 people took part in the contest, only four of them were successful. The winners received special diplomas. Also, a certificate of appreciation was presented to Mr. Booms on behalf of ILCHIN LTD.

ILCHIN LTD also holds contests among local bartenders every year and their winners participate in the world contest of bartenders. The company`s CEO Imran Abbasov said, however, that an Azerbaijani representative could not join the international contest this year.