It may not be a showdown between Saint George and the Dragon, but 1,650 beers will be engaging in a merciless battle during the Brussels Beer Challenge which takes up residence in Mons on November 1, 2 and 3.

The home of the Doudou festival is the Brussels Beer Challenge’s first foray into Hainaut, after seven previous encounters (Brussels, Leuven, Liège, Antwerp, Brussels, Namur and Mechelen). As one of Belgium’s prime regions for brewing, Hainaut was an obvious choice of location for the competition.The now world-renowned Saison style is said to have originated in this area.

Mons, a land of brewing

Like Belgium and other countries, the capital of the province of Hainaut is at the very heart of the much-publicised brewing revolution. In under ten years, the number of breweries in Mons and its surrounding area has almost trebled, with eleven to date, not to mention the many projects underway.

The BBC competition travels from venue to venue and although it continues to be hosted by Belgium, its scope is inter- national. Breweries from all over the world enter their brews to benchmark them against their peers from across the globe, both nations with a brewing tradition (Germany, Belgium, England…) and countries with a younger but already flourishing beer industry (China, the Baltic States…).