Next time you raise a glass of Belgian beer, rest assured and enjoy：It’s a cultural experience. UNESCO is adding Belgian beer to the list of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."

下次當你舉起比利時啤酒，請放心暢飲，這會是一次文化體驗，因為聯合國教科文組織已經將比利時啤酒列入「人類無形文化遺產」的名單。

Belgium is known throughout the world for its beer with wide array of tastes, from extreme sour to bitter, produced in just about every city and village across the west European nation of 11 million people.

比利時以口味多元的啤酒馳名全球，從極酸到極苦應有盡有。這個位於西歐、人口1100萬的國家，每座城市和鄉村都出產啤酒。

At a time when many pubs are closing as overall beer consumption declines, such international recognition is more than welcome.

在整體啤酒銷售量下滑，許多酒吧關門大吉的時代，這種國際性的認可非常受到歡迎。

Sven Gatz, who went from being head of the Belgian Brewers Federation to becoming Culture Minister for the northern region of Flanders, compared the recognition to winning the World Cup.

曾任比利時釀酒廠協會會長、後來成為比國北部法蘭德斯自治區文化部長的司文．蓋茲，將這項認可比擬為贏得世界盃冠軍。

"We love our beer and appreciate the endless diversity within it, something that can’t be equaled anywhere else in the world," Mr Gatz said. "In Belgium, beer doesn’t have to give way to wine or other drinks in terms of quality and diversity."

蓋茲表示：「我們熱愛我們的啤酒，欣賞其中無窮無盡的口味變化，這是世界上其他地方比不上的。在比利時，說到品質和多樣性，啤酒一點都不輸給葡萄酒或其他飲品。」

Source article: http://iservice.ltn.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=1078593&day=2017-02-16