OK, the United States busted out in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, losing 4-1 to Belgium, but that doesn’t mean the clash of cultures and countries is over. The tourney’s finale is July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and even in Pensacola, countries are still in the mix, including Mexico and Japan. Of course, it’s a different kind of mix, more of a cultural mix.

And it’s always good to learn about other cultures. It makes us richer in spirit, it makes us smarter sometimes, it makes us more empathetic and often, it will introduce us to something we don’t know how we lived without before. That happened with me with the traditional music of China. I’ll get to that later.

But first Belgium will rub its victory in a bit locally when the third annual Belgian Beer Fest returns to Coastal County Brewing, 3041 E. Olive Road, July 10 through July 12. You’ll be able to indulge with golden ales, zesty saisons and classic witbiers, which I thought would translate to “wheat beers,” because they are wheat beers, but no, its translation is “white beers.” And to be honest, I had to look up “saisons,” which are pale ales that are highly carbonated and dry, with fruit and sometimes spicy flavors. It’s a favorite in Belgium where it is traditionally brewed because apparently, they’re good at lots of things, not just soccer, which is a word for the beloved “beautiful game” that Belgians would never use.

Many people do consider Belgium to be the top beer country on earth, though I might be partial to Belgium’s neighbor Germany since I lived in Nuremberg in the early 1980s and basically came of age on the local brews Tucher and Patrizier. We didn’t drink much Belgian beer because it was always a thing to support the local beers, since every town of size had large-scale breweries. That’s when and where I learned that beer can still be great even at room temperature. (As long as it was great to begin with.)

Belgium isn’t the only country making a cultural appearance in Pensacola. Earlier in the week, Ireland, another great beer country, was represented with Celtic Throne II − Psalter of Ireland, at the Saenger Theatre. It featured dance, music, theater, mythology, steamy bogs, that kind of thing. And coming up, we have two more great beer countries showcasing cultural offerings, Japan and Mexico.

On July 11, the University of West Florida Office of International Affairs will host a Tanabata Star Festival from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the campus’ Building 71, which holds the UWF International Center and Japan House.

The Tanabata Star Festival is a Japanese festival celebrating the meeting of deities, which are represented by the stars Altair and Vega. It originated from an earlier festival in China and was introduced to Japan in the late 8th century. The UWF event will showcase a traditional tea ceremony demonstration in the beautiful Japan House, which opened at UWF in 2004. Other events include Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) demonstrations and workshops, origami workshops, a Japanese bookmark workshop, tours of the authentic Japanese Garden, Japanese games and more. The event is sponsored by the Japan Foundation and supported by the Japan-American Society of Northwest Florida. Details: events.uwf.edu/event/tanabata-star-festival-2026.

UWF is home to one of only two authentic Japanese tea rooms in Florida, with the other being in Delray. In 2009 the UWF Japan House tea room was given the honorary name, “Fukutokuan,” meaning “sanctum of goodness and virtue,” by Urasenke Grand Master Zabosai Sen Soshitsu XVI. Urasenke is one of three schools or lines of the Japanese tea ceremony.

I’m ashamed that I know little about traditional Japanese culture and traditions, far less than I know about that of China, an Asian country whose traditional folk music has probably been my musical go-to over the last five years or so, ever since I became obsessed with the music by Lei Quang, who is, according to Spotify, my most-played artist of 2025 (it will probably be the same in 2026, though I imagine the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra could get that spot if only because I can listen to the troupe’s beautiful rendition of the classic “Purple Bamboo Melody,” which dates back 2,000 years, over and over. It’s one of my favorite songs ever, right up there with the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High,” Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing,” the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” most versions of “Long Black Veil” and about a half-dozen Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers/International Submarine Band songs).

The music of Mexico, I know little about as well. I know of Mexican American musicians who play in the rock and/or folk categories, such as the usual suspects like Los Lobos and Ritchie Valens. Maybe I could learn something when two-time Grammy nominee Mariachi Herencia de Mexico, a Chicago-based band that features more than a dozen musicians performing traditional mariachi music, performs. Mariachi is an artistic form that evolved from a regional rural folk music born in western Mexico to a musical genre known throughout the world. The band blends the traditional music with salsa, Latin soul and jazz accents. Mariachi Herencia de Mexico will perform at 7:30 p.m. on July 12 at the Pensacola Saenger Theatre. Tickets start at $34. More info: 850-595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.

Don’t worry. Pensacola still hosts all sorts of events that showcase good old-fashioned United States of America culture. In fact, The Handlebar will feature the film “Skweezy Jibbs Makes a Movie” with “oddball Internet legend” and comedian Skweezy Jibbs himself making an appearance at the screening at 6 p.m. on July 8. Tickets are $31.96 or $66.91 for VIP/meet-and-greet tickets. Take that other countries! Details: thehandlebar850.com.

Troy Moon is a longtime reporter and feature writer for the Pensacola News Journal.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Belgium beat us at World Cup. We can repay by drinking all its beer