8 September 2019. At Brouwbar, Ghent. Shared with Anke! Pours hazy red with a lasting, slowly diminishing, foamy, pinkish head. Aroma of blackcurrant, brambleberry, fruity yoghurt, ripe red apple, banana slice, wheat. Taste is light to medium fruity sour, berries galore, black- & redcurrant with a touch of lemon, sweetish strawberry & very low esters underneath but more jam-like than anything else; subtle wheatiness & some bitter spices in the back. Softly tart, wheaty & fruity finish, lingering berries with a retronasal whiff of bread. Medium body, slick-creamy texture, fizzy carbonation. Extremely refreshing, feels ‘fresh’ and authentic too.

The latest Brouwbar creation, made for some local event, a saison (with downgraded hop profile compared with the different saisons Brouwbar has created so far as such) with blackcurrants. Dense, mousy, thick, lacing, lilac-coloured head, hazy deep purple robe with wine red tinge. Aroma of clear fresh blackcurrant berries (cassis-like but still more reminiscent of the actual, fresh fruit), blueberry crumble, cream, white sandwiches, stewed plum, linseed, raw red cabbage, lime, soap. Softly sour onset, the acidity merely coming from the fruit and nothing else, so very gently yet refreshing, juicy without pumping things up to the extreme; softly tingling carbonation, slick and bit creamy, very supple body, light berry seed tannins at the back adding vague bitterishness but no real astringency. Crisp, juicy, bit lime-like berry sourness lingers, absorbed in a malt sweetish, bready, soft environment but never losing its colour. Sweetish ending with refreshing berry sour note. Perfectly designed, clean, balanced and streamlined ‘artisanal’ fruit beer with actual fruit, many top-fermented fruit beer attempts in Belgium can learn from this; it has Brouwbar’s typical restrained, balanced, clean profile, but remains very focused and to the point. Very pleasant surprise, as I was just dropping by and did not expect to find another new brew…