Antiquity-themed Belgian blonde flavoured with jasmin tea, from one of the - to my opinion - best of the 'nouvelle vague' microbrewers in and around Brussels, 33 cl bottle from Brussels Beer Box. Tightly paper-lacing, irregularly edged, eggshell-white, moussy head, thinning in the middle but remaining stable for a long time, over a lightly hazy, warm 'old gold' coloured beer with light orangey tinge. Delicate and rather 'dank' aroma of freshly squeezed orange juice, cold green tea, dry hay, ripe green melon, fresh banana (but no chewing gum effect - rather something plantain-like), moist marijuana, bread crust, green olives, withering jasmin flowers but could be simple cut flowers as well, pistachio nuts, kiwi, grapefruit peel, margarine, fried pear, armpit sweat, candied ginger, pond water teeming with green algae, soggy old peanuts, wet wormwood leaves, dough. Fruity, estery onset, plantain, green melon, unripe mango, sweetish and sourish, with - for a Belgian ale - somewhat softish, slightly minerally carb and supple, rather oily mouthfeel; pleasantly bread crust- and 'green' pistachio nut-like malt body, rounded and lean but relatively 'full' for its ABV, with ongoing sweetish unripe mango and plantain impressions as well as something soapy. Spicy notes accompany the whole flavour 'parcours', culminating in a peppery, citrus peel-coloured hoppiness with 'friendly' but at the same time resolutely bittering effect, its floral properties being accentuated a bit by whatever is left of the jasmin - but to be honest, I would not have been able to pick this out if I hadn't known about its actual presence. The green tea factor too remains altogether limited, but reminiscing about tea IPAs I had before, does add a certain aromatic spiciness and sweetishness to the hop character. Ends spicy, fragrant and delicate, with juicy maltiness passing freely through the hop features, luring you into having another sip. Peppery, somewhat powdery and pistachio nut-like aspects linger, as well as a minerally side note, with a grapefruity hop bitterness getting the last word alongside an earthy, bready yeasty factor. Colourful, characterful ale, the jasmin and the green tea providing subtle highlights here and there but it is the New World hopping that does most of the work, in a way both elegant and robust (if you are used to Anglo-Saxon IPAs). Like all of Ermitage's brews, this is up to date, expressive and anything but classically Belgian - making its classification as a Belgian ale here something of an understatement. Much closer to modern, tea-infused IPA like many foreign craft brewers have been doing, this is definitely not a beer I'd associate with traditional Belgian blonde - and maybe it is just that aspect that has provided for its status as a top-50 Belgian ale on this very site. Something in between hip and modern flavored IPA on the one hand and classic Belgian blonde on the other hand I guess, but much more tilted towards the first than the latter. Regardless of style, another testimony of Ermitage's bold and 21st-century, internationally oriented approach, and in its delicacy, juiciness, generous hoppiness and boldness a very inviting beer indeed, combining firm hop bitterness with high drinkability. Well done!

On tap at Moeder Lambic Original St Gilles, Brussels Friday 9th March 2018 in the company of Dad, Barry and Scott Hazy gold with a sticky white head, a nice tropical hit but with a big sweet malty underbelly. This is very nice beer, steady bitterness. A7 A4 T7 P4 Ov14 3.6

Bottle at home from Malt Attacks, 23rd December 17. Pours straw colour, no head. Aroma is jasmin, yeast and citrus. Taste is tangerine, satsuma, light floral, jasmin for sure, some bitterness. A pleasure to drink, good one.

1st October 2017
Keg at the Bottle Shop. Hazy gold beer, small pale cream colour head. Palate is light, dry and minerally crisp. Thin malts bring a light sweetness. Light floralness, some jasmine. Nice light fresh orange and mild tangerine. Light finish. Nicely joined up and drinkable. Easily the best of this breweries beers tried today.