This year's edition of Hopus Primeur, from the familiar swingtop bottle with green label, from the Prik & Tik in Zele. Very thick but large-bubbled, foamy, snow white, cobweb-lacing head over a clear warm 'old gold' beer with fierce sparkling, misty with sediment. Aroma of fresh dandelion leaves, green apple, banana peel, dried camomile flowers, white bread crumbs, margarine, raw courgette. Medium fruity onset, halfripe banana and green apple, some pineapple, sweetish with fizzy carbonation, full 'white bready' malt body approaching overt sweetness due to residual sugars - but just before that happens, a confident, grassy, bit rooty and zesty hoppiness sets in, bringing wormwoody bitterness with a quinine-like accent in the tail, yet remaining closely interwoven with the maltiness and some light lingering green fruit esters. Very classically Belgian ale style beer like all Lefebvres, but remarkably good balance of malts and hops, not too much disturbed by yeasty esters; more colourfully hopped than most of the previous editions, this could well be the best Lefebvre beer to date.

33cl bottle from the Black Smith, Zaandam. Thick creamy white head. Very hazy blond pour. Nice bitterness.

Blond colour with lasting thin head. Aroma and flavour have some grassy hops. Not as fresh and crisp as previous editions.

Déception réelle sur ce Primeur 2018 qui n'est ni équilibré, ni intéressant aromatiquement. La brasserie Lefebvre s'est vraiment loupée sur ce coup. Rien à dire en verre cependant avec un joli blond doré (pâle) parfaitement lipide, avec une effervescence soutenue et une mousse blanche et crémeuse d'un cm. Le nez est agréable, frais sur le citron, les agrumes, le blé, herbacé et très légèrement épicé. Avec cette complexité et cette homogénéité en verre, cela aurait été parfait. Mais la dégustation n'embraye pas le pas...L'attaque est déséquilibrée immédiatement avec un alcool à 8,3 % qui ressort de trop, une petite acidité mal à propos des arômes moins intéressant axé sur le miel et la pêche. Où est la ligne directrice? La deuxième monte légèrement sur l'amertume qui devient herbacée sans que la structure ne s'améliore. L'arrière bouche est tout de même sur une amertume herbacée un peu plus stabilisée à l'instar de la troisième bouche. Le final d'une longueur insuffisante retombe quant à lui sur un alcool qui prédomine. Pas certain que c'était le résultat attendu par Lefebvre…(je l’espère tout du moins)

330ml bottle. Slightly milky, orangey golden colour with average to huge, sudsy, homogeneous, moderately lasting and lacing, white head. Slightly weak, sweet-ish, muesli aroma, hints of dried fruit, oat flakes, green and yellow apple. Taste is sweet-ish malty and yeasty fruity, muesli character again, hints of oat flakes and other cereals, dried fruit, fresh green and yellow apple; alcohol has a minimally warming effect in the finish but is well balanced by a fruit acidic touch. Smooth and soft palate, gentle but effective carbonation.

Flip-top 33cl bottle; BBD 21st June 19. Poured into my huge Judas glass at home on 20th June 18. Slight haze to the golden body, snow white blanket of foam on top. Dank hop aroma and taste, light yeasty nose and flavour also. As the beer warms a little in the glass some fruity esters and flavours begin to arrive from the hops, the beer becomes more interesting and flavoursome.

Imported from my RateBeer account as Lefebvre Hopus Primeur 2018 (by Brasserie Lefebvre):
Aroma: 7/10, Appearance: 5/5, Taste: 8/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 15/20, MyTotalScore: 3.9/5

13/VI/18 - 33cl swing-top bottle from De Hopduvel (Gent), shared @ home - BB: 21/VI/19 (2018-767)

Clear pale blond beer, big solid creamy white head, pretty stable, adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: very malty, metallic, some citrus and floral notes, bit soapy, grassy hops. MF: pretty lively carbon, medium body. Taste: bitter start, bit spicy, hint of coriander, fruity touch, some grapefruit and citrus. Aftertaste: bit soapy, floral notes, very bitter finish, bit spicy, grassy, quite some banana in the finish, yeasty character.

33cl Bottle shared at The Black Smith. Hazy deep golden colour, white head. Aroma is floral, dry, resin, peach, pineapple, herbal. Flavour is herbal, dry, light fruity, resin, soft peach, hint of tropical fruit, dry bitter finish. Medium bodied.

7 3 7 3 15Bottle at The Black Smith, Zaandam. Clear golden with a white head. Aroma of grassy hops, green weeds and caramel malt. Flavour is moderate sweet and bitter. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

F: big, snow-white, slowly collapsing. C: blonde, bit hazy. A: citrus, passion fruits, grapefruits, gooseberries, fruity, bit alcohol, orange peels, yeasty. T: malty backbone, citrus, bit passion fruits, bit tropical fruits, bit bready, yeasty, bit dusty, medium to full body, medium carbonation, nice hoppy character, not bad at all, enjoyed, 33cl bottle from Colruyt, Avenue de Roodebeek, Schaerbeek, Brussels.