NEIPA by a new craft brewery in Bütgenbach in that charming small region in eastern Belgium where the native language is German – strange that I did not find this one back in late December when I was in that region. Sampled at ZBF. Snow white, moussy, opening head on a hazy, warm ‘old golden’ blonde beer. Aroma of green mango, lemongrass, yuzu, carambola, dough, rainwater. Fruity onset in a clean way, halfripe mango and pineapple with a dash of sweet guava, moderately fizzy but okay for the intended style, soft and smooth mouthfeel. Doughy and white-bready malt core, soaked in a ‘green’ fruitiness of mango, carambola and lots of citrus (yuzu, lime). Very well done for such a young brewery – this is a style often misunderstood and made either too sweet or too bitter, but this one balances nicely in between. Perhaps a tad more tropical fruitiness, making it more dominant of the citrusy character, would even improve this one, but I am in any case very pleasantly surprised that a hitherto unknown Belgian microbrewery is capable of creating a very credible New England style IPA.

Sampled @ Zythos Beer Festival 2022. A hazy yellow golden beer with a white lacing. Aroma of juicy hops, yellow fruits, mango. Taste of sweet juicy hops, yellow fruits, mango, citrus.

Süffiger, cremig hopfiger Beginn. Moderat würzig, trocken, milde Süße. Mittellanger Abgang. Geht besser, ist aber nicht schlecht. 9/8/9/8//9