IPA made for the brewers’ bar of this year’s Ghent Beer Fest, brewed in the kettles of Malcroys apparently (near Antwerp) but with the aid of Totem (near Ghent) – so effectively a collab of two of Belgium’s most progressive, innovative and cutting edge microbrewers and two brewers I have been admiring for years now. Egg-white, large-bubbled, irregularly edged, lacing, slowly opening head on a cloudy apricot blonde robe with yolk-yellow glow – the NEIPA look. Aroma of green kiwi, rambutan, margarine, whipped cream, orange juice, guava, melting butter, dank armpit sweat note, green mango, cheese spread – the diary effects that kept returning, probably ascribable to diacetyl because of the sheer youth of this beer when I tasted it (but I could not be bothered – as long as it is not overly dominant, I can tolerate a bit of diacetyl, makes me think of those lovely English cask ales). Very fruity onset, juicy starfruit and kiwi with a subtle mango touch, hint of ripe apricot too, quite sharpish in carbonation for a hazy IPA; creamy, slick, quite ‘full’ body, doughy and cereally malts under aromatic starfruit, lime zest, lychee and guava impressions from the hops, which also deposit a brief peppery bitterness in the end. The whole remains soft and fruity, with some lingering dankness. Brimming with radiant hoppiness in the New World-inspired sense, juicy and citrusy with lovely tropical notes, but never becoming too sultry or sweet so maintaining high drinkability; I have to admit that I had better IPAs from both Totem and Malcroys individually, but it is a good thing that these like-minded brewers get along well and a collab like this is not to be missed, the diacetyl note will even have gone completely by now (if this beer is still available today in the first place).