7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

I was deeply shocked when I heard last year that Nelson Lamyns, whom I have known personally quite well, had taken his own life – may he rest in peace. He was an enthusiastic beer lover, home blender, brewer at Halve Maan and bartender at that other Bruges beer institute, Brugs Beertje; it seems only fitting that this bar serves its own house beer dedicated to the friendly, passionate and promising guy Nelson was, so Verzet created this pale ale in his honour and named it ‘Hijsen’ (Dutch for pounding beer), the word he himself loved to use when downing one or another craft beer. Egg-white, membrane-lacing, dense and stable head on a clear orange blonde beer with ochre-ish tinge. Aroma of wormwood leaf, bitter orange pith, grapefruit zest, bread crust, bitter honey, unripe apricot, dried thyme, bergamot, old rusk, fresh lemonbalm. Clean, rounded onset, dried apricot and some apple peel, remaining very restrained in both sweetness and fruitiness; medium carbonation, adding nice minerally notes to the whole. Slick hard-caramelly, lightly cracker-like, bit peanutty malts under growing herbal and leafy, strongly drying hop bitterness, adding retronasal aromas of grapefruit peel, thyme and wormwood. Colourful for an APA, uncompromisingly dry and clean – and indeed easy to ‘hijsen’… Big cheers to Nelson, I will treasure the memory of the beer tastings and beer talks we shared. The good always seem to die young.

6.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

On tap in 't Brugs Beertje; 5th September 2022. Clean amber/orange body, off-white top. Fruity, with a wine like twist from the Nelson Sauvin hops in both the nose and taste. Some citrus action going on, grapefruit mostly, complex and interesting, a fitting tribute to a young man who has served me in the very bar I drank this.

7.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

20/VIII/22 - on tap @ Gents Bierfestival, BB: n/a (2022-1043)

Clear orange beer, big creamy off-white head, stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: nice, pretty fruity, good stuff, clean malt bill, interesting, some tropical fruits, juicy, very good! MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: very malty, a bit sweet, fruity, peas, oranges, a bit oxidized, some good stuff going on here. Aftertaste: more malts, good hops, resinous bitterness, spicy and herbal finish.

9

Very tasty Pale ale... Nicely balanced... Like the low carbonation ... It's in favor of the subtle flavors of the vanilla and the Nelson Sauvin hops. Great idea Dries! Cheers Nelson! Hijsen!