Citra-hopped 'kveik ale' from a young microbrewery in Eupen, located in the German-speaking part of Belgium; apparently already changed labels in its relatively short existence, as my sample has a differently coloured label which puts the name of the brewery more to the foreground, with the beer itself specified in much more inconspicuous letters as "Citra / Kveik Ale"... Thick and foamy, egg-white, densely moussy to almost creamy and pillowy, plaster-lacing, regular head over a misty peach blonde robe with pale orange to ochre-ish hue. Aroma of halfripe melon, orange zest, grapefruit blossoms, tulips, fresh brioche bread, bergamot, cooked carrot, soggy crackers, hints of biscuit, unripe mango, apricot, paprika powder, wood meadowgrass, gypsum, cinnamon but very faint and volatile. Fruity onset, crisp with lively carbonation, minerally and a tad stingy at first, distracting from the flavours; impressions of persimmon, unripe mango and slight apricot but subdued in sweetness, merging with a smooth, soft-edged, soggy-bready maltiness with sharper biscuity and toasty edges, the bitterness of the latter blending well with the hop bitterness, which proves quite pronounced here, acting grassy and leafy, while light phenolic touches of clove and thyme pierce through here and there. Retronasally I get orange blossom, tamarillo and toasted onion hints, along with something 'damply' earthy. Ends in a long, spicy and earthy hop bitterness, as in bitter leaves and white pepper - with this 'Belgian' spicy yeastiness continuing, even if I know that kveik yeast was used. Feels a tad too 'dirty' for what it intends to be, with the basic flavours of an oldskool Walloon 'ambrée' not far away - your typical 'Belgian compromise' between traditional Belgian flavours and postmodern New World accents. In that sense, this beer, though perhaps intended differently, comes across as a typical Belgian IPA, but with less malt sweetness and an admittedly somewhat cleaner character. Not bad at all, everything considered - I could easily down a few of these in a pub in Eupen.

Dunkler, würzig hefiger Beginn. Trocken hopfig, erhöhte Karbonisierung, mittelstarke Herbe. Wirkt unfertig. 9/8/10/9/8/9

33cl bottle. A slightly hazy dark golden beer with a big beige head. aroma of dry bitter hops, grass, yeast. Taste of yeast, herbal malt, wheat, citra. High carbonation.