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

Italian style grape ale, if brewed with Lachancea and therefore technically a 'Philly sour', by these enthusiastic new brewers in Hasselt, who have recently opened their own brewery with taproom in the train station area of the city. Snow white, dense, moussy, largely stable head, hazy warm golden robe with ochre-ish tinge. Aroma of grape seeds rather than actual grape flesh or juice, dry biscuit, oxidized pear slices, sugared rhubarb stew, coriander powder, toasted onion, melon, dry Chardonnay, 'speculoos' spices, bread crumbs. Fruity onset which does display more of the grapes, in a sweet and sour way, but not overly dominant; hints of peach and pineapple as well. Fizzy carb, smooth and slightly vinous mouthfeel; white grape juiciness continues over a bready malt core, paired with soft lactic 'yoghurtiness' from the Lachancea; grape seed tannins appear too, as well as a kind of aromatic spiciness vaguely reminiscent of, again, 'speculoos'. Somehow the dryish, softly tart and very fruity, bit vinous finish manages to tie all these elements together. Unusual: Philly sour meets Italian grape ale, in a surprising and distinct way. Balanced in spite of its widely separated flavours and in the end, a somewhat odd but very tasty beer. HopHemel once again proves that it is ready to tackle every classic beer style in existence - but I still find it regretful that they brew everything only once...