6.8

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

Flesje gedronken bij tasting Mitra Oirschot. Goudgeel tot oranje kleurig bier. Aroma en smaak is erg hoppig. Nasmaak is iets hoppig.

6

Licht hoppig, redelijk moutig. Niks mis mee, maar beetje saai

7

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

Bottle at Café Brun, Utrecht, Netherlands, Friday 22nd September 2017. Warm gold in colour with a white head, hazy appearance. The nose is very reminiscent of an American IPA, crystal malt surely? An interesting combination of caramel and sweet orange, really nice. A6 A4 T7 P4 Ov14 3.5

6.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottled (KS & MT late January tasting). Golden colour, small off-white head. Aroma is fruity, mild catpissy notes as well as some herbs and mild spicy notes. Flavour is citrus, some fruits, mild herbs, spices, sweet malts as well as some earthy notes. Some mild yeasty notes too.

6.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle from the Mitra in Lelystad (I think) - apparently a renewed version, but I cannot compare since I never had the original one; contains a slightly higher ABV and different hop varieties, no European noble hops anymore (previous one contained Northern Brewer next to new varieties); only Citra and Centennial have remained. Very slow gushing but nothing dramatic. Initially very thick and very frothy, egg-white head, thinning to medium but very compact and remaining closed for most of the time; warm peachy orange blonde robe, clear with a haze of pale yeast bits throughout and some fizz disturbing this haze. Turns into an equally cloudy, deep amberish orange after adding the sediment. Perfumey, sweet and pleasant but - for an IPA - somewhat unusual bouquet of lemon candy, fragrant sweet roses, pomelo or some other exotic citrus fruit, lime peel, overripe melon, biscuit, cloves, strawberry, dried wormwood, cake, honey, clove-like phenols, lemon-scented hand soap, almond, young spruce needles, Thai basil, old paper, sweet potato, Turkish delight, dough. Vividly fruity onset, sweet banana, peach and pineapple with a sourish, redcurrant- and unripe kiwi-like undertone, but very sharply overcarbonated, numbing the tongue almost completely at first, only to calm down very slowly as more carbon dioxide escapes; mouthfeel is quite coarse as a result, but (very) soapy at the same time. Light to medium bodied, based on a well-positioned middle phase of toasty malts with a softer bready, even very slightly doughy edge, bitterish and a tad nutty. This toasted bitterness supports a long, spicy, resinous, hop bitter finish, dry and aromatic with retronasal hints of - again - sweet roses, some lime and some exotic fruits here and there, with only the lightest piney accent, but in a bright ’moss green’, young spruce shoot-like way. Phenolic aspects return retronasally, in a spicy, ’Belgian’ kind of way. Juicy background deep in the throat, some very light alcohol warmth is noticeable but does not disturb me; the spicy, somewhat exotic hop bitterness remains in the throat, pleasantly and elegantly so, but so does a late, unexpected honeyish sweetness. Somewhat weird, but interesting IPA; very clearly much more aligned with the typical ’Belgian IPA’ than with true Anglo-Saxon IPA, but that does not necessarily have to be a bad thing and in this particular case, I think the spicy phenols actually work well together with the delicate hop aromas - though I am willing to admit that this is probably just a happy accident and comes down to personal taste anyway. In any case, the whole is elegant and pleasant enough for me, in a very ’feminine’ kind of way. Different from what I expected, for sure, but also notably better than I expected after the tripel in this series.

6.3

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

33cl Bottle from DEKA. Opaque orange colour, off-white head. Aroma is very Belgian, fruity, spicy yeast, some raspberry candy, sweet orange. Flavour is yeasty, malty, fruity, light spicy, oranges, minerals, tiny bit of red fruits, decent bitterness but more grassy and piney, light alcoholic. Light to medium bodied, a bit fizzy. Previous version came across as very English, this one as very Belgian. More a hoppy Belgian Blond Ale than an IPA.

7.3

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

Cloudy dark amber colour, one finger frothy, off-white head, good retention and heavy lacing. Hoppy and fruity aroma, lemon, citrus, grapefruit, grass. Taste mild fruity sweetness, slightly bitter, orange peel. Medium body, oily texture, lively carbonation, finish fresh dry bitterness, bit earthy, bit watery.