Refreshing take - literally, I hope - on the old witbier theme, in which the coriander seed is replaced by sansho pepper (the Japanese form of sichuan pepper, often described as more citrusy) and the curaçao by Buddha's hand (a very unique type of citrus fruit of which the rind only can be used); moreover the classic Saaz and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops here are enriched with postmodern Merkur adding further citrusiness (though not very outspoken as such, at least not as outspoken as American C-hops, for example). Thinnish and eventually dissolving, snow white, sparsely lacing, tiny-bubbled ring of foam and flat 'islands' in the middle, misty pale lemon-yellow blonde robe with olive-greenish tinge and thin but very active strings of sparkling. Aroma of the sansho pepper upfront though not all-overpowering at all, perfumey lemon blossom rather than actual citrus peel (the Buddha's hand of course), soapy wheat, actual white soap even, green pear, star jasmine, soba noodles, something lightly earthy (in a dry and not unpleasant kind of way but unexpected), lemon zest, white bread crust, raw white cabbage, grass. Fruity onset, a bit sweetish with mostly hard Conference pear flavours, touches of unripe banana and apple perhaps, very carbonated even in a slightly stingy way - but the bubbles are very small so this helps the overall freshness rather than numbing the palate. Slick, supple wheaty core, with all that typical wheaty soapiness amplified by the perfumey qualities of the Buddha's hand, leading to a fragrant finish where the sansho pepper even accentuates the 'lemon-blossomy', flowery effect rather than bringing actual citrusiness, which remains unexpectedly low. Slight hop bitterish notes in the end, a tad floral and a tad citrus-peel-ish, but restrained, even if clinging to the root of the tongue a bit; meanwhile this perfumey effect goes on, and in this effect it remains difficult to distinguish how much of it comes from the Buddha's hand and how much from the sansho pepper - but someone who consumes these spices regularly, which is not the case for me, may be able to separate them more accurately. A dim but long-lasting, classic wheat sourishness gets the last word. Interesting take on the Hoegaarden theme, in its modern form consolidated in the sixties and seventies by Pierre Celis: replacing the classic coriander-curaçao combo by something else has been done before, but in Belgium at least and to my knowledge, not in such an 'Asian' way, which in itself opens perspectives for many other variants. The oriental spicing has produced a very perfumey, soapy, 'blossomy' effect here which may not be my personal cup of tea entirely, but it still connects with the base - in fact this beer is more recognisable as a Belgian wit than this spicing would suggest, which is in itself surprising. Not bad, but as a cool lover of witbier I think I would probably opt for any of Dok's many IPAs or APAs instead if seated on their outdoors patio in summer.

A variation on the grisette theme, a beer style from the early 20th century, when there were at least fifty around, mostly in the Hainaut province; this saison relative went extinct in World War II though its name (and name only) survived in Friart's portfolio (the Saint-Feuillien brewery); only with the advent of the U.S.-driven craft beer movement did some Belgian brewers begin to reach back to this forgotten style, reviving it and creating variations on it like this New Zealand-hopped, low-alcohol Dok interpretation. Can bought in some supermarket in Ghent, canned in late January so exactly four months old now. Thick, frothy, snow white, firm, bit irregularly edged, slightly paper-lacing, thinning but stable head on a lightly hazed, pale straw blonde robe with lemon-yellow glow. Aroma of pomelo zest, lime peel, 'mock' mojito, kaffir lime leaf, raw broad beans, lemon orchard (probably that typical "whole orchard" effect of the Rakau), chayote, pear skin, unripe white grapes, raw quince, water mint, fresh white bread dough. Dryishly green-fruity onset, crisp and refreshing, lively carbonated with agreeable minerality running through the whole; flavours reminiscent of chayote, cucumber, green pear and pomelo, slender green-cereally core, picking up a grassy and cucumber peel-like effect as it goes down - ending with a confident, somewhat powdery (from dryness, not from hop burn), 'pale green' hoppiness filling the final stage of this beer completely, with retronasal aromas of kaffir lime leaf, green guava and lemon blossom and with a tenacious grapefruity, even rooty bitterness cleansing whatever limited sweetishness there was (hardly any, for that matter). A feisty little beer, at 'tripel tafelbier' strength this packs a lot of flavour, which does not surprise me from Dok anymore, but it does so in a well-informed, knowledgeable way. That said, I remain totally unimpressed with that 'grisette' thing: if there are still elderly people alive today who drank actual grisette when it was still a 'living' style, theoretically possible since I believe the last historical grisette was discontinued somewhere in the seventies (correct me if I am wrong), then I dare Dok to offer them a sample of this and see if they react with any sign of recognition. This is more a low alcohol IPA of sorts if you ask me, but I hasten to admit that 'IPA' too is a term all too broadly used today so this probably creates a whole new discussion I am not willing to participate in - but whatever it is, it is a characterful quencher and one I would happily drink by the gallon in the upcoming Ghentian summer.

American style brown ale - I have not seen that in a very long time but it was a thing in earlier days of U.S. craft brewing - created in collaboration with Van Moll, Eindhoven's craft brewing favourite, by Dok in Ghent. Can from the Delhaize at De Sterre in Ghent. Towering high, pillowy, foamy, glass-filling, dense, shred-lacing, pale brownish beige head on a lightly misty deep and dark chestnut wood brown robe with burgundy-reddish glow. Aroma of hard caramel, brown bread dough, wholegrain crackers, old pecan nuts, mace, spring blossoms (the Krush hops no doubt), rambutan (dito), toast, coffee grounds, green beans, something vaguely blood orange-like (Citra?), jasmin, sweetclover, raw pumpkin flesh. Fruity onset in a clean, sleek way, dried fig, unripe persimmon and vague pear-ish notes, relatively low in sweetness; lively carb, minerally stings throughout, in a smoothly dry-caramelly and brown bread-toasty dark maltiness, wholegrain crackers again but also something sweeter pecan-nutty, the latter aroma enhanced by the hops in this case, providing a herbal bitterness coating a deeper toasted bitterness. Those hops, Citra sounding like a logical choice for this style and Krush much less so, provide a very blossomy aroma retronasally, reminiscent of violets, chamomile, tropical orchids and cherry blossoms in spring. Something spicy (mace, old dried ginger) lingers at the back, probably the result of the hops and the malts combining into one whole - because even though this beer is apparently intended as a mindfuck, the only illogical thing about it is the choice for Krush hops, which I tend to associate with the sweet tropical fruitiness one expects to find in a hazy IPA rather than any kind of brown ale. However, after that initial clash, everything does fall into place - the tropical effect of the Krush not being so strong after all - and forms a credible, clean and nutty-malty brown ale experience. I love a good brown ale, English or American style, and this certainly is one - no doubt many consumers here in Ghent who visit Dok will expect a Belgian style dubbel, being unfamiliar with the totally different Anglo-Saxon brown ale, and perhaps this is the true mindfuck Dok intended... I can only imagine the frustration of the staff behind the bar having to explain the difference between both for the thirtieth time. As for me: this may well be the most believable and most enjoyable attempt at true brown ale so far made in Belgium. Packs a lot of flavour for its modest - but, to style, completely normal - ABV as well. I love this one.

Solid IPA

Very strong stout flavoured with chili peppers and maple syrup and aged in cognac barrels, a collaboration of Dok with one of today's most prominent of the many (and in Western Europe often unknown) Brazilian craft brewers, hence the name. From tap at Kantien (operated by Dok). Some tiny, loose, lonely off-white bubbles around the edge here and there but no actual head, black robe with hazy nut brown edges. Aroma of indeed cognac, wet dark chocolate bars, maple syrup, sirop de Liège, black peppercorns, chili flakes, marzipan, toffee, brown rum, liquorice, raisinbread, tonka, hints of damp earth and rainwater in the background. Concentrated sweet onset, candyish but not in an artificial way: instead the 'deep', pungent sweetness of the maple syrup unfolds, with side effects of fig compote, candied cherries and golden raisins. Carbonation remains soft with an oily, thickly vinous mouthfeel (reduced port-like), almondy, profoundly toffeeish and dark-chocolatey malt and sugar layers fill the mouth while the pepperiness only increases - the result of not just the peppers, but also the cognac, and even accentuated by the spicy aspect of the maple syrup. The net result is one of a 'piquanterie' easily associated with Brazilian cuisine, hot, long and strongly spicy, like cold French coffee in which the cognac has perhaps been applied a tad too generously. Anything but subtle, the actual oakiness of the cognac barrels and the hops getting a bit lost in this 'storm' of peppers, maple syrup, malts and alcohol - intense and demanding, but as a slow sipper on an afternoon in late March, very enjoyable, also because of this exotic element. Muscle flexing for sure, but in a good way.

Dok has been coming up with IPA concepts for years now - sometimes I wonder when they will finally run out of ideas, but not this time, as this Mr. Wonderful presents a combination of hops which I am quite sure has never been done before on the planet. Why I am so sure? Well, the Flemish hop variety Groene Bel has only been rediscovered quite recently and it seems hard to imagine another brewer has already coincidentally stumbled upon the exact same combination with the eight (!) other varieties used here (especially with Nectaron being a fairly unknown and new variety from New Zealand)... Medium thick, snow white, slowly thinning but closed and stable, dot-lacing head over a clear, warm pale orangey-golden robe with a column of visible sparkling in the middle; especially that fact that it is clear till the end surprised me, as I was expecting some hazy IPA variant again. Aroma of sweet peach alternating with dried wormwood, toasted onion, pink grapefruit, guava, dried mango cubes, meadowsweet, green olive somewhere, Graham crackers, bread crust, grass, sandpaper, pond water. Clean, dryish onset, smooth green olive, light green guava and even lighter unripe peach notes, very low in sweetness, moderately carbonated with a rainwater-like minerally undertone running through the whole; smooth mouthfeel, quite slender for this ABV even, with a light oily texture. Dry cracker- and hard bread crust-like malts, slick, bittered by earthy Groene Bel, piney Columbus, classic 'oldskool U.S.' grapefruity Comet, peppery Chinook - and brief whiffs of sweet-peachy Nectaron and tropical Idaho7, providing sweet 'flashes' amidst a more profound, long-lasting, tonic-like, wormwoody bitterness. Feels like a 'mountain IPA' more tilted to the West than to the East - in fact we are, and I mean this just in very general taste and aroma terms, not that far away from old-fashioned West Coast IPA here (without it actually being one in the 'true' sense of the word). An IPA with a very surprising and interesting combination of hop varieties indeed - and one with the kind of drying bitterness, peppery character and utterly smooth drinkability I like a lot. A Dok IPA never disappoints.

Keg at kaapse Maria. Pours deep orange amber, nose is funk, lemon sherbert, toffee, oak, taste is sharp funk, grape, berry, oak. 8/8/8/7/7