Tasted in 2010 and again now in 2016. Beer celebrating Flanders’s cycling culture. Violent gusher (2016 version at least) - and then I see the ominous name of Gaverhopke, why am I not surprised... Evidently thick, papery, cream white, sticky head, cloudy peach blonde colour. Strong yeasty sourishness in the nose along with banana ester, gingerbread, lemon zest, sugared rhubarb, damp straw, dough, hints of yoghurt, cardboard, hay, dried mushrooms and green apple. Strongly carbonated onset, minerally, banana-like estery sweetness, gooseberry, yellow plum, bready malt base, sourish hint making the finish dryish, accompanied by a mild earthy and grassy hop bitterishness and some retronasal clove-like phenols, however stronger in the original version than in the current Gaverhopke version; ends very earthy, almost potato starch-like, including a ’powdery’ mouthfeel. I can take a slight amount of gushing but just like most other Gaverhopke beers, this is just ridiculous. I do not understand how this passed Delhaize’s quality standards - this tasting is based on a bottle from a Delhaize pack - and I sincerely hope Gaverhopke’s severe gushing problems will be solved now that they have installed a new brewery!

The 2009 version, with thin, cream white, quickly dissolving head and pinkish peach blonde colour, misty. Aroma of orange, rosewater, vanilla, pear, banana, gingerbread, yoghurt and mint. Taste begins citrussy with strong carbonation, very fruity (peach, apple), caramel malt base, soft and mellow mouthfeel, medium finish with (too) mild grassy hoppiness. Not too well-balanced.

330 ml. bottle courtesy of and shared with Kermis. Gusher! Cloudy blond pour. An ok blond. Pity about the gushing

Small yellow-cream head, fast gone over reddish murky-brown beer. Fruity, bit alcoholic nose, but fleetingly. Soon replaced by chocolate, wood and a touch of black cardamom peel. Again chocolate and wood-y; more peel and lightly roasted malts. Rather neutral, faint malty sweetness, some dry, near-bitterish overtones. Feels quite carbonated. Medium bodied and slick. Light in body and surprisingly mild for its claimed 9.7% ABV. Not bad, really. I had been fearing worse, but there is still something worthwhile in Stasegem.

Collaboration brew described as ’Belgian ale / double IPA’, so apparently a deliberate attempt to joint the best of both worlds. Irregular, dirty yellowish, stable head and cloudy orange blonde colour with a haze of floating yeast particles. Powerful aroma of freshly cut orange, tonic water, candied pineapple, candi sugar, ginger, straw, tomato; taste begins with a fresh ’citrusness’ paired with a somewhat strange sweet touch (honey?), crispy and nicely rounded, smooth mouthfeel, strong carbonation even tiring the tongue a bit, leading to a herbal hop bitterness of an aromatic and floral nature, so not too agressive, while the orange-sweetness from the onset also lingers on way deep into the finish. Unfortunately the finish is also dominated by an astringent alcohol burn, practically ruining what would otherwise be a great beer.

Bottle shared. Pours hazy golden brown with an off white head. Aroma of citrus, grassy hops, yeast, sweet malt and light biscuit. Flavour is over moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter. Medium bodied with light to moderate carbonation.

33cl bottle courtesy of and shared with Kermis. Thin creamy white head. Cloudy blond pour. A little sweet. Not bad.

Bottle @ De Fiere Margriet. Brown colour, beige foam. Medium carbonation. Aroma of light roasted malts with caramel and brown sugar. Light bitter finish. A bit alcoholic. Decent.