14/IX/25 - 33cl bottle, shared @ Het Jagershof (Aalter), BB: 19/XII/21, lot 19062 (2025-922)

Clear amber beer, creamy irregular off-white head, unstable, falls down quickly, adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: pretty oxidized, malty, grains, a bit of caramel, metallic touch, some ripe banana. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: very malty, a bit sweet, caramel, a little watery, some alcohol, oxidized, dried fruits, a little bitter, more dried fruits, raisins, nice enough. Aftertaste: oxidized, a bit earthy, yeasty, sweet touch, caramel, banana peel.

Blonde ale flavoured with juniper berry, developed for a Turkish dayshop in the Lammerstraat (running upwards from the Zuid quarter in Ghent), where half of the total shop window is currently dominated by a whole wall of bottles of just this beer. Bottle bought at said shop; the label does not mention the brewery, but the mention that it is brewed at exactly 9 km from the centre of Ghent says it all. Snow white, moussey, thick, frothy head on a misty golden robe with vague khaki tinge. Aroma of unripe apricot, field flowers, dry bread crust, some iron (confirmed by the 'hand test'), dried apple peel, celandine rather than actual juniper berry but this probably is just the juniper berry speaking, spoiled pumpkin, stale urine and sweat when warming up. Sweetish onset, a bit fruity (unripe apricot, apple peel) but generally clean at first, softishly carbonated with slick, smooth body; white-bready malts and soft floral hops, balanced, with not too much malt or other sweetness in the finish. The juniper berries add a vague and difficult-to-pinpoint herbaceousness, but remain subtle enough not to disturb me as I hate them in beer (or any other beverage for that matter). Unfortunately though, and possibly related to the juniper berry addition, the finish is marred by stale sweat- and urine-like off-flavours which only gain momentum as the beer warms up. Too bad, I really wanted to like this - but who knows, maybe the three Turkish gentlemen behind this beer soon realise that it needs more character as well as some tidying up - and that selecting another brewery to execute it may well be the answer to those issues.

Bottle at home shared with Joes. Clear pale golden color, full sized white head. Aroma and flavor are lightly malts, hayish, straw, hayish hoppy, lightly floral / blossomy, average bitterness. Not bad.

Pours clear blonde ( some sediment on the bottom) . Frothy, relatively fast fading white head. Scent is malty, quite simple and sweet impressions. More phenolic than it is estery. Taste is medium bitter, malts (syrup-like, but less sweet than anticipated). Quite mellow intensity. To the sweet side, touch of bitterness, but mostly just very modest. No real yeast characters are loud enough to perceive, appart from perhaps a touch of phenolic spicyness. Less '13 in a dozen' than expected, but still not very great. Too weak and not very specific . Decent enough to finish , not to buy again

11/V/25 - 33cl bottle, shared @ Het Jagershof (Ursel), BB: 14/XII/23, 2206/P105 (2025-468)

Clear orang to gold blond beer, solid creamy white head, pretty stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: yeasty, banana peel, a bit malty, herbal, a bit of a sweet impression, fruity touch, pears. MF: ok carbon, medium to light body. Taste: yeasty, esters, pretty sweet, gentle bitterness, herbal touch, overall pretty watery. Aftertaste: fruity, a bit chemical, dusty, quite some coriander, rather unpleasant finish, banana peel.

2/V/25 - 33cl bottle as a gift, shared @ Fem’s mom’s place, BB: 13/XII/24, 2211/P137Q (2025-428) Thanks to Zyncke for the bottle!

Rather cloudy orange blond beer, big creamy off-white head, a little stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: very oxidized, yeasty, lots of orange peel, some honey. MF: lively carbon, medium to light body. Taste: lots of almonds, sugary, some Amaretto, soft acidity, fruity, orange peel, a little bitter. Aftertaste: sweet, lots of almonds, malty, some banana, a little floral, soft acidity, oxidized, alas, a bit too old to be good still. Not sure if those 5 months really made all the difference though.

Bottle at Bernie's Brugge. Gold orange colour lasting off white head. Some esters. Some softness in the mouth. Decent enough blond beer. Bit fizzy. OK standard blond.