2/XII/22 - 75cl bottle @ Stroom brewery, BB: n/a (2022-1713)

Clear deep red brown beer, small creamy beige head, pretty stable, a bit adhesive. Aroma: alcohol, some dried fruits, a bit sourish, some banana, dry impression, wood notes, a bit yeasty, dried fruits, some caramel. MF: lively carbon, medium body. Taste: pretty bitter start, some alcohol, soft roast, hint of ripe banana. Aftertaste: bitter, yeasty touch, spicy, a bit sourish, dry, wood notes, some tannins, bit malty, some caramel.

2/XII/22 - 75cl bottle @ Stroom brewery, BB: n/a (2022-1712)

Clear deep red brown beer, small creamy beige head, pretty stable, a bit adhesive. Aroma: lots and lots of banana, alcohol, lots of whisky, the whisky is very present, some vanilla notes, phenols, a little chemical even medicinal touch. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: bitter start, lots of alcohol, banana peel, caramel, dried fruits, wood, tannins, alcohol. Aftertaste: very bitter, dry, woody, tannins, spicy, some dried fruits, dusty, banana peel, a bit chemical.

Blonde hopped with locally grown hops – and by locally, I mean in the Sint-Macharius quarter of Ghent, which borders on the Heirnis quarter where the brewery is located. People from Sint-Macharius grew and harvested wild hops to use in this extremely local beer, only available at the brewery and in the pub located in the old gate building of the Coyendanspark in Sint-Macharius. Only 700 l is produced so far but intentions are to recreate it every year. Had this one from tap at the brewery. Snow white, creamy and dense, membrane-lacing, stable head on a warm pure apricot-golden beer with somewhat greenish tinge. Aroma of freshly cut grass, white bread, raw cereals, plaster, field flowers, dry hay, vague cooked white cabbage. Dryish onset, very restrained unripe banana and unripe apricot fruitiness, fizzy carbonation, very minerally; smooth cereally and white-bready malt core, sweetish pale maltiness gently bittered by grassy and floral hops, somewhat drying but in a very soft way (as is typical for wild hops), so that this pale malt sweetishness continues near unchanged into the finish. Obviously the botanical form of Humulus lupulus contains less of the alpha acids found in all those cultivated varieties, hence less aroma and less bitterness, though I have to admit this beer feels clean and pleasantly ‘greenish’ (grassy). Subtle but correct, easygoing quencher, one I would not mind revisiting next time I am in that particular neighborhood of my beloved city. Note the little pun in the name: many streets in the Heirnis quarter are named after fish (because fishery was once a major source of income there) and ‘schol’ is the Flemish name of the European plaice – but also a Flemish word meaning ‘cheers’, when toasting, for example with beer…

Can at home. Clear golden color, medium sized white head. Aroma is oddly hoppy with coffee notes indeed. Flavor leans more towards the coffee with the hops in the background. Interesting. Quite nice even though I don't think coffee in an IPA is really a good idea.

Can. Color: Hazy golden to orange amber, white head. Aroma: Hoppy, citrus notes, some caramel. Taste: Hoppy, orange, lime hints, caramel malt background. Medium body, just below average carbonation. Dry, over moderate to medium bitter finish. Moderate bitterness. Ok typical West Coast IPA.

33cl can. A clear dark golden beer with a off-white head. Aroma of floral and spicy hops, some pine. Taste of mild resinous hops, pine, spicy and floral hops. Long bitter finish.

Can @ home. Golden colour, white foam. Hoppy, citrussy, a bit herbal and floral. Interesting.

American style pale ale created for the 25th anniversary of the Afsnis pub in Ghent (right across the St. Jacobs church), where I have spent many a good beer in the wee hours of the night – this bar used to be much more about live music and nightlife than about beer, but surprisingly began to take in (local) craft beer several years ago so I guess it came natural to them to turn to one of the city’s younger microbrewers to create a beer for them (Stroom has already done the same for another Ghent pub, Steen in the Onderstraat). From tap at Afsnis – where else. Plaster-like lacing, snow white, moussy, somewhat irregular head, clear orange blonde robe with pale amberish tinge. Aroma of half-dry orange peel, soggy biscuit, green melon, moist marijuana, dank sweaty touch, hints of rainwater and green garden weeds. Clean, dryish onset, fizzy carbonation (a bit stingy even – so clearly too much for an APA), some dried apricot and green pear aspects; smooth bread-crusty and (unsalted-)peanutty maltiness, but a tad grainy and thinnish at the same time, flavoured with subdued yet elegant ‘modern’ hops, adding aromas of dried orange peel, field flowers and white pepper – if not much else. Medium long, mild bitterness, but soft – as is the entire beer, but then I guess it was deliberately kept accessible and simple for the hordes of nighthawks frequenting this place; an easy drinker, technically correct, but I was hoping for a bit more ‘oomph’, to be frank.