NEDIPA by this microbrewery in Büttgenbach, sampled from tap at the brewery. Creamy, dense and frothy, snow white, membrane-lacing head over a murky and completely opaque, beige coloured robe with peachy shades. Aroma of grapefruit peel but not in a very fresh way, orange pith, dried wormwood or even yellow gentian, oatmeal porridge, leek, gin, pine needles, bitter honey, mud, raw dough. Fruity onset but again in a dense, 'dead' kind of way, dryish with green pear, grapefruit and zucchini accents - all 'muted' and none very expressive. Medium carb, creamy body with powdery edges, liquid dough and oatmeal porridge effects under a heavy, rooty hop bitterness, a bit piney and oniony but also very rooty (as in bitterroot, wormwood or dandelion), only lightly juicy. Earthy-yeasty notes too. For the intended style, very clearly lacking in brightness, juiciness and 'tropicalness' - this was full of yeast and hop residue with a very dense, 'closed', earthy and muddy effect. Flawed - though not infected, so I wonder what went wrong here, and so did the actual brewer: upon seeing me taking notes in the tasting room, he approached me to apologise for the quality, explaining it did not at all taste the way he intended it (and the way it normally does). Errors happen, so I promised him not to be too harsh in my rating here - so have a solid score for good intentions and promising aspects anyway, it was not undrinkable at all and I did finish my glass, after all. Surely though, I will need to revisit and rerate this one in better condition when given the opportunity. I would also like to thank the brewer again for taking the initiative of not charging this sample and for the free can of another of his IPAs as a compensation. Accidents happen, as said, so I remain convinced that this brewery is a passionate and honest one, still striving to get better and better - at least that is what I learned from being there and sampling some of their other beers. With such an approach, there is not a doubt in my mind that one day true greatness will beckon, whether it be in an IPA or not.

Strong(ish) Belgian blonde, an 'edelbier' as the old OBP would have said, by this microbrewery in the German speaking part of Belgium; tasted from can during a stay there but also from tap at the brewery, and this rating concerns the latter. Medium sized, frothy, snow white, membrane-lacing head over a hazy golden orange blonde robe with apricot tinge. Aroma of apple peel, croissants, pineapple, raw white bread dough, cloves, coriander seed, calvados, grass, egg yolk, vague banana ester and a sweaty note in the background. Fruity onset, red apple, green pear and again only a hint of banana, lively carbonation with smooth, rounded pale malty middle - a bit bready and a bit honeyish, but altogether quite clean. A touch of biscuit passes by before a floral, in all relatively mild hop bitterness appears, sided by soft spicy notes and warmed by calvados-like alcohol, which should perhaps be a bit less obvious at this strength - but it does not become so strong as to bother me. A bit sweeter, 'rounder' and perhaps fruitier than Duvel, to which it clearly nods, and agreeable enough.

A hazy bright golden yellow beer with a white head. Aroma of dry citrusy hops, yellow stone fruits. Taste of dry citrusy bitter hops, pine, pale malt, some tropical fruits, long bitter finish.

Dunkler hopfiger Beginn. Weich würzig, geringe Herbe, etwas trocken. Spritzig, dunkel getreidig bleibend, geringe Süße. Leicht harzig, mittellanger Abgang, rund. 10/11/10/11//10

A clear golden beer with a big white head. Aroma of dry grassy hops, stone fruits, pineapple. Taste of dry bitter hops, stone fruits, earthy hops, pineapple, dry bitter finish.

NEIPA by a new craft brewery in Bütgenbach in that charming small region in eastern Belgium where the native language is German – strange that I did not find this one back in late December when I was in that region. Sampled at ZBF. Snow white, moussy, opening head on a hazy, warm ‘old golden’ blonde beer. Aroma of green mango, lemongrass, yuzu, carambola, dough, rainwater. Fruity onset in a clean way, halfripe mango and pineapple with a dash of sweet guava, moderately fizzy but okay for the intended style, soft and smooth mouthfeel. Doughy and white-bready malt core, soaked in a ‘green’ fruitiness of mango, carambola and lots of citrus (yuzu, lime). Very well done for such a young brewery – this is a style often misunderstood and made either too sweet or too bitter, but this one balances nicely in between. Perhaps a tad more tropical fruitiness, making it more dominant of the citrusy character, would even improve this one, but I am in any case very pleasantly surprised that a hitherto unknown Belgian microbrewery is capable of creating a very credible New England style IPA.

Zythos 2022. Very dark brown colour. Sweetish, herbal. Some aniseed. Thin. Not quite balanced.