nathanvc (6963) reviewed NI60 New England IPA from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle provided by Benjamin - many thanks! Hazy ochre, small, frothy, off-white head. Aroma of oxidized melon, strawberry, peach, grape, biscuit, vague lychee, herbal mix, thyme. Taste has sweetish melon, strawberry & tangerine, hint of zesty lime & citrus in a bready malty profile. Bitter, herbal & earthy hoppy finish, touch of grapefruit and crisp citrus (in a dried-out way). Medium body, slick texture, average carbonation. Sure, past its prime, but nice to have tried.
nathanvc (6963) reviewed PA61 Pale Ale from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
30 June 2021. At Brouwbar. Shared with Anke! Clear amber, stable, foamy, tan head; some lacing. Aroma of herbal cheese, hard mango, biscuit, thyme, grape, peanut, golden raisin, bread crust. Taste has sweetish pear, apple, vague mango (diluted in a way, almost) over a biscuity malty base with herbal & light spicy accents, bit nutty too. Herbal & slightly piney hoppy finish, hard stonefruit & biscuit lingering. Medium body, slick texture, average carbonation. Extremely clean, tight; indeed interesting to think about it as a traditional Pale Ale.
nathanvc (6963) reviewed NI62 New England IPA from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
30 June 2021. At Brouwbar. Shared with Anke! Hazy yellow, stable, frothy, white head. Aroma of very fresh tangerine, nectarine, rambutan, passion fruit, melon, lime sherbet, perfumey pine. Taste has sweetish tangerine, rambutan & papaya next to juicy, zesty lime; bittersweet citrus peel along doughy maltiness in the back. Floral hoppy finish, tad peppery, lots of citrus, unripe stonefruit & a touch of pine. Medium body, slick texture, average carbonation. Very rounded and the ultimate answer to thirst.
tderoeck (22711) reviewed SB57 Sterk Blond from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
7/VIII/21 - 33cl bottle from the brewery, shared @ home, BB: 27/VII/21 (2021-740)
Clear orange blond beer, small creamy white head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: banana, very yeasty, bit malty, grains, little herbal. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: very sweet start, ripe banana, fruity, alcohol. Aftertaste: little bitter, yeasty, sweet, lots of alcohol, oxidized, banana peel.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed P66 Porter from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
New Brouwbar beer (at the end of July), a remake of one of their first recipes - glad porter came back, albeit in altered form. Medium thick, stable, quite creamy, pale yellowish-beige head on a deep chocolate brown robe, almost black but still with burgundy hue. Aroma of toffee, damp autumn leaves, blueberries, moldy hazelnuts, unsugared yoghurt, hard caramel, rainwater, Ersatz chocolate, brambleberries. Fruity onset in a 'dark' kind of way, prunes and blackberry, elderberry perhaps, medium carbonated with a smooth, slick mouthfeel, remaining low in sweetness but with noticeable lactic-sour undertone; this tart edge continues alongside a hard-nutty, brown bread crust- and chicory-like dark maltiness with a sweetish caramel and biscuit aspect in its core. Herbal, earthy aspects in the finish, as in damp forest floor, moldy hazelnut and that sour milk or yoghurt tartness accentuating it. May be a tad infected, with a slight 'dirtiness' in the end, but seen from a historical perspective, one should not be too skeptical about this: porters were often consumed soured in the 19th century, in varying blends of young and older beer, so a sour streak is as natural to this genre as coriander is to Gose. I do not mind it, in any case, and will probably have this one again during my next Brouwbar visit.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed FA64 Farmhouse Ale from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Sour saison (hence 'farmhouse ale', which is much more often associated with sourness than classic 'saison') by Brouwbar, tasted in avant-première at the pub - thanks Jolien! Moussy, snow white, small-bubbled, breaking and opening head on a misty apricot blonde beer with vaguely ochre-ish tinge. Aroma initially showing quite a lot of diacetyl (buttermilk), hovering over impressions of sour white yoghurt, sourdough, green apple, white bread, raw potato juice, peach, something sweaty. Softly but consistently tart in the mouth, peach, green apple and vague grape fruitiness, medium carbonated with minerally accents here and there; yoghurty tartness gently continues over a soft bready body, feeling a bit fluffy rather than severely dried by the sourness - the latter primarily accentuating the fruity character of the beer. Some floral hop notes appear (late) in the end, but bitterness remains mild and it is the diacetyl which comes up retronasally again. Too young, clearly, but I think this brew has the potential to improve with age when the diacetyl has faded as it tends to do; I wonder how this lactic sourness will evolve in the coming weeks, too, so I will probably do a re-rating of this one next time I am at Brouwbar.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed B63 Belgian Blonde from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
An ordinary 'standard' blonde, one of the most popular styles in Belgium apart from industrial lager, as interpreted by Brouwbar. Snow white, membrane-lacing, moussy, medium thick and stable head, misty peach blonde robe with warm 'old' golden glow. Aroma of ripe peach, red apple, light biscuit, minerals, halfripe pineapple, rainwater, white bread, touches of grass and even a faint whiff of basil. Sweetish onset, cleanly fruity, pear and peach with an accent of pineapple; nothing cloying though, with lively and minerally carbonation and smooth body. Cereally, dryish-biscuity malt body, light and streamlined, with a floral but soft hop bitter tail; grassy and flowery accents linger along with this fruity sweetishness, but coriander, an overdose of residual sugars and other clichés typical for this style are nowhere to be seen - concluding in an indeed deliberately simple 'terrasjesblond' that still carries Brouwbar's house style of elegance and balance. Quite refined for the style, in all its simplicity.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed DI65 Double IPA from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
Remake of DI55, Brouwbar's double IPA from last winter, with slightly altered recipe. Egg-white, frothy, thick and dense, stable head, hazy peach blonde robe with warm beige-ish orange glow. Aroma of orange juice and orange zest, mandarin, wet biscuit, ripe peach, some light sweaty dankness, minerals, orange cake, subtle hints of peanut, Turkish delight, apple peel and freshly cut cucumber. Cleanly fruity, sweetish onset, hinting at peach, melon and pineapple with a dash of lychee, minerally carbonated in a small-bubbled and very well-measured way; slick oily body, biscuity and lightly caramelly malt sweetness under a growing citric hoppiness, eventually displaying a retronasal wave of mandarin, pomelo and orange with accents of melon and papaya, colourful and gently bittering, the latter aspect propelled forward by a soft glow of gin-like alcohol. Classically designed 'West Coast' IPA in a friendly and elegant way, as fitting in Brouwbar's typical house style; I already liked Benjamin's earlier interpretations of strong IPAs a lot but this one is again an improvement on the already very pleasant DI55. Extra point for boasting an impressive 9% ABV and being able to (almost) perfectly hide it - drinkability is dangerously high in this one.
tderoeck (22711) reviewed FA64 Farmhouse Ale from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
28/VII/21 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2021-682)
Cloudy orange blond beer, small creamy white head, unstable, falls down quickly, non adhesive. Aroma: spicy, peppery, bit funky, fruity, some malts, hint of lactic acidity. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: dry, soft acidity, little metallic, fruity, some citrus notes, lemon peel, little funky. Aftertaste: fruity, hint of green banana, bit sourish, malty notes, yeasty, soapy touch in the finish. Rather average farmhouse ale, but not bad.
tderoeck (22711) reviewed DI65 Double IPA from Brouwbar 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
28/VII/21 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2021-681)
Little cloudy deep orange beer, big solid dense creamy egg shell coloured head, very stable, adhesive, leaving lots of lacing in the glass. Aroma: lots and lots of diacetyl, pretty unpleasant, herbal, very minty character, little soapy, malty, grains, cow fodder, maybe not the best choice of hops for this beer? MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: sweet and malty start, spicy and herbal, mint, some cardamom, very buttery, soft bitterness. Aftertaste: spicy, curcuma, cardamom, pretty bitter, bit grassy, some tropical fruits, more diacetyl, sweet touch, herbal green hops. Not a fan.