Session IPA made by Brouwbar exclusively for the ceremony surrounding the relocation of the Loreleie, a statue in the city of Ghent depicting a naked lady and symbolizing the confluence of the Schelde and Leie rivers, where the city was built. I cannot thank Jolien, the brewer's wife, enough for providing me with a bottle - so far my record of Brouwbar's beers remains complete... Thick and mousy, somewhat uneven-bubbled and slowly breaking, egg-white head over a misty pale orange-tinged apricot blonde beer, not so much 'amberkleurig', though. Lovely citrusy, delicate bouquet of lemon blossoms, lime flesh, orange zest, kumquat, granadilla, bread crumbs, lemon verbena, dried white clover flowers, fresh rainwater, even a very vague background whiff of aniseed somewhere. Clean, subtle onset, sweetish fruitiness of lime flesh membrane, slight granadilla and a touch of guava with a vague hint of pear, all restrained and well-connected; softish carbonation even for the style, thinning the mouthfeel a bit, but otherwise feeling nicely oily and slick. Smooth, clean, lightly biscuity maltiness with a bread-crusty- or cracker-like touch to it, slight powdery hoppiness in the end, and when the hops unfold, the mouth and nose cavities are filled with lovely, kumquat- and pomelo-like citrusiness with a tropical touch - guava and granadilla springing to mind again. Bitterness lingers a bit, more so than in some other session beers created by Brouwbar before, lending a bit of body, warmth and character to the finish, while the aromas fade and a more citrus peel-like scent remains. Delicately gracious, almost 'volatile' but still with a strong, characterful core: I guess one could argue that this beer is as feminine as the statue it celebrates. Brouwbar house style elegance applied to a light, aromatic quencher: this may well be the best session IPA this sympathetic brewpub has produced so far. Enjoyed it a lot, cheers Jolien (and Benjamin of course)!

22 August 2020. At Brouwbar, Ghent. Cheers to Anke, mom & dad's belated Father's Day! Porus clear dark golden with a big, stable, foamy, white head. Aroma of pomelo, unripe tangerine, starfruit, gooseberry, sourdough, cream, straw. Taste has sour pomelo, mandarin & gooseberry with sweetish apple juice underneath, kept together by a sourdough-like, yeasty, bready maltiness, ending tart, balancing sour yellow fruit & a soft grassy hoppy bitterness, a tad spicy even. Medium body, oily texture, average carbonation. Brouwbar's best Sour up until now I think.

22 August 2020. At Brouwbar, Ghent. Cheers to Anke, mom & dad's belated Father's Day! Pours hazy dark golden with a stable, small, frothy, off-white head. Aroma of honey, ripe apricot, tangerine, orange peel, pineapple, lychee, plum, honey, triple sec. Taste has sweet plum, apricot & tangerine over a thick honey-like & bready malty base, balanced by bitter ornage peel & yellow grapefruit but remaining sweet, juicy & zesty. Floral hoppy finish, quite malty too with the honey, ripe fruit & bittersweet orange peel lingering, and a dash of warming alcohol (hinting at gin & triple sec). Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Almost a Barley Wine indeed, lots of hoppiness but maybe a bit too malt-forward, I think I prefer the previous one but this is still great of course.

Newest Brouwbar beer to date, a lightly hoppy modern pale ale (which almost by definition equals APA these days in craft beer context), enjoyed outdoors at Brouwbar. Snow white, lacing, mousy, stable head on a cloudy peach blonde beer with vague ochre-ish tinge. Aroma of orange juice, mandarin peel, white bread crust, some mango, granadilla touch, freshly cut cucumber, minerals. Cleanly fruity onset, hinting at dried peach and a dash of apple with notes of mango and granadilla but all very subtle, fizzy carb, slick and slightly oily body; minerally aspects linger alongside a cereally, very lightly biscuity middle, towards a softly citrusy finish with a hoppiness that lasts for a while, but which produces insufficient bitterness, leaving the finish a tad ‘empty’ and thin. Minerally effects do provide a very quenching character, but I think Brouwbar’s typical ‘house style restraint’ has been taken a bit too far here; there is, however, not a shadow of a doubt that this PA53 has been very well made and its sheer lightness was completely intentional. Brouwbar elegance taken to the extreme, I’d say.

After the collab with the Mederie executed at sour ale specialist Alvinne (Sour for the Soul), Brouwbar modestly presents this own homemade kettle sour – so a comparison with the collab, soured in oak barrels, would by definition be unfair, as the production process is of course inherently different. Medium thick, half open, snow white, mousy head on a misty apricot blonde beer with warm peachy tinge, but clearly paler than Sour for the Soul. Aroma of white grape, overripe plum, gooseberry jam, medlar, nectarine, dough, sour cream, stale lime juice, cucumber, minerals. Crisp sour onset, lemony with notes of unripe pineapple and mandarin yet still harbouring a sweetish, peachy core; very fizzy carbonation, very minerally, over a smooth, supple, lean body. Clean-bready malt backbone continuously dried and soured by these impressions of sour grape, gooseberry, pineapple and cucumber paired with a citric, sour mandarin-like effect but remaining low in bitterness. Utterly quenching and colourful – a beautiful kettle sour in its deceptive simplicity and elegance. Brouwbar’s own SA51 remains altogether very different from the abovementioned collab, but in its respective style, it is clearly of a high quality level – even better than I was expecting, to be frank. Will happily drink this one again next time I’m at Brouwbar.

23 July 2020. At Brouwbar, Ghent; shared with the lovely Anke! Pours hazy ochre-orange with a quickly dissipating, foamy, white head. Aroma of pure fresh mango & mango pulp, papaya, peach, mandarin flesh, pineapple slice, tangelo. Taste has sweet fresh mango & mandarin, hint of pineapple somewhere, quite juicy but kept in check by a bready maltiness & a zesty sour touch. Bitterness building into the dry, floral hoppy finish, more mango pulp, peach & some grapefruit, but mango remains dominant of course. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Almost indiscernible from actual fruit juice indeed but the lactose remains quiet and the hops provide enough balance. Oh so nice!

6/IX/20 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2020-873)

Clear deep orange beer, small aery irregular off-white head, pretty stable, non adhesive. Aroma: sweet, honey, mlty, ripe fruits, papaya, bit oxidized. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: sweet and sugary start, little oxidized, some ripe tropical fruits, very soft bitterness. Aftertaste: bit oxidized, some caramel malts, fruity touch, sweet, bit sugary.

6/IX/20 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2020-872)

Clear orange beer, small aery white head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: funky, some sulphur, bit lemony, malty, fruity touch. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: bit funky, pretty sour, some tropical fruits, apples, little bitter, fruity, some orange peel. Aftertaste: green apples, hoppy touch, citrus, fruity, orange peel, yeasty, bit chemical, malty, grains, weird, funky. Not bad, but not the best sour ale.

6/IX/20 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2020-871)

Cloudy orange beer, small dense creamy yellowish head, stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: tropical fruits, mango, grains, malty, more tropical fruits. MF: ok carbon, light body. Taste: nice hops, bit resinous, dank hops, tropical fruits, bit watery. Aftertaste: hoppy, bit grassy, citrus, soft bitterness, fades away quickly, more tropical fruits, banana peel, soft bitterness, bit malty.