7.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

The newest Brouwbar DIPA to date; from tap at the brewpub (on several occasions). Egg-white, moussy and frothy, membrane-lacing, stable head on a misty deep orangey to almost amberish peach blonde robe. Aroma of fresh orange zest, marmalade, gin, melon, caramel, kumquat, dried apricot, green peppercorns. Cleanly fruity onset, hints of green mango and red apple peel, kumquat, minerally carbonated with full, slick body; the carbonation continues a bit too long, but otherwise does not hinder the development of a rusk- and dry old cake-like maltiness aromatized by zesty, spicy hops (orange zest, lemonbalm, lime peel) providing an elegant, oily bitterness and filling the retronasal department in a very rich, convincing way. Gin-like alcohol adds a peppery, hot bitter aspect in the tail, but not as much so as in the triple IPA also available at the brewpub during my visit. Powerful but elegant, aromatic, zesty and citrusy old school West Coast style DIPA, bold and yet rounded and gracious – a robust style by definition, but filtered through Brouwbar’s house style marked by elegance and relative accessibility. Recommended.

6.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

Draft @ Brouwbar. Hazy blond/yellow colour, white foam. Nose of peach, papaya, pineapple. Taste starts sweet and fruity, burning bitter hoppy finish and also buttery (diacetyl).

8.1

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

8/VI/22 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-676)

A little cloudy orange to amber beer, big creamy nice yellowish head, stable, adhesive. Aroma: lovely, lots of dank hops, fresh, tropical fruits, some honey, mango, very nice, I love it! MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: nice, good bitterness, very dank, dry, bitter, spicy touch, nice! Aftertaste: a hint of caramel malts, a bit sourish, very spicy, a little malty, more spices.

8.5

@Brouwers in het bos 2022

7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

The newest session IPA by Brouwbar to date, enjoyed at the brewpub – where else. Egg-white, moussy, membrane-lacing, stable head on a hazy apricot blonde beer with deep straw-yellow glow. Aroma of fresh wormwood leaf, dried grapefruit peel, bitterroot, margarine, freshly cut grass, unripe carambola, moist white pepper, cereals. Dryish, crisp onset, very fizzy and minerally, with some restrained fruitiness of green banana and green pear; slick, bit oily mouthfeel, certainly feeling fuller than its ABV would suggest (the hallmark of any successful session IPA). Cereally, rounded, bit grainy malt profile, deliberately kept simple to serve the hops, which are quite strong here, in a grassy, peppery and slightly grapefruity way – even a bit quinine-like in the end. Old school, in a sense: this tastes like an American session IPA of the earliest days of the genre (which is not so long ago in the face of beer history, of course), with the hops providing more bitterness than is usually the case today, and than in previous Brouwbar ISAs. One to chug in large quantities when seated in the busy street at Brouwbar’s outdoors tables.

7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

The hazy IPA that went by the name of Populist was one of the main creations by Humboldt & Gauss, a client brewer in Ghent who sadly had to cease its activities a few years ago; luckily though, they donated the recipe to their friend Benjamin of Brouwbar, who has now recreated it. A complex issue in terms of administration here, I suppose, but since it comes from different kettles now (and no doubt slightly different ingredients), I think creating it here as an entirely new Brouwbar beer with a reference to its own former Humboldt & Gauss version was the best option – I will leave it to the admins if this situation needs to be revised or not. Anyway, the Brouwbar interpretation of this beer shows a medium thick, egg-white, moussy and slowly opening head and hazy, rosy apricot blonde robe with ochre-ish tinge. Aroma of ripe apricot, orange zest, rosewater, guava, brioche bread, green mango, pear, lychee, minerals. Fruity onset in a clean, slick way, hints of pear, lychee and apricot returning, moderately carbonated with smooth, supple, slightly creamy mouthfeel; sweet-bready, cereally malt core, slender, aromatized by a delicate, fragrant hoppiness, adding mango, guava and orange zest impressions as well as a late and very soft, yet effective bitter note. Some light breadiness as well as ongoing slender fruitiness linger. The same sweet, soft, fruity NEIPA that I remember from the old version, but clearly filtered through Brouwbar’s own house style as well, with that typical elegance, sleekness and accessibility. Brouwbar retells the old Populist story in its own way – and it is good to seize the occasion to remember the often beautiful beers Humboldt & Gauss produced several years ago when they still existed; Brouwbar surely feels like a very ‘natural’ choice to continue this legacy.

7.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

11/V/22 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-498)

Clear dark brown to black beer, small creamy beige head, stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: good roast, very malty, grains, hay, cow fodder. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: nice, pretty sweet start, lots of chocolate, soft acidity, nice roast, hoppy bitterness. Aftertaste: bitter, a bit malty, some tannins, hint of vanilla, some chocolate notes,, nice one!

7

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

11/V/22 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-497)

Cloudy orange blond beer, big solid creamy off-white head, stable, adhesive. Aroma: fruity, a bit malty, melons, ripe banana, a bit yeasty. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: fruity start, some banana, nice bitterness, very malty, grains, some caramel malts. Aftertaste: grains, bitter, hoppy, some ripe melons.

7.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

8/VI/22 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-xxx)
Ap: 8, Ar: 9, Fl: 6, Txt: 6, O: 5, Total: 6.8

A little cloudy blond beer, huge creamy solid off-white head, stable, a bit adhesive. Aroma: wow, very intense, some vanilla notes, floral, a little soapy, some mint. MF: ok carbon, medium to light body. Taste: very bitter, dry, very soapy, weird, chemical and a bit medicinal. Aftertaste: soapy bitterness, very bitter, still a bit soapy, don’t like it, and it doesn’t grow on you while finishing the glass.

11/V/22 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-496)
Ap: 8, Ar: 8, Fl: 7, Txt: 6, O: 8.5, Total: 7.4/10

Cloudy yellow blond beer, dense creamy off-white head, stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: nice, very fruity, lots of tangerines, a bit malty. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: nice bitterness, fruity touch, quite some citrus, very hoppy. Aftertaste: fruity, grassy, very bitter, oranges, orange peel.

7.5

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8

The long-awaited chocolate stout by Brouwbar, cheers Jolien! Thick and frothy, pale yellowish beige, stable head on a jet black beer. Aroma of coffee grounds, roasted old walnuts, black chocolate indeed, tea bags, nutmeg, dry beef stock cubes, roasted chicory, hints of ground hazelnuts, nutmeg, ‘jenever’. Clean, rounded onset, some dried fig and vague pear notes, fizzily carbonated but full and smooth in mouthfeel; a hard-caramelly, toasted-brown-bready and roasted chicory-like malt bill does carry some extra cocoa-like bitterness but nothing of the sweetness I would also associate with chocolate (and which made classic examples, like Young’s Double Chocolate Stout or Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout, so delicious). The lactose too must have been added very sparsely, which in itself is not a bad thing at all as far as I am concerned. Strong roasted bitter, coffeeish and leathery, eventually somewhat earthy finish. Robust dry stout, surprisingly robust in relation to Brouwbar’s usual house style even, with the chocolate piercing through in the nose more than in the mouth - which is fine for me. Very solid, and seems to have even improved over the past few weeks for some reason...