New pale ale by Brouwbar following the “single malt and single hop” principle (hence the name ‘SMaSH’); the malt in question is Vienna malt, the hops Elixir, a new variety from the Alsace region in France. Snow white, moussy, lightly lacing, slowly breaking and opening head, misty peach blonde robe with somewhat rosy tinge. Aroma of dried grapefruit peel, unripe peach, green banana, herb cheese spread, bread crumbs, dry biscuit, crackers with dried kitchen herbs. Sharply carbonated onset with very minerally and even numbing effect, distracting a bit from the actual taste; clean and light fruity notes of apricot, green banana and apple peel, restrained in sweetness but still some, moving forward to a bread-crumb and herbed cookie-like maltiness with a light touch of biscuit typical for Vienna malt. The Elixir hops do their work well, bittering the finish in a spicy, leafy and slightly citrus peel-like way, with relatively long duration, but remaining elegant and refreshing. Typical Brouwbar beer again: straightforwardly modern, accessibly sleek and charmingly elegant.

‘Near-double’ New England IPA, Brouwbar’s newest to date, in fact nothing more than a stronger version of the original NI08, with the same hops, just to see what the effect of the alcohol content is on the taste. Egg-white, medium thick, moussy, stable head, cloudy yolk-yellow robe with apricot glow. Aroma of mango, canned peach, rambutan, ripe pineapple, wodka somewhere in the distance, papaja, lemon verbena, Key lime pie, meringue even, dank armpit sweat aspect. Sweet onset with sourish touch and very clean, mango, papaya and pineapple aspects but relatively subdued and kept in check; medium carb, smooth creamy mouthfeel. Doughy and cookie-ish malt core under vibrant hoppiness, repeating the mango and pineapple notes but combined with a growing ‘citrusiness’ (orange peel, mandarin) and a tail of peppery bitterness; the aromas are indeed pushed forward by the alcohol, which in itself remains well hidden. Gracefully aromatic, expressive update of the basic version, indeed a tad more aromatic, but still the aromas remain relatively restrained to NEIPA standards, true to Brouwbar’s trusted house style. Enjoyed this one.

New APA by Brouwbar, from tap at the brewpub. Irregularly edged, medium thick, cobweb-lacing, pale greyish white head, cloudy orangey peach blonde robe with vague beige-ish tinge. Aroma of fresh orange zest, biscuit, freshly cut green bell pepper, mandarin peel, lemon thyme, unripe peach, white celery stalk touch. Crisp onset, sharply carbonated with strong minerally effect, clean with some orange peel and dried apricot notes, smooth biscuity malt core with a softer bready edge to it and even a bread crumbs-like effect in the end, aromatized by citrusy hoppiness, adding mandarin, raw bell pepper and lemon thyme aromas as well as long-lasting, eventually somewhat quinine-like bitterness which stays well in balanced with the maltiness. Dry, crisp, refreshing and elegant pale ale, with a lovely bready note to it which one could interpret as a touch of ‘Belgian’ yeastiness, connecting this PA76 with the indigenous ‘spéciale belge’ tradition as well.

9/III/22 - on tap @ Bar Beenhouwer (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-246)

Cloudy deep orange to amber beer, creamy dense white head, stable, a bit adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: very malty, some ripe banana, a bit herbal, floral notes, soapy touch. MF: very lively carbon, medium body. Taste: nice good bitterness up front, very fruity, grassy, some citrus notes, a little watery. Aftertaste: nice, hoppy, some banana, bitter, fruity, malty touch, yeasty.

Just a few months after S73, Brouwbar launches this new saison, with different recipe. Dense, frothy, off-white, stable head, membrane-lacing over a hazy peach blonde beer with deeper amberish and ochre-ish tinges. Aroma of ripe pear, peach, kumquat, honey, cheese spread, minerals, cooked sweet potato, apricot yoghurt, cherry blossoms, mandarin peel. Fruity onset in a clean way, rounded and sweetish but nowhere cloying; medium carb with refreshing minerally effects yet nowhere too sharp. Some thin residual honeyish sweetness lingers over a slick, cereally and lightly bready, but also subtly wheaty middle; ends with initially soft hoppiness, gradually growing a bit in bitterness and pushing up retronasal hints of rosewater, lychee and orange blossom but all in a subdued kind of way. Drier in the very end with more breadiness and bitterness – and actually only at that point, in the last sips, I got a true ‘saison feeling’ in the traditional way; otherwise this S75 is more of a ‘postmodern’ generic pale ale, but in a highly elegant, typical streamlined Brouwbar way. Very tasty beer, feeling a tad more ‘international’ and less Belgian than S73.

8/VI/22 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-xxx)
Ap: 8, Ar: 8, Fl: 8, Txt: 6, O: 8, Total: 7.6

Slightly cloudy blond to light orange beer, big creamy solid white head, stable, a bit adhesive. Aroma: nice, very spicy, good clean yeast profile, a bit grassy, peppery, hint of coriander, hint of ripe banana. MF: soft carbon, medium body. Taste: malty start, very rural impressions, good bitterness, spicy, hint of banana. Aftertaste: very dry and bitter, a hint of citrus, some coriander, hay, malty, grains, rural character, yeasty, some banana, very bitter and dry finish. Better than when this was still very fresh!

25/II/22 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-212)
Ap: 8, Ar: 6, Fl: 8, Txt: 6, O: 8, Total: 7.3

Pretty clear orange blond beer, solid creamy yellowish head, stable, bit adhesive. Aroma: lots of (over)ripe banana, bit malty, quite a lot of bubble gum, smells more like a Hefeweizen, or a Belgian tripel. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: very bitter start, fruity notes, a bit yeasty, some orange peel, pretty fruity, some citrus notes. Aftertaste: bit spicy, grassy touch, malty sweetness in the backbone, dry and bitter finish.

Saison by sympathetic Brouwbar, the lovely brewpub in the historical city centre of Ghent; launched in December but apparently already sold out a the pub so I cannot thank Benjamin and Jolien (the owners) enough for obtaining a bottle for me to rate – this kind of customer service is rare and sincerely moves me. Medium thick, moussy, egg-white, stable head over a lightly misty, deep apricot blonde beer with ‘metallic’ deep golden glow. Aroma of bread crust, dried thyme, oxidized apple peel, dry hay, linseed, dry breakfast cereals, green banana, clove, minerals and a vague note of potato juice somewhere. Crisp onset, very active to even sharp carbonation but this is not out of place in a saison; green banana and apple peel fruitiness but in a very clean, restrained way, never too sweet or estery. Slick cereally maltiness, light bready edge, leading to a hop bitter finish with thyme-, mugwort- and dandelion-like aspects, but all remaining subtle and gentle; minerally side notes linger, adding to the overall refreshing and quenching character of the beer. Very elegant, streamlined and accessible, and in that way fitting seamlessly in Brouwbar’s house style – no exuberant farmhouse ambitions here, just a plain, old-fashioned, dry and quenching saison, and contrary to many other recent Belgian attempts at this style, nowhere overly sweet or spicy. I could easily chug a few of these on a benign spring afternoon.

Hazy dark blond colour with thin head. Aroma is intensely fruity. Like canned peaches. Taste starts out similarly before the bitterness grows and grows. Quite intense.

28/I/22 - on tap @ Brouwbar (Gent), BB: n/a (2022-113)

Clear dark purple brown beer, small creamy beige head, little stable, bit adhesive. Aroma: lots of ripe banana, overripe banana, soft roast, yeasty, malty, some dark chocolate. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: bit sourish, caramel notes, lots of ripe to overripe fruits, very yeasty, alcohol. Aftertaste: lots of alcohol, ripe banana, pretty bitter, bit sugary, yeasty, bit chemical. Too young, this beer benefits from ageing a bit longer (this was the second batch I learned afterwards).