Alengrin (11609) reviewed Pils from Hopspot 9 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5
Hopspot in the fields of Ertvelde is owned by Van Steenberge, seeking to add something worthy of the buzzword "beleving" (experience) to their business, and creates small scale brews in its own kettles, sitting right next to a B&B and restaurant. Such a place in Flanders obviously needs a pale lager and this is it, unfiltered and tapped straight from the tank. Thanks to Meeki for sharing. Snow white, medium thick, bubbly, opening but edge-retaining head on a clear, very pale straw blonde robe. Aroma of cow fodder, wet old cereals, leftover dough, withering grass, green pear, touch banana peel, something vaguely sweaty in the background. Surprisingly sweet onset, even banana-ish and ripe pear-like, much more so than any other (non-flavoured) pale lager I had in my day - with soft carbonation and thin, smooth mouthfeel. Slick pale malts, cereally and lean, sparsely sprinkled with floral hops, providing a bit of retronasal field flower aroma but very little bitterness - too little for a 'Pils' for sure, but I will accept the more 'commercial' and general moniker 'standard pale lager', if this particular example carries way too many residual sugars for that, too. I guess the people behind it have no clue as to what the word 'lager' actually means - put this on a cold temperature for a couple of weeks and you may get somewhere, even though I find it hard to believe that bottom-fermented yeast was used for this one in the first place. Poor excuse for a 'pilsje' - in fact not technically a pale lager for me at all, and the third disappointment at Hopspot, which felt like a watered down version of Van Steenberge's approach. And those who know how I feel about Van Steenberge, will understand that this is even less a compliment than it sounds. I highly doubt if I will ever visit this Hopspot place again - maybe for something to eat, but at least not for the homemade beers.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed Blond from Hopspot 9 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5
The regular - and, in Belgium, almost obligatory - blonde in the range of Hopspot house beers, brewed at the site under the aegis of Van Steenberge, the brewery still strongly dominating the region; thanks to Meeki for sharing. Snow white, medium thick, lacing, opening head on a clear yellow-golden beer. Aroma of old potatoes, banana peel, leftover dough, sulphur (as in a freshly struck match), coriander seed, green pear, unripe peach. Sweet onset, quite some residual sugars, banana ester with side notes of red apple and ripe pear, perhaps vague pineapple; soft carb with smooth body. The honeyish effect of the residual sugars lies over a slick cereally pale maltiness, while something metallic sits at the edges; floral hops provide a light, late, volatile bitter accent, while sweet yellow fruitiness lingers. Very easygoing, standard Belgian blonde, almost like a first technically successful attempt by some hobby brewer - completely devoid of character, originality or even plain old 'oomph'. Utterly boring even to Belgian blonde standards, clearly one for the indiscriminating biking tourist floating by this place on a sunny afternoon.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed Speciaal (2025) from Hopspot 9 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Blonde, hoppy and 'spicy' ale in a series of ever-changing recipes simply dubbed "Speciaal" - unfortunately, at least in this case there was no further specification (and none received upon asking the staff), so for lack of details I had no choice but to put it here plainly as "Speciaal", the way it was sold two weeks ago at this Hopspot café and microbrewery in Evergem. Fluffy and pillowy, snow white, medium thick, plaster-like lacing, stable head on a clear warm apricot blonde robe with 'old golden' glow. Aroma of wormwood, dandelion, motherwort and other very bitter weeds, 'witloof', spiced crackers, bread crust, moist white pepper, tonic water, something sulfuric. Dryish onset in a very restrainedly fruity way, hint of unripe apricot perhaps, minerally carbonated with smooth body; slick grainy core with a vague metallic touch, quickly overcome by a very rooty, leafy, tonic water- and wormwood-like 'raw' bitterness, very astringent and sadly very low in hop aromas. Clean, straightforward and indeed spicy in a weedy, very bitter way, like an oldskool Belgian bitter blonde rather than anything actually IPA-like. Odd and not very impressive, but admittedly the most interesting one of the three Hopspot beers I tasted there that day.
nathanvc (6963) reviewed Speciaal - Saison from Hopspot 1 year ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
11 July 2024. At Hopspot, Evergem. Cheers to Els & Pieter’s birthday!
A: clear golden, small, off-white head.
A: clove, old apple, mouldy bread, vague vomit.
T: sweet old apple & pear, dough, bread crust.
F: grassy hops, ripe yellow fruit, bit spicy.
P: medium body, slick texture, soft carbonation.
Dirty.
nathanvc (6963) reviewed Speciaal - Brown Winter from Hopspot 1 year ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
14 February 2024. At Hopspot, Ertvelde. Shared with the lovely Anke!
A: clear amber, small, off-white head.
A: clove, caramel, raisin, cough syrup.
T: sweet raisin, prune, caramel, bitter herbs.
F: herbal hops, bitter clove, cough syrup.
P: medium body, syrupy texture, soft carbonation.
Bit too weirdly syrupy, lacks some style direction too.
nathanvc (6963) reviewed Pils from Hopspot 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6.5
14 February 2024. At Hopspot, Ertvelde. Shared with the lovely Anke!
A: clear golden, stable, foamy, white head.
A: grass, straw, bread crust, yeast, vague butter.
T: sweet apple & bread, yeast, vague butter.
F: soft grassy hops, bread retronasally.
P: light body, slick texture, soft carbonation.
Not the cleanest example, but inoffensive.