Classically styled saison - apart from the fact, perhaps, that it contains spelt and a New World hop (albeit the most classic one of them all: Cascade) - brewed as a collab between Stroom here in Ghent and Frontaal, one of the leading craft breweries in Breda, opened in 2015 and still going strong today. Can from the Delhaize supermarket at the Sterre in Ghent. Thick and bit irregular, frothy, off-white, shred-like lacing, opening but otherwise stable head on an initially clear, warm and pure old-golden robe with visible sparkling, misty with sediment. Aroma of freshly baked (spelt) bread and bread crust, dried thyme, grass, raw parsnip, old ginger powder, chamomile tea, wrinkled apple peel, mealy pear, clove, acacia blossoms, minerals. Quite crisp, restrainedly sweetish onset, green pear and slight apple peel notes with a dash of unripe peach, lively but fine-bubbled carb adding to the crispness, through a supple, herb cracker- and spelt bread-like core, becoming more dry as very little residual sugars are left, and upon which pleasantly herbal aspects build (ginger, thyme, turmeric, clove - but none of these outspoken), as a result of the hops and the saison yeast working together. Ends with confident, long-drying and quenching, floral hop bitterness bringing retronasal aromas of a spring bouquet - but apart from a hint of old dried orange peel, very little of the citrusiness I was expecting from anything containing Cascade. I think they deliberately wanted to keep this element in the background to eliminate all potential IPA associations - rightly so, because the end result is something much more akin to Saison Dupont, which is about as classic as it gets for a saison. Elegant, very 'authentically' saison-like, with entertaining herbal and grainy elements so that it does not become boring: this is the kind of light-hearted summer ale I like. Whether this is Frontaal's merit or Stroom's is something I will leave in the middle, as both to me seem equally qualified to come up with a beer like this...

Imperial stout by this trusted Hungarian craft brewery - one of many barrel aged variants, this time (i.e. two years ago) on eau de vie barrels, something I do not recall ever having encountered before (but who knows). Shared by Martijn on Proevertjesdag, cheers! Thin and open, pale yellow beige, tiny-bubbled ring of foam on a black robe with burgundy edge. Aroma of dark chocolate, eau de vie or perhaps more its cruder Eastern European cousin slivovitz (which I do not have particularly fond memories of, to be honest), ground hazelnuts, cappuccino, burnt blackcurrants, charred toast, clove, black pepper, treacle, nutmeg. Dried prunes and burnt currants falling off a cake in the onset - sweetish, but not as sweet as many other contemporary strong stouts, with slight notes of sourishness and umami here and there - too weak to fully describe them though. Softish carb, full to somewhat viscous mouthfeel, almost syrupy - with layers of bitter black chocolate, toast and treacle, while this dried plum aspect lingers, probably because it also comes from the eau de vie (French mirabelle plum brandy). Hints of leafy bittering hops, roasted coffeeish bitterness and treacle linger while the alcohol becomes a bit peppery, warming the throat and depositing a flavour I again associate more with slivovitz than with true eau de vie. I do not get any of the port effects the description above mentions, though. Solid and well structured, somewhat oldskool in not wanting to be overly sweet like so many - especially American - imperial stouts today, but I still maintain slight reservations whether eau de vie is the best liquor to barrel age this stout in.

Svetlý ležák, or Bohemian Pilsener, brewed by the only brewery in Belgium specialising in German styles, for the occasion of the opening of La Dérive, a new brewpub in Paris. Can from - oddly - an Okay supermarket in Ghent carrying a few other beers that seem 'out of place' for the city. Medium thick, snow white, quite loose and quickly opening to eventually dissolving head over a misty yellow-golden robe with ochre-ish tinge. Aroma of soggy wholegrain bread, cow fodder, freshly cut grass, something soapy (as in Styrian hops), soggy chicken food, damp straw, green onion, something sulfurous in the background. Restrainedly sweetish onset, some basic fruitiness (more so than expected seen the intended style) - almost vaguely hinting at green banana or hard pear, probably from the yeast suspended in it; finely tingling fizz, perhaps just a tad too weak in this case, soft and slightly soapy body. Cereally and thinly bready pale malt core gradually and gently but effectively bittered by grassy and floral hops, with again this vague soapy touch and a retronasal hint at cooked leek. The bitterness last for a while - perhaps even a little bit more so than is usually the case in actual Czech Pilsener, but in any case ensuring a dry and almost mildly spicy ending, with very quenching effect on a hot summer night like this. Needs a tad less yeastiness and a bit more effervescence and head retention, but generally decent for the very precise and clean style they intended; I do applaud the fact that they went through the trouble of the double decoction method to get closer to an original Czech Pilsener so have a point for the effort.

'Terroir' has become something of a buzzword in gastronomical contexts over the years and not just in wine anymore - so why not in beer. In the case of the latest Grapevine by De Ranke, it refers to the fact that both the hops and the (Chardonnay) grapes that were used, were grown by the very same farm in Poperinge - how often does one see a farm growing both hops and grapes (and who knows what else)? An interesting premise, and since this Grapevine series has pleasantly surprised me over the years, this was something I had to check out - and share at Proevertjesdag. Egg-white, moussey, tiny-bubbled, opening head on a cloudy yolk-yellow blonde robe with apricot glow. Aroma of white grapes in a 'raw' yet fresh kind of way (rather than e.g. a Chardonnay wine effect I was perhaps hoping for), unripe orange, green plum, sourdough, freshly cut grass somewhere (the Poperinge hops no doubt), redcurrant, dry hay, gooseberry. Very fruity onset, gooseberry and green apple notes superseded by white grapes in a tart yet juicy way, seemingly softening the acids a bit; fizzy carb, 'moelleux' and supple body. The Chardonnay grape flavours are strong and clear enough, not very wine-like perhaps but very 'fresh', with even that typical grassy aspect to them; below glides a soft, gently yoghurty-lactic tartness and bready maltiness. Woody, hayish and lime-like accents in the finish, along with a bittering hoppiness, very vaguely citric even, but the grapes remain the star of the show, fitting into the whole 'beery' structure well and maintaining their typical Chardonnay features till the end. Ends notably grassy and 'green' with a chalky note - less vinous and fruit-sweet than the previous Grapevine editions, but still soft and gentle. Elegant like the others, but certainly distinct.