Lefebvre Hopus

Brewed by Brasserie Lefebvre
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Rebecq-Quenast, Belgium

The aroma is a bit strange but not bad, it’s got citrus, cheese(yeast), malt, and a touch sour. The appearance is cloudy white with the largest head I have seen on a Belgian Strong Ale. The flavor is like the aroma with a soapy sweet finish. The palate is thin but OK. Overall I am not a fan of this one but it’s very drinkable.

Bottle... Hazy yellow ale with a small, white head. The bouquet is hoppy and a bit funky - acidity and pale grains. Medium-bodied with spunky carbonation. Nice bitterness. No weird Belgian esters or phenols. Snappy, refreshing, drying finish.

Swing top bottle. Shared with Arlo. Pours a huge tiny bubbled lasting white head, with loads of lacing, over a pale yellow (SRM 4) slightly cloudy body.....nose is light malts, great hop spice.....taste is light malts, then nice phenolics (clove, allspice) esters ( bit of citrus) with a finishing hop bitterness....mouth feel is light, carbonation, after the initial pour, is light. This a nice example of a Belgian Golden Strong.

Golden yellow color with a big head that disappears in seconds but leaves decent lacing. Sulphur aroma with some pine. Flavor is bitter throughout without much complexity or character. Light bodied, especially for the style. Best skipped, I think, although it’s a few notches above a drainpour.

Swing top bottle from Santa. Pours a hazy dark yellow color with a huge white rocky head. Head receedes leaving a tower of molten foam in the center of the glass. Nose is very yeasty and musty, old smelling. The foam is very creamy and has a mustyness to it as well. Light lemon and grass notes are present in the aroma as well, some mild grainy hints too. Palate is fizzy and stings a bit with a clean finish before a bitterness reaches up and attacks the throat, leaving it stinging as well. Pretty heavy carbonation, with flavors of dust and attic, lots of yeast flavors and a light stingy zesty notes are present as well. Seems simple and yet overly powerful at the same time.

Bottle from Plano Ginger Man. Clear golden pour with an enormous head. Very nice and frothy. Scent contains some sweet grains. Little hops. Perhaps I missed the style but this smells like a pilsener/Belgian. Taste is sad. Has flavors of sharp grain which transforms into bitterness with every sip. Not nearly what I was hoping for. Why the hell did they put hop in the name? Might as well named it "Lameus"

33cl bottle, best by 9/9/11. Large rocky white head atop clear straw body. Aroma is moderately sweet, perfume/flower, some cardamom, light straw. Taste is moderately sweet, straw/grass, some spice, apricot, light acetone. Effervescent medium-full body.

33 cl Swing-top bottle. Pours cloudy straw-yellow color with huge, bubbleish white head that provides an impressive lacing. Spicy scent with coriander, mild grassiness, some citrus. Tasty selection of sweetish bready/biscuity malts and mainly grassy and secondary oily, piney character of the hops. Smooth, oily palate, balanced flavor profile, perfectly hidden alcohol level. The finish could be more lingering to enhance the experience. Not distinctly remarkable, but pleasantly smooth and tasty strong ale.