Poperings Hommelbier

Brewed by Van Eecke
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Poperinge-Watou, Belgium

Unclear yet bright orange with a huge lasting and lacing head. Powerful aroma of malt (candy floss?) and a good herbal, spicy & flowery hoppiness. Very balanced. Nice.

Draft at the Blind Tiger. Light gold color with thin head. Aroma of some grainy malt, some tartness, and floral hops. The flavor is pretty much the same, not too tart. Not too memorable, but definitely seems more of a saison than a belgian strong.

Smells grassy. Looks gorgeous against a back light. Tastes surprisingly lite considering the alcohol%. While undeniably present the above average alc% is not overwhelming. Lovely beer but a bit expensive. EDIT: 03/20/08. Aroma is lite for a Strong Belgian. Matter of fact its not that more telling than a typical Lager/Pilsner/Ale. Appearance is equally deceiving in the same sense. However it appears to be much MUCH more lively. Theres all these little specs of sediment suspended in it and it really ads to the look of it. Beautiful. TASTE! At 7.5% alcohol it really seems more like a 6-6.5 IPA. Never had a Strong Belgian anywhere near this. I think Ive rediscovered my new favorite Belgian Strong Ale. Bumping up the scores at least 1.

In short: Refreshing Belgian blonde ale that has both a Saison and Witbier twist to it.
How: Bottle 330ml, about 6 months old.
The look: Cloudy blonde body with a rather large white head.
In long: Very yeasty beer that has a Saison-ish quality to it. Floral nose. Lots of citrus hops essence (dry-hopping?). Assortment of typical spices (coriander and friends), maybe a bit too much of them. Bananas, vanilla, mint and a little lemony. Rather tart. Very refreshing. This is a highly drinkable beer, probably my favourite by Van Eecke, I love you guys, in a platonic manner of course, I’m into Hommelbier not Homo beer.

11.2 oz Bottle-trade w/pepsican. Poured a golden color w/a moderate white head. Nice looking brew, good Belgian aroma. Had some sweetness to it, little bit of cane sugar, figs, some floral hops. Did have a little bit of a metalic aftertaste, but wasn’t too off putting. Solid, but not spectacular, Belgian. Thanks Andy!!

Bottiglia da 33cl comprata da Ciobì, versa color biondo scuro con buona schiuma persistente. Aroma inebriante, favoloso, carezzevole e floreale; il luppolo fresco domina anche il sapore con note erbacee di complessità notevole, sapore che inizia però piacevolmente dolce e maltato; corpo leggero ma non acquoso. Fantastica, erano mesi che non mi capitava una cosa del genere fra le mani... ma non l’avevo già assaggiata??? Comincio ad avere il dubbio che fosse questa la mia ’scelta’ (aiutata da Sergio) ad Halloween dell’anno scorso. Se così è, buon anniversario Poperings Hommelbier; in caso contrario, grandissima scoperta.

I was pretty excited by the appearance and aroma of this beer, but was pretty severely disappointed with my first (and second, third, etc) sip at the taste. I wouldn’t recommend this beer. This beer poured a hazy orange with a towering cumulus-cloud head of miniscule bubbles that reminded me of Duvel’s head. Aromas I got were a bit odd, but the aroma was the high-point of this beer...I got something that reminded me of dirty socks, a sour fruit (like sour cherry) smell, and some lemon zest. Flavor was thin and highly cereal-y, and this cerealness lingered in the back of my mouth in an unpleasant way. Mouthfeel was a bit thin. Overall I was not impressed with this. Not recommended.

33 cl bottle from Plaza Liquor - Pours a hazy golden color with a two finger thick white head. Nice lacing. Aroma is light yeast, esters, and light spice. Flavor is full of esters. Has a sharp, dry palate. Light to medium body. A good beer.