Poperings Hommelbier

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

Cloudy orange with a huge, thick white head. The aroma had a little sweet mustiness, but the main impression was yeast. So too with the taste: fruit was there, possibly citric, a dash of alcohol, and barrowloads of yeast. Once I caught an echo of malt. No bitterness. No hard feelings. Not my kind of beer.

Pour is a cloudy yellow with a huge white head. Aroma is quite spicy and hoppy. Flavor is typical Belgian stong,not that there is anything wrong with that. Lots of banana with some yeastyness and a certain spice to it. Very tasty and pleasing to the sences.

pours cloudy golden with a decent sized fizzy head, aroma of citrus, belgian style spices, sweet malts. Flavor is carbonated, sweet, smooth, nice hoppiness, fruity, citrusy. Good body, good brew.

Bottled 0,33L. Creamy and dense foam, medium persistence. Orange clearly color, enough fizz and lightly hazy one. Much rich and cool scent; notes of wine cellar, must, honey and caramel. Long persistence nose. Medium pungent and wrapping taste, good alcoholic tone, balanced and without excesses. Harmonious and with clear mildew notes on the end. A lot perfumed and with an extended final. Surprising.

On tap @ sharp edge...Looks like a tripel...but guess it isn’t. Color is a pale gold with a decent white head. Smell is very sweet and fruity...with a bit of yeast. Taste is pretty damn good...lots of fruit and spice, a bit of malt, and some hoppy character. Mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing.

Pleasing discovery from the Sydney pre-Xmas gathering - glad I’ve got one in the cupboard. Unfortunately, the notes are starting to suffering from the long afternoon / night of tasting, so I’ll be fairly terse. Pours a slightly cloudy orange with a nice full head. Sherberty lemon aroma, with a bit of a floral tilt. A bit tart on tasting, but with a great depth of body. Very nice.

cloudy white ale with lace of mixed spiced aroma. a little sweet and a little exotic, it’s creamy and well balanced in a very alien sense. nice brew.

I was very surprised to find this beer worthy of a milestone, yet here I am rating it as my 800th beer.

Bottle pours a <a href=http://www.workinlate.com/images/beer/hommel. buttery copper with a column of champagne effervescence motivating dark, dander-sized particulate to lift, sink and dance while a white head lingers creamily above like a soft, snowy blanket. Aroma finds yeasts and malts pairing as well as caramel on an apple, except here we first find a strong presence of green banana later opening to sweet caramel, incense and orange. Sour and metallic, its initial tang did not introduce the flavor as well as I’d anticipated. Smoke emerges thereafter within a fluffy mouth providing a ray of hope. Next, yeasts with their fruits, clove and spice bring a slow smile to my face. Finally the malts with a candied caramel chewiness have me nodding in agreement. As it warms the flavors meld and thin, returning once again with some fleeting metallica to finish with a staccato clap of bitter finishing hops.

If a word could describe a beer, Poperings Hommel could be defined as "symphonic"... with a talented orchestra of aromas and flavors taking the taster on a journey upwards from mediocrity, on through to a heavenly yet orderly experience of malts, yeasts and hops, then back down to earth leaving a feeling of awe and inspiration. Bravo!

<font size=-4>Purchased at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Chicago, IL 60638<font size=-1>