Bouillon De Houblon
East End Brewing Company

From a growler poured into my crazy french brandy snifter.

A- Body is a uniformly hazy, nearly opaque, golden yellow hue. Pours with a 2-3 finger foamy white head-but this eventually subsides to a thin collar with little lacing left behind in the glass.

S-Nose is mild to moderate and offers white grapefruit, floral hops, earthy hops, a musty yeast character as well as a citrus sweetness.

T- Citrus, floral hops, other light juicy fruity flavors and a slightly funky yeast backbone make up the initial flavor. The floral hops really come through for the finish as well as a blast of big citrus juiciness. What is left to linger is a moderate residual hop bitterness, a slight alcohol heat, and floral and citrus flavors.

M-Moderate tingly carbonation and medium to light weight slightly smooth yeasty, and quite juicy citrus body.

D- I love Belgian IPAs and this one is very well done. What I like about it the most is that the alcohol heat is minimal. The citrus really shines through in this one as well. Luckily I have the rest of the growler to polish off the next few days. Great homebrew! Pretty clear why this one the competition. Too bad its a one-off and won't ever be available again.

Thanks to akorsak for saving me a serving from his growler so I could try this special brew. An offering of my favorite style from one of my favorite breweries. Let's see how Scott interpreted this recipe. This is the winning recipe from the "Best of the 'Burgh" Bouillon De Houblon (aka "Hop Broth") a Belgian Style IPA recipe from Mike Moretti"

A-Lightly hazed copper kissed golden yellow with a surprising (considering it has been in an opened growler for almost a week!) thin white head that left spotty lace.

S-Nice combination of sweet candi sugar and a musty, earthy, floral hop pop. Notes of black pepper spiciness in the background.

T-BAM! With a pile driver to the palate this one rocks your mouth with a spicy, earthy hop bite that is oh so sharp. While the hop/yeast spice combo dominates the flavour profile a light balancing presence of candi sugar sweetness attempts to balance things out. Ends with a building black pepper zing.

M-Medium-light to medium bodied with a super sharp bite and an astringent finish. Long lingering bitterness.

D-Dingy, dang-doo this is GOOD stuff! Well, Scott nailed this one! As a connoisseur of this style I can safely say any Belgian brewer would be proud to hang their hat on this creation. Full of spice with some mediating sweetness this one is a near knockout! Well done!

Per East End's website: "Best of the 'Burgh Winner: Bouillon De Houblon (aka "Hop Broth") a Belgian Style IPA recipe from Mike Moretti..."

A: The growler is a golden straw color, opaque despite its pale hue. A yellow-brown autumn color emerges from the ale, especially when light is involved. The ale is well carbonated, generated a head of 1.5 fingers that threatened to overflow my glass on several occasions. Extensive lacing, as is common with many Belgian IPAs, ensued.

S: The Belgian IPA doesn't lack for either tripel or IPA aromas. The tripel side is sweet with candi sugars and yeast. Both aromas cover up any booziness. IPA aromas, earthy and floral, aren't as strong as the tripel, at least in the nose.

T: The IPA flavors take their vengeance in the first few sips, delivering an earthy hop bite that is pungent and sharp. Tripel flavors, yeasty and sweet, are a strong contrast to the hops. As each sip swirls around, candi sugars and earthy hops drive the flavor to the next level. The complexity of the flavors is very good. To top everything off, a dose of black pepper sits at the end of each sip. A beer like this re-affirms my love of Belgian IPAs. A very much deserving best of the 'Burgh.

M: The mouthfeel runs all over the place, from tripel to IPA to dastardly combination of the two. A flourish of peppery heat at the end of each sip is a nice diversion.

D: I'm gonna finish this growler off today, like it or not. Nothing beats a good Belgian IPA and this one is definitely good.