Bitter Truth
Brouwerij Het Alternatief

Bitter TruthBitter Truth
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From:
Brouwerij Het Alternatief
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian IPA
Ranked #53
ABV:
10%
Score:
86
Ranked #19,104
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 10.5%
Reviews:
35
Ratings:
58
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 10, 2022
Added:
Apr 25, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
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Ratings by DeanMoriarty:
Photo of DeanMoriarty
Reviewed by DeanMoriarty from California

4.12/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Picked up an 11.2oz bottle in a trade with Dawson's Liquor in Severna Park, MD and poured it into a tulip glass - thanks fellas!

A: Pours a hazy straw-like hue with a thick fluffy white head, leaving a ton of lace from start to finish, with a small amount of sediment at the bottom of my glass.

S: Sweet and earthy, fermented fruit and green apples, sourdough bread, with some booze and citrus hop in the mix as well.

T: Pretty on point with the nose, but there's some good malt flavor, maybe some candy sugar, and the hop is more noticeable and prevalent in the overall flavor. Overall pretty tasty brew, but to be honest, this doesn't really taste like a DIPA - the hop level is more of a standard Belgian IPA.

M: Medium-bodied, well carbonated (seems like champagne yeast), smooth and dry, with decent bitterness.

D: I enjoyed this as a sipper, and would definitely drink again, but one is enough per sitting.
Nov 30, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.56 by HopBelT from Belgium

Apr 10, 2022
 
Rated: 3.85 by 54V4G3 from Belgium

Mar 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.69 by desint from Belgium

Dec 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Anatole from Belgium

Aug 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.95 by mattfancett from England

Aug 26, 2014
Photo of mfnmbvp
Reviewed by mfnmbvp from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2 fl oz. bottle, with no apparent bottled on date present, just a coded sticker on the bottle. My first encounter with this beer and this brewery, acquired on sale at the local Binny's. Somewhat strange and disturbing bottle art, "a wholly unique Tripel IPA from brewmaster Piet Salomez".

Poured into a clear balloon snifter glass.

A - Definitely looks like a Belgian IPA. Huge five fingers of towering white froth with excellent staying power. Body is a nice burnt orange color, but turns browner once I dumped in the yeast sediment. Head is fluffy and creamy, and leaves behind fat fluffy rings of lace. Looks pretty nice to me.

S - Smell is unlike any sort of IPA I've smelled. Crisp champagne yeast presence, some white grape juice, some apple juice, pineapple, maybe just a hint of booze fumes & dusty malts. Some grassy earthy hop aromas do sort of creep out, but they are faint. A fairly subdued aroma, but nice.

T - Wow, I'm having a hard time describing this one. I guess it's more Tripel than it is IPA this time, but I'm still having a hard time expressing what I'm tasting. Some bubblegummy kind of fruitiness & sweet Hawaiian breadiness.

M - Feel is sticky and fruity, and dry, but all around pretty clean.

Overall, this was a strange strange beer for me, but I definitely enjoyed it. High 10.00% abv isn't noticeable at all. I wouldn't exactly call this bitter either, and it definitely doesn't taste like 70 IBU to me. An all around highly drinkable beer, one I would have again.

Brouwerij Het Alternatief The Bitter Truth ---4/5.
Sep 30, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Tertullian007 from Missouri

May 07, 2013
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

3.62/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 (or 11.2) oz bottle poured into a snifter

Pours a dingy, cloudy yellow with a smallish but persistent head. Smell is funky, lemony.

Taste is all over. Lemon and funk, just like the smell. Some mild hoppy spiciness. Some sweet breadiness.

Mouthfeel is dry but a little fizzy.

Overall, this is an interesting beer, and it's pretty good, and I'm glad I tried it. I definitely can't detect the level of alcohol printed on the side of the bottle.
Mar 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by UltimateLivewire from South Carolina

Feb 13, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by JeffreyJDavis from North Carolina

Oct 19, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by samEBC from Belgium

Sep 20, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by ReeseMax3 from Pennsylvania

Sep 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by t0rin0 from California

Sep 08, 2012
Photo of PhantasIPA
Reviewed by PhantasIPA from Delaware

3.97/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The appearance of this beer is very cloudy with a slightly golden color.

The smell is very earthy and wheaty mixed with a bitterness from the hops and a little bit of sweetness.

The taste is very sweet upfront, like grapes and brown sugar. Then the earthy tones come in followed by a nice wash of bitter hoppiness.

Mouthfeel is fine, it is a cloudy brew but still goes down smooth.
Carbonation is at a minimum.

Overall I like this beer. The balance of the brew is skewed a little bit to the sweet side; I was expecting more hop flavor but got a lot of grapes and brown sugar. Still a nice beer that is delightfully strong at 10%.
May 12, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Brewsed from North Carolina

Apr 28, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by polishkaz from Connecticut

Mar 30, 2012
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured from a bottle to a goblet. Had an orange color and a cloudy texture. There was an inch and a half of creamy, long-lasting head. Pretty good lacing.

S: A nice aroma of hops, yeast, and some citrus.

T: Like most Belgian IPAs, the hops content with this beer wasn't especially high, but definitely made its presence felt (the bottle indicated 70 IBUs). Also had a fair amount of yeast and malt, with a hint of citrus in the finish. A very well-balanced flavor.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: On the whole, a solid, very drinkable beer.
Mar 25, 2012
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a cloudy medium orange amber. Two finger fine white head and massive lacing. Sweet malt aroma with light fruit, Belgian spicing; slightly sour. Sweet caramel malt and light fruit followed by dark and light fruit and caramel. In the finish, turns dry with a hop kick and assertion of the Belgian spices. An odd progression of flavors, but works quite well. Pleasant medium body. An unusual Belgian ale that is a definite repeat.
Mar 09, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Mar 04, 2012
Bitter Truth from Brouwerij Het Alternatief
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 58 ratings