Toria
De Hoevebrouwers

Colour: golden, hazy. White, finely bubbled foam, high and persistent, unfortunately only slightly marks the glass.
Aroma: typical Belgian notes, coriander, some hay, maybe even a sweet banana.
Taste: similar to the aroma, spicy and herbal, coriander, a little lemon, in the finish I had the impression that it was slightly salty.
Bitterness: light and a little bland. Saturation: high, effervescent and pleasant.
27.02.2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is hazy golden yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. The bottle itself was a gusher and started foaming as soon as the cap was removed. It ended up pouring into a snifter glass with a two finger high white head that took a long time to die down, but never completely faded away leaving a thin head covering the surface and lots of lacing running down the sides of the glass..
S: There are moderately strong aromas of yeast and honey in the nose along with some hints of spices.
T: The taste is similar to the smell except that the yeast flavors are a little more prominent.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate to high amount of carbonation. No dryness is perceptible.
O: This beer is easy to drink and nearly matches the complexity of a Belgian Strong Pale Ale.

 

Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured a hazy golden yellow with a two finger white fluffy head that subsided to a minimal amount very slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, banana, cream, and wood. The flavor was of sweet malt, wheat, fruit, banana, and bread. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. While this one was refreshing, it just seemed to hold back on complexity. This was really disappointing as I wanted this one to shine based on the style. Granted it did do decently for the style it was brewed for, but just didn’t stand out unfortunately. Worth trying, but I would leave it at that.

A: Pours a hazy gold with a thick, billowing white head that laces deep into the glass.

S: Aromas of spiced apples, biscuits, grass, lemon, and spicy, funky yeast are present on the nose. Smells very floral and spicy, but also very inviting.

T: A tart, citrusy entry quickly reveals notes of lemon, biscuits, caramel, grass, anise, fennel, bitter orange, spiced apples, and spicy yeast. The finish is flavorful and relatively long with an abundance of yeast, lemon, biscuit, and spiced apple flavors.

M: Medium-bodied, firm, and dry. Carbonation is expressive, remaining crisp with a delicate touch toward the finish. Perfectly balanced for the style.

O: This is an awesome Belgian pale ale that blows many beers of this type out of the water. If you lean toward the impression that Belgian pales are bland and generic, this beer will likely change your mind. Highly recommended.

A - beautiful eggshell white head, golden straw hazy yellow in color

S - floral, yeasty, hoppy fruity, fantastic floral aroma that just begs for another sniff...

T - oh Jesus, perfect 50/50 blend of pale ale and Belgium, slight cream, slight tang, as hops appear to take over as it finishes with dellish yeasty fruitiness instead..

D - Overall, exactly what a 50/50 blend of a pale ale and fantastic Belgium, I can't get over how perfect of s blend it is. Not overly hoppy as a pale, not overly Belgium as a Belgium, can't really describe how well done this beer is...I'm on my 3rd and feeling like this could be my beer of the year

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a slightly hazy gold color with fairly decent head retention and lacing. Really do not get a lot on the nose, just some light orange citrus and honey. Flavors replicate the nose pretty closely, except the beer has some nice hoppy bitterness in the finish. This beer is fairly dry, though there's enough light sweet malt to counter the hoppy bitterness. Mouthfeel is fairly light in this pleasant, easy drinking beer. Alcohol is not at all noticeable, and so drinkability is pretty good.

A nice enough Belgian pale ale....

Imported by Twelve Percent LLC, Brooklyn, NY. The label reads "brewed by De Hoevebrouwers, at Brouwerij De Graal, Brakel, Belgium". It appears to be notched "best by" 12-2010.

Carefully poured to leave the lees behind, it's a remarkably clear light-gold. I can see my fingerprints through the glass! (Of course this bottle sat for some time in the fridge, allowing the sediment to compact). The head retention is very good: a fairly thick head rose up initially, and then settled to a frothy 3/4" cap... then dwindled to a 1/2" cap... and finally just a pile of foam in the center of a thin but solid surface covering. A curtain of almost solid lace was left where the initial head had risen up to. Very nice.

The aroma is yeasty with notes of chalk over a sweetish, grainy malt base that's accented by floral tones.

The flavor initially expresses some solid bitterness amidst the doughy malt, and then it becomes sweeter as it warms across the middle. The floral notes return, and there's a delicate note of vanilla. It's no longer sweet, but balanced. In the finish the bitterness that was initially so eager to show itself has suddenly faded, and although it's still there it's more about gentle, lingering dryness. A flicker of alcohol helps with that, and probably the floral notes as well.

Quite nice, and pretty interesting in the way it appears across the palate. Nicely done!

11.2 oz. bottle at refrigerator temperature poured into a snifter.

A - Hazy golden straw-colored body with a full, creamy white head.

S - Herbal, fruity, and musky. A touch of minerality (maybe from the water used in brewing?). Very soft malt character, with a subtle hop pungency and bitterness. The herbal notes call to mind sage, marjoram, and a touch of thyme. As I bring the brew to my lips, the most prominent notes are those of musk and herbs.

T - Very dry and crisp, with a very light touch of Belgian-yeast sweetness on the finish. The herbal notes from the nose take backseat here to the dry flavor profile, but they are definitely still there, beckoning to be brought out by the right complementary food.

M - Very well carbonated. A real palate cleanser with a long, enjoyable finish. Fairly light-bodied.

D - Delightful. My kind of summer quaffer. This is the kind of brew that shines on its own, but would really be at its best with food. I'd pair this with a buttery fish like monkfish or a classic - herbed roasted chicken with vegetables. Either way, the crisp, delicately hopped flavor profile and herbal, musky aromatics would shine.

I had out of a short, stubby, 12 ounce bottle.
A- God color, fairly opaque, with great lace and a solid foam head.
S- Excellent wheat scent to it.
T- Very smokey, wheat beer. There's definitely a doughy and sugar aftertaste to it. Very carbonated that hits the palate hard. It's a very interesting Wit (?) kind of beer.

Pours a very hazy pale golden color, similar to a Wit, with a huge rocky pure white head that left some chunky ass lacing on the side of the glass. The aroma is of clove and banana, some lemon and hay, very nice. Again, banana and clove appear in the flavor, though not as pronounced as in the aroma. Some noticable candi sugar, lighty grassy hop, and green grapes. The feel is light to moderate, with fizzy carbonation, finishes sweet but not at all cloying. Almost feels bigger than it is, solid malt body with a nice yeast and candi sugar presence. Good sample of the style.

Pours a quite foggy orange gold. Decent head. Nose is spices and dough. Flavor seems heavy on the spices. Minor dough and an overall earthy tone. Seems to morph into a heavier dough tone with spices to back it up. Carbonation nips a bit too much at the tongue IMO. Liquid is decently bodied. Another nice ale from this brewery. Let it warm a bit before you go for it though.