Berugii Kara No Chouhouin (Spy From Belgium)
Kyoto Brewing Company
- From:
- Kyoto Brewing Company
- Japan
- Style:
- American Amber / Red Ale
- ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- +9 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.46 | pDev: 0%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Oct 17, 2016
- Added:
- Oct 17, 2016
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
The last beer to be released in our recent string of hop experimentation beers is 'Berugii kara no Chouhouin' ("Spy from Belgium"), a Belgian-inspired amber ale made from 100% Belgian malt and 100% French hops.
A recent visit to Belgium showed us that there seems to be a sharp divide there between old-style and new-style Belgian brewing, with the former cherishing traditional methods and yeast-focused beers, while the latter incorporates more influence from the new myriad of styles and hop flavors mainly emanating from the craft beer revolution in the United States. This release embodies that dichotomy, with rich malt and yeast character typical of Belgian amber styles balanced by bitterness and fruity berry like aroma reminiscent of an American amber ale.
Malt Bill:
Pilsner (Belgium), Biscuit Malt (Belgium), Cara 50 (Belgium), Special B (Belgium)
Hops:
Bittering: Warrior
Flavor/Aroma: Mistral (France), Triskel (France), Barb Rouge (France)
Yeast: US-05 Belgian Ardennes
IBU: 25
Gas Volumes: 2.2
A recent visit to Belgium showed us that there seems to be a sharp divide there between old-style and new-style Belgian brewing, with the former cherishing traditional methods and yeast-focused beers, while the latter incorporates more influence from the new myriad of styles and hop flavors mainly emanating from the craft beer revolution in the United States. This release embodies that dichotomy, with rich malt and yeast character typical of Belgian amber styles balanced by bitterness and fruity berry like aroma reminiscent of an American amber ale.
Malt Bill:
Pilsner (Belgium), Biscuit Malt (Belgium), Cara 50 (Belgium), Special B (Belgium)
Hops:
Bittering: Warrior
Flavor/Aroma: Mistral (France), Triskel (France), Barb Rouge (France)
Yeast: US-05 Belgian Ardennes
IBU: 25
Gas Volumes: 2.2
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by amano_h from Oregon
3.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Like every one of Kyōto's beers, this one has a storied explanation to it as well; its name roughly translates to "the Spy from Belgium" and the idea for it was conceived while the folks from KBC was attending the Good Beer Feast, hosted by Brussels Beer Project around the same time I was in Den Haag.
In reflection of the current divide in the Belgian craft brew scene where one side still strictly adheres to the malt-heavy traditional Belgian style of brew with the other gravitating more toward incorporating the hop-intensive American flavor, KBC tried to reinterpret a hoppy American Amber Ale incorporating a decisively Belgian denomination to it; apparently this is brewed exclusive with Belgian-grown malts, KBC's house strain of Belgian Ardennes yeast, and for some reason, French hops.
The beer itself pretty much accomplishes what it sets out to do; it's roasty, with notes of toasted bread up front, joined by a tame bitterness which is later overpowered by notes of banana and cloves from the yeast. Whereas I won't argue that this isn't a "Belgian Amber Ale," I'm not quite sure if I'm a fan of the concept.
Oct 17, 2016In reflection of the current divide in the Belgian craft brew scene where one side still strictly adheres to the malt-heavy traditional Belgian style of brew with the other gravitating more toward incorporating the hop-intensive American flavor, KBC tried to reinterpret a hoppy American Amber Ale incorporating a decisively Belgian denomination to it; apparently this is brewed exclusive with Belgian-grown malts, KBC's house strain of Belgian Ardennes yeast, and for some reason, French hops.
The beer itself pretty much accomplishes what it sets out to do; it's roasty, with notes of toasted bread up front, joined by a tame bitterness which is later overpowered by notes of banana and cloves from the yeast. Whereas I won't argue that this isn't a "Belgian Amber Ale," I'm not quite sure if I'm a fan of the concept.
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