Poperings Hommel Bier
Leroy Breweries

4.18/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

January 19th, 2014 - My first visit to Brabant in South Park puts me in touch with a refreshingly novel list of Belgian Brews. San Diego's beer scene is rich with hops, but anemic with the traditional Belgians. This is a beer between blonde and brunette, with a fine head, and a powerful smell of banana and clove, not unlike a hefeweizen. The stand out quality is the flavor, which is beautifully and symphonically mild and balanced. Simmered pears and toasted bread appear on the tongue, with subtler touches of sesame oil and almond, and each sip refreshes this delightful flavor. I could drink a barrel of this, and it's at that point I recognize why the Belgian monks in posters and art always look so cheerful and so round.

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3.5/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From old, undated notes; poured from the bottle.

Murky yellow-orange color.

Nice white head; frothy lace.

Black pepper & bread notes in the nose. Interesting.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

Pleasant mild bread, yeast & hop flavors.

Decent enough, but far from memorable. I'm not likely to have another.

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3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

L- Rich gold colour, clear, thin white head and lacing.
S- Mildy fruity and some citrus.
T- A zesty edge, some mild fruits and light citrus.
M- Good carbonation. Fruity richness but refeshing.
O-Delicious, lovely balance, the 'distinct power' of a well made 7.5% comes through, and argubaly seems higher than that.
Enjoyed with lunch at the Belgian Monk reataurant in Norwich, UK.

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4.49/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

Slightly dull looking body, but a nice bronze to shimering brown color. Slightly clear, with a nice absolutely bursting column of carbonation in the center. Large rocking and chunk head. Clumping at a plus three finger height with island retention, sheets of lacing, and billowing merringue quality. Just a classic looking Belgian.

Aroma just explodes. Light sugars, with touches of even vanilla and a sharp mixing earthy tone of hops. Wine like and estery fruity flavors run all over with an excellent sweetness. Marmalde on toast. Bitter pith and crackling honey like sweetness with big chewy malt depth.

Palate is just a big blast. Light bodied, almost wine quality in mouthfeel but with a huge punch of flavors. Bitter tasting melon mixing with an almost dark caramel quality. Tonic water flavors mixing with light candy sucrose, and lemon lime character. Light touches of marmalade, mixing with thyme and light green herbs in the mix as well.

A great classic tasting Belgian ale, with lots of diverse flavor.

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4.05/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had on tap. The cracker and orange aromas lead with belgian yeasts and spices following. The hops are present, but are not overbearing, typical for style, allowing more room for citrus fruits and yeast to play. Mellow mushroom and metal are an odd aftertaste, but not enough to ruin.

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4.09/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Taste: big sourdough bread, zesty yeast, super dry finish. Same with the nose. Golden hue, unfiltered, tall white head, broken ring lattice. medium/full body.

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4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml, corked and caged bottle. Marked with a 7 and a 13 on the bottle, which I am assuming means bottled on July of 2013. Got it on sale for $2/bottle!

I am impressed with this five-year-old 7.5% Belgian pale ale. It has a great malty aroma, is incredibly smooth, and has a generous amount of Belgian-style flavor. There is a drop off in the flavor in the finish--as if it is old--but I am not dinging the beer for that. With the exception of the 7.5% ABV, this is a great table beer.

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3.63/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I was expecting much more from this beer due to the good reviews on here. Maybe the bottle I have is a bit old?
Not that hoppy I wouldn't call it an IPA. Very estery and grainy. An average belgian pale ale

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4.99/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is decisively the best I have ever tried in Belgium apart from West Vleteren! It is rich in aroma, taste and after taste! Beautifully balanced and rewarding. Strong feeling of freshness and no alcoholic overtones! Only available locally or through mail order. Surprisingly inexpensive! I like it so much that I signed up here in order to share it with you!

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3.87/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy light gold color with solid white cap and lacing.

Aroma of homemade yeast bread with something slightly sweet and fruity like a ripe pear in the background.

Taste is a beautifully complex melange of flavors that to me match the aroma yet the whole is more complex and elegant. It took about half a glass to realize the ABV was 7.5% but that was in feel as there is no apparent alcohol in the flavor. Hops are just enough to provide a balancing bitterness and become a bit bolder by the finish and into the aftertaste.

Full texture and balancing carbonation.

Overall another fine Belgian Blonde that upholds the traditions of that remarkable brewing Country.

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4.4/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cloudy, straw color that, frankly worried me. But all up from there. I smell sweet that makes me think of fruit, but I can't say which. But its a good aroma. Taste is very nice. A little sweet, but not annoying. For a strong beer, not bitter and does not taste of alcohol. Light and smooth going down. Overall, a very good beer. Easy to drink while packing a good wallop.

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4.19/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

a classic of the world that i have somehow missed until now. exciting to find it on tap too! really pasty washed out straw color, a little haze and a lot of head, looks belgian for sure, much paler than anticipated for whatever reason, looks really light, creamy, and lively. aroma is great, a grassy hop complexion that has some light bitterness to it, a dried tea-like herbaceous quality, also i assume from the hops, and a really nice belgian yeast strain thats not too ester heavy, but has some of that classic belgian spiciness to it, a wonderful pairing with the hops, and it translates into the flavor as well. this is as much yeast driven as it is by the hops, thats for sure, crackery and bready but soft and light and very dry by the end. creamy feeling though, expansive and bursting with carbonation, super active, refreshing even for its strength. some light hop bitterness to finish, but the yeast outlasts it, super highly refined. this is exactly what i am into right now, these hoppy belgian types, and the mild nature of this is such a nice contrast to the american made belgian styles like this that just let everything run like crazy. this was very very good, and i will look forward to my next glass of it!

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4.18/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Well well, this one is a surprise, from the hoppy excess presented on the label, I was expecting to be hit by a houblon buffon!

This pours exactly as you would expect having finished it's conditioning in the bottle, full of sediment and a hazy body with a short lived head.

Aroma is a light biscuit of all things, no real sign of those hops!

Taste is great, a real combination of slightly ripe fruit, and again no real hops to be sensed.

Aftertaste is good, and the feel is of a light but pleasing effervescence. 7.5% abv is solid and seems to be par for the course for the hoppy Belgians.

This is the best of them so far, better than the Leffe, better than the La Chouffe, Duvel tripel hop?, close call.

Overall one for the connoisseurs.

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3.59/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle to a goblet
A - A rich gold with a thick white head and some brown deposit floating around
S - Biscuit malts, perfumed and piney hops
T - Some sweetness
M - Rich carbonation but not exaggerated
O - An IPA without too much grapefruit nor bitterness

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3.9/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass at the World of Beer in Pooler, GA. The appearance is a gold color with a small white head. The aroma is a sweet mix of fruit. The taste is fruit driven with some caramel malt.

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4.06/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had it on tap at Belgian B Cafe, NYC.
Pours an amber orange with a frothy head. Cap retains well. Lots of lacing.
A unique bouquet of muted tropical fruit flavors, along with a faint musky quality; pear, papaya, passion fruit, even coconut milk. Floral, honeysuckle and vanilla bean. Light spice, lemony twang and, at times, a faint metallic aroma.
The taste is somewhat different. The palate is dry, earthy, rustic, grassy, herbal and mineral like. Light cracker malt backbone.
Some sweetness in the finish. The hops presence is of some significance as it provides an herbal and grassy feel and a touch of bitterness. Medium bodied and velvety in the mouth feel.
It feels more like a hoppy Belgian Pale Ale than a Belgian IPA. Nevertheless, an interesting brew I'm glad I tried.

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4.09/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Hazy very pale gold with three fingers of fifteen minute head retention. Rings of lace follow the drop of the liquid.
Smell is yeast malts spicy hops.
Taste is yeast malt sweetness medium bitter spicy hops.
Mouthfeel is light with alright carbonation. Finish is lightly dry and mildly bitter.
Overall an excellent beer but a bit expensive. A special treat if you will.

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3.56/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Best before November 2017.

Pours a clear light gold with loads of foam that settles to aboot a half inch.

Smells of earthy malt with spicy and grassy hops. The sweet side could be also an addition of honey.

Tastes like it smells. Almost. I taste some bready/cracker in addition to the earth and honey. Bitterness does translate to light spicing and grass. Even keeled beer here and pretty drinkable. I like it.

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4.21/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

23.07.2016
Poperings hommel bier
Belgian IPA – 7.5% - 330ml bottle - Best before 17.05.2018

From the hommel bier website:
Since many centuries the Southern part of West-Flanders has been known as an Agricultural region, with a solid reputation for its grains and also for the hops.
During World War I the entire region around Ieper was completely bombarded to the ground. Life as we knew it, and all economical and agricultural activities came to an end. This black page in our history was maybe best described, by the Canadian poet Lt Colonel John McCrae (1872 –1918) in his World famous “on Flanders fields”
Shortly after the great war, with a lot of hard work, people rebuild the area and after a while the hops have replanted in the Poperinge region. Very soon we were able to harvest the hops (hops is called hommel in our dialect)and the production and export started again. This interesting history is well illustrated in the Poperings hop museum: www.hopmuseum.be
Every 3 years the city of Poperinge has a Hops procession, and by the end of the 70’s they decided that they were looking for a worthy ambassador to represent the hops culture. Combining al his knowledge and craftsmanship Karel Leroy introduced in 1981 poperings hommelbier, that immediately shook the Beer world.
This top fermented Ale with refermentation on the bottle can’t be compared with any other type of ale and is therefore known as a Special Ale.
This refreshing gold colored ale has a honeysuckle sweetness that is nicely balanced by a full solid hops bill. It also has a late, spicy, cumin-seed, dryness, that amazingly enough never gives you a dry after mouth feeling.

Appearance: Perfectly clear, golden ale with a white head that dropped from 3 fingers and fluffy to just keeping the surface of the beer covered and sing fluffy around the edges. A mixture of tiny bubbles on outside of glass and large ones in centre make up the carbonation.

Aroma: Fruity, yeasty notes of apples and oranges. Some citrus fruits from the hops and also some sweet honey notes are present.

Taste: As with the aroma, its juicy oranges upfront, then a little sweetness before a moderately bitter finish. Alcohol is very well hidden. A very refreshing beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, a little prickly from the carbonation, leaves the palate dry.

Overall: Throughly enjoy this one. A lovely, refreshing, well balanced ale that hides its ABV. of 7.5% very well. Could sink a few of these on a Summer’s afternoon.

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3.95/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

From the 330 ml. bottle with an expiration date of 08/04/2017. Sampled on July 9. 2016.

It pours most amber-orange with a slight cloud and a modest white head.

Big sweet and toasted malt aroma with a hint of green grapes but also an interesting moss-like character. Low hop profile but I get some spice.

Medium body.

Sweet toasted taste up front with an herbal finish that linger for a short moment. Quite delightful actually.

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3.76/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

On tap in Greenville, SC.
Slightly hazy golden body with a very good if bubbly head.
Lightly funky and yeast flavor with an attractive aroma that doesn't match.
fruity. Medium-light body.moderately bitter aftertaste.

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3.87/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled
Slightly hazy yellow body with white head that retreats to the edge of the glass
Aroma of burnt sugar and hints of sour pear
Caramel and sour flavour but muted compared to aroma
Solid beer

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4.12/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Looks like a classic, big rocky head and blonde. Smells mostly of malt driven to the fruity side by a good yeast, but I pick up enough hops. Taste is hoppy as advertised, but it is so refined and well-balanced that the hops do not set me off kilter. A certain sweetness that may come from the brewer's sugar. And Feel is a dry... dry and some sweet.
OA: This went well with a light summer meal and a spicy tomato sauce on pasta. Actually, Hommel Bier reminded of several spicy saisons; a compliment since I consider saisons one of the best styles to complement food.

Poperings Hommel is on the "1001" list and deserves to be. It is a balanced beer that uses lots of hops but, then, they don't over-assert themselves. When that happens, the beer is at least good. When the yeast is as good Poperings, then that beer is a good friend.

2/18/18 Had again with an array of leftovers; some of which had lots of butter-fat that the hops helped cut through. This is a very versatile ale. I will be glad if I revisit this again in a few years.

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3.6/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Grassy aroma and flavor on this beer. This is straight from the hops growing region of Belgium, but the hops aren’t overdone. This is very smooth for a Belgian Ale, no bite to it, but still very good.

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4.04/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: pale to medium amber, hazy, 1 finger yeasty head which disappears fast 3.5/5
S: flowers, honey, dought, cheese undertone 3.75/5
T: citrus, grapefurit, grass, honey, pleasant amount of bitterness, spiciness, belgian yeast, bread, cheese, molasses, dry 4.25/5
M: medium body, soapy, slightly oily, good amount of carbonation 4.25/5
O: well balanced beer to enjoy itsel, might pair well with pasta with cream sauce, fish, fried and salty food 4/5

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