Brasserie Lefebvre's Hopus

I think I'll devote this month to Belgian Beers. Why, you ask? THEY ARE AWESOME, that's why.



Brewery: Brasserie Lefebvre
Beer: Hopus
Style: Beglian Strong Ale
ABV: 8.3%
Price: ~$4-$5 USD for 330ml bottle

This beer pours a light hazy golden color with the a fluffy white head that never seems to diminish. The aroma very sweet/malty, with a buttery hop presence. Flavor is very sweet, with hints of coriander. The finish is somewhat spicy, dry, maybe even acidic. Texture is somewhere between medium and heavy.The aftertaste is quite nice, a combo of malty sweet and hop bitterness.

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 13/20

Final Score: 33/50

La Trappe Quadrupel

What's better than a trappist quadrupel? Not much my friend, not much. La Trappe is the only trappist brewery not located in Belgium. Fun fact, there are only 7 trappist breweries. Let's see what these monks have come up with.

Brewery: De Koningshoeven (La Trappe)
Beer: Quadrupel
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
ABV: 10.0%
IBU: 25
Price: $5-6 11.2oz bottle, $11-$12 25.4oz bottle

This beer pours a deep copper, almost red color with two fingers worth of off white head. Aroma is full of dark fruits (plums, pears, and cherries come to mind). This beer has a very deep and complex aroma, full of deep esters. Flavor is sweet, fruity, with a hint of spice from the yeast. The aftertaste is plums and alcohol. Body is medium with a good amount of carbonation.

Aroma: 9/10
Appearance: 5/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall Score: 17/20

Final Score: 42/50

Hoppin' Frog's Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale

Since summer is here, it's time to pound out a new round of seasonals. You might be asking yourself, wtf is a shandy? I pondered the same thing as I stood in line for a beer at a baseball game last summer. I was greeted with a beer that resembled lemonade. Today I shall be reviewing Hoppin' Frogs Shandy, which happened to be bottled this week (SUPER FRESH!).

Brewery: Hoppin' Frog
Beer: Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 7
Price: $7-$8 per 22oz bottle ($28 at progressive field, eek!)

This beer pours a light shade of gold with a thin white head. Aroma is sweet with lemon being the only thing I can detect. Flavor is lemony with a hint of maltiness, has a very sweet aftertaste. The body medium with light carbonation. Note to self, this beer goes down easy, especially on a hot summer day. A 22oz bottle of beer @ 7% ABV + dehydration from being outside is a bad combo.

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall Score: 12/20

Final Score: 31/50

Something different...an unreleased, unnamed batch of beer

An opportunity came up recently, one that allowed me to get my hands on a sample of beer that won't be released for production until next year. To make it more mysterious, I won't reveal the brewery, or its potential name, just to keep your imagination running wild.

Brewery: ████████████
Beer: ████████████
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.4%
IBU: 60-70?
Price: Not set yet

This beer pours a pitch black with a thin, dark tan head consisting of the tiniest bubbles conceivable. The aroma is mostly whiskey, with chocolate, roastiness, and caramel in the background. Flavor is balanced between whiskey and chocolate. The aftertaste is mostly chocolate. Mouthfeel is heavy, the beer leaves a thin black film on the glass. As this beer warms, the alcohol becomes noticeable. If you love a good aged stout that is not sweet, nor bitter, with a bold flavor, ████████████ from ████████████ brewery is a beer to look out for in the future.

Aroma: 9/10
Appearance: 5/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 5/5
Overall Score: 18/20

Final Score: 46/50

Old Man Pale Ale

I thought I'd change things up this time, and share a recipe I've made for the ultimate session pale ale. This recipe leans on the malty side, making it great transition for those who are only familiar with piss water.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Safale US-05
Yeast Starter?: No
Batch Size: 6.0 Gal
Original Gravity: 1.055
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU's: 23
Boil: 60 minutes
Fermentation: 65F for 3 weeks

Grain Build
9 lbs 2-row malt
2 lbs Vienna malt
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal 20L malt

Mashing (Batch sparge)
I use 1.33qt/lb, using hard water
1 hour @ 152F, drain
10 minutes @ 170F, drain

Hop Additions
60 min, 1.5oz Cascade 5.5%AA
20 min, 0.5oz Cascade 5.5%AA
05 min, 0.5oz Cascade 5.5%AA

Other Additions
15min, 1/2 whirlfloc tablet

Bottle Carbonation
4.3oz table sugar to achieve 2.3 volumes of CO2,
let sit at room temp for 3 weeks to fully carbonate
keep in fridge for another week to prevent chill haze

or

Keg Carbonation
10-11psi @ 40F, ready in 1-2 weeks

This recipe costs about $20 to make 6 gallons
If you are bottling, this recipe has a 6 week turnover rate.
If you are kegging, you can knock that down to 4-5 weeks.