Hapkin

Brewed by Alken-Maes (Heineken)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Jumet, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Clear golden ale. Thick white head, big bubbles. Nose is dry, hop-bitter, spices, maybe medicinal. Taste is quite dry, but underlying sweetness. Spicey, fruity, yeast. Mouthfeel dominated by the dryness, not very full. No adstringency. Aftertaste consists of restrained bitterness, building up, without ever fully losing the sweet founding. One of Belgiums' better Duvel challengers. With the takeover of Louwaege by ScotCourage, probably due for extinction. See also Thouroutenaere. This bottle BBd: 5/04

My Bottom Line:
Dry straw and timid grassy hops are balanced within this expansive carbonation and slender body. There’s nothing hedonistically wrong with this Duvel knock-off wannabe.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-Frothy foam bobs atop the hazy pale golden.
-It finishes quite dry, but the hops don’t rise enough.
-The haystack/straw hat component is crunchy and satisfying.
-This is clean, drinkable, flawless, but not memorable by any means.

Bottle; best before Sept.’07.

Yeasty Belgium. Grassy with corriander spice on tongue. Creamy head, Boldly hopped, creamy feel on tongue, grainy. Finishes on sweeter side, with subtle fruitiness. Some astringent sour fruit aftertaste.

Golden colour with a big white head. Light sweet herbal aroma and a sweet spicy taste. Medium body and a sweet finish.

Bottle from Super Saver. Hazy yellowish pour, with aroma of hopcit, floral spices, lemongrass. The flavor is citric, lemongrassy, with floraql and spicy finishing notes. Lively, very carbonated palate.

A 1cm sheet of egg shell white stay forever on top of the deep murky golden hue with lots of sediments, just like I love them, intense glass coating capacity. Boastful saaz reaches the nose, very floral, marrying the delicate honeyed maltiness. Okay, not the most complex Belgian beer around, but it’s still in my genre, a nice little herbal, algae like tartness kicks in as it warms, as well as a sweetness I usually associate with vanilla flavoured waffles, probably from the biscuity pils malt paired with a wheaty feel though I doubt they use any. Finishes a bit shorter than I expected, the biscuit aspects seem to limit the noble bitterness. Very smooth on the tongue, silky palate. Reaching room temp, a surprising wamth reaches the mind, possibly enhanced by the still active small bubbles. Medium bodied, at best, it feels smaller than it is, leaving just a souvenir of those fragrant, crisp saaz hops.

Bottled Bruges 03-11-05. Quite a poky golden Belgian ale, large white frothy head, have to agree with some of the others very Duvel like in style, not bad at all.

Bottle. High white creamy lasting head. Clear yellow body. Distinct barley malt aroma. Weak and mild malt flavor with low hops bitterness.

Bottle, thanks to someone... Golden, white head. Hoppy,metallic aroma, some fruits. Maty and somewhat yeasty flavor, spicy notes and some hops as well.

Bottle. Pours a golden orange body with a big white head. This was probably poorly kept at super saver what else is new. Some pepper spice, floral spicy hops, moth, and an ugly metallic tin character. Okay so its not that bad, i’ve had worse from super saver.