Jopen Adriaan Witbier

Jopen
Brewed at Brouwerij Huyghe
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Haarlem, Netherlands

Serve in Tumbler, Weizen

Mile lemony aroma, Cloudy golden appearance. Complete lack of carbonation and drinks like a lemondade. Taste of citrus, almost like fresca and ends with slightly bitter spicy tones. Would be nice on hot summer’s day but could use some maltiness. Still a unique brew.

This beer is one of the main reasons that I am glad I’ve expanded my horizons and am trying and rating many different beers. Sometimes you win, some you lose, but always an adventure. Similar to Gose, this beer had a style and taste all its own. Poured to a hazy orange-gold with medium off-white head that lingered well and left okay lacing. Then things got interesting. The aroma was a strange mixture of seemed to be apples, green vegetables and unknown spices. Since I did not read anything on this prior to tasting, I actually thought it would be classified as a Vegetable/Herb beer. The flavor of this beer followed suit perfectly, as I tasted several different tastes at different times, again centered around vegetables and fruits. And while the 5% alcohol never made itself known in either aroma or taste, the finish was fairly long, though not real thrist quenching. This was not a beer I could drink all the time, or a lot of, but a unique experience that I’m glad I had.

This ale pours a slightly cloudy orange gold color from a 12oz bottle. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is fruit (pears and peaches) and spices (coriander and pepper). A light bodied ale. Malts are very fruity and sweet. Not hoppy since it’s a gruit. Lots of spices balance this ale out, coriander, pepper and ginger. It’s a touch floral and earthy as well. Light tasting, it’s very wit like, but there is a lot of flavors; some tea, fruit sweetness and spices compare and contrast in this beer. Interesting, but I am not sure I would want to drink this one a lot. Well worth trying though. Mouthfeel is a touch thin. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Poured a hazy light yellow with a small white head. Fruity and herbal spiced. Light sweet malt. Lightly tart sweet and spiced flavor.

from crackedkettle.com - hazy golden-orange colour with a large white head; perfumy aroma of pear with a spicy touch (coriander?); soft initial sweetness sonn balanced by a dry bitterness; short and dry fruity finish - a good one

I was pleasantly surprised by this gruit. Most gruits seemed to be overly spiced and end up tasting like Chai. Not this one. Done lightly on the herbs, it has a delicate floral nose and a beautiful clear coppery color. No yeast or protein haze, even after a swirl. Head was white but fell instantly. Flavor was unique, without the bitterness of hops, but without the sweetness of other gruits. Perhaps they use some acidified malt to make it tarter.

While I thought this was okay it may very well be the most overpriced beer I’ve had at $5.99 / 12 oz bottle. Pours copper / orange with a small white head. The aroma is similar to a wit, but a bit richer with different spices and more orange. Medium body that is quite smooth and has very little carbonation. The flavor starts with smooth lemongrass, light orange and smooth malt. The finish is lightly spicy and sharply lemony. An alright beer, but for the price I expected considerably more from this.

Pours gold/orange with a thin head. Aroma is somewhat acidy, has what I call a cork-quality akin to Lindeman’s Lambic beers. Very wet mouth feel, some what thinnish there. Very refreshing taste, somewhat orange-like. A little musty in a strange way. Good beer!