Brigand IPA

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck
Style: Belgian Ale
Ingelmunster, Belgium

gold blond coloured little sparkling body with a white head a spicy yeasty hoppy aroma a spicy yeasty hoppy bitter taste with a spicy bitter finish

Bought from Utobeer, 20th November 2009. 33cl bottle conditioned. Poured into goblet Beermerchants’ glass. Bottle open. No smoke from the bottle. Instance hit of malts; yeast, cineman, liquerish and spices. Should go very well with cheddar or stilton. Poured into goblet. Gorgeous amber-red colour very similar to American stye IPA. Hops noted but not as prominent as the American IPAs. More of a classic English IPA such as Marston’s combined iwth a Belgian abbey beer. Very interesting style which I enjoy. Would make an ideal accompanyment to chesse or sausages in a bar. I rate this a worthwhile addition to any cellar. My version is to be drunk before 3-2010 but I know IPAs age well. This could indicate loss of hops due to aging process. Mouth feel is medium. Not bad at all. Recommend. Also lovely picture of a proper vessel on the label. We should never forget the original IPA journey.

courtesy of Allen - pours a translucide golden-amber colour under a firm and long lasting pale beige foam; solid flowery aroma with notes of caramel and yeast; slightly sticky and medium-bodied, some flowery bitterness lasting in a caramelish and bready finish - interesting

33cl dark brown bottle, as shown. Clear, deep amber colour, big soapy white head, decent lacing. Strong aroma of orchard fruit, malt and some hops. Low carbonation, soapy mouthfeel. Noticeably citric hops on the tongue, balanced with a malty nuttiness. Bitter on the palate (lent more gravity by the high alcoholic volume), with a lingering dry hoppy finish. Not as IPA-ish as some British brews (like Worthington White Shield), but the hop flavour is very clearly there - about on a level with Greene King’s popular IPA, only boozier. So if you’re an IPA purist, you may want to look elsewhere. If you’re an English ale enthusiast and you’re craving for a "hoppy relief" to that style’s bready maltiness, this might be the brew for you!

Bottled 33cl. I believe this beer has 40 IBUs. Beautiful clear amber with a lacing off-white head. Nice balance between malt and hops in the nose. Good malt profile. Nice bitterness. Figs, homemade caramel, candied apricot and earthy hops appearing in both aroma and taste. Liquorice allsorts sneaking in. Peppery. Long dry finish which is reminiscent of nasturcium and liquorice. I really enjoyed this beer- lovely.

Pours a clear copper color with a tan head. Aroma of caramel malts and floral. Flavors of caramels, malts and fruits with some spices. Good carbonations with a sweet bitter and dry ending. Good tasting beer.

On tap. Pours golden with a generous off-white creamy head. Strong hoppy aroma. Taste is semisweet, weak hoppy, lacks some bitterness, but rather nice thirst quencher

Draft at Ebenezer’s. Pours lighter amber with white head. Nose is apples, light citrus and spice. Taste is somewhat sweet, light caramel and a touch fruity. Not half bad, but not my bag.