In the area of Poperinge, which is a little town in the west of Belgium, harvesting hops is a main industry and art. In the local dialect hommel means hop and therefore we have used the dialect to give our product a name: Poperings hommelbier.I had to clean up their English a bit but you get the point. This is a fairly small operation paying respect to the local hop crop. The beer pours a merengue off-white head that collapses into the amber cloudy ale that reminds me (with its floaties) of that line on the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA 2-4 box: "New Chunky Style!" The aroma is lightly hopped but not hopped in either the English or German sense. A lighter version of what you would find hovering above a dubbel, say - antique lace comes to mind. Unlike Duval, there is much between you and the heat in this 7.5% brew. There is milky yeast, green grass and green apple notes and a slight bit of salt as well as a bright vegetative lemony salad greens aspect, too.In order to brew this beer, we use a blend of 3 types of hops. In addition, the presence of hops in the beer are strong, enhancing its flavour and refreshing, slightly bitter taste. Hommelbier is a beer with secondary fermentation in the bottle. Therefore,a layer of ferment is still present at the bottom of the bottle. This beer has a unique distinction of being a completely natural beer.
The BAers are all pretty positive on this one. I am, too. This would go with a pot of steamed asparagus as well as sauvignon blanc and a fair bit better if they were steamed over as much of this as you could give up. Oysters and other shellfish, too. Good thing I know where to find this in Maine.
Comments
Knut - May 3, 2006 5:14 PM
The aspargus tip sounds good. As I will be going to the Low Countries later this year, I will seek out this one.
I have barely touched upon the Belgian beer scene, mostly because I havent't been to Belgium since I started beer blogging. (And because there are many others covering Belgian beers).
But right now I am researching before a trip to Vienna. Lots of brewpubs, lots of boring lagers, too, so I am seeking out some local help to find the best stuff.
Joan Lluis - September 20, 2006 11:32 AM
JOAN LLUÍS CORNELLÀ POCH
C/. Cartagena 223, 5º 2ª
08013 Barcelona
SPAIN
Barcelona,20 of September 2006
Hi,
I’m a metal caps collector. I would like to know the possibility that you could send me some crown caps for my own collection.
Thanks very much in advance.
Alan - September 20, 2006 11:37 AM
What are you looking for. We can send out a Beer Blog Alert for you but let us know what you are interested in.
Greg Ketcham - September 22, 2006 12:45 PM
Alan:
Stumbled across your blog a bit ago; as I live in the Syracuse area and work in Oswego, I owe you a debt of gratitude for pointing out C's Market- it's rather hidden, didn't even know it was there. Thanks to you I emptied my wallet there a few weeks ago :-)
On Poppel's- had a few bottles from a mail-order "beer of the month" club I joined a few years back. I've reserved two bottles from that lot, as it was quite good...and maybe, maybe I'll try to culture the yeast someday for my own home brewing.
regards,
Greg
Alan - September 22, 2006 12:54 PM
Hey Greg! Good to hear from you. I am heading to Syracuse on the 30th for the SU v. Wyoming game and hope to take in some new beery experiences there then - maybe even a stop at Middle Ages. C's is definitely a great spot and keen owners, too. I have not had my Rudy's fix this summer so have not been myself. How is the stock looking?