Tasting Notes: Ven Steenberge: Hopduvel Stropken

Ven Steenberge: Hopduvel Stropken (Belgium: Belgian Ale: 7% ABV)

Visual:  Pale, slightly cloudy grain yellow with an absolutely massive white bubbled head of resistant sturdiness.

Nose: Ground lemon, ginger and wheat mixed with peppermint.

Body:  Fresh and fizzy. Wheaty and bitter. Pepper. Slightly gritty feel.

Finish: Bitter and quite dry. Whole grain. Peppermint comes again.

Conclusion:  I am a sucker for local tale linked beers, because lets face it, a bit of back story can add a dash of local colour to the whole drinking event.

Quite a simple beer that is peppery and fresh. Reminds me of poperings hommel in a way. It’s not bad and the peppered finish puts me in the mind to have a good steak. An odd combination for such a light beer but I feel it could work.  In fact could be good for cooking a steak in as well.

Works out pretty refreshing on a hot day as well. So for all it’s not great on complexity it does make up a bit in versatility. The swiss army knife of the beer industry then.

Background: According to the tourist info the name of this beer (meaning “Noose”) is a reference to rebellion against a tax increase in 1540.  Tales differ on if it’s because the ringleaders were hung, or if a nose was worn in protest, or even both, any which was the little bit of local flavour made me interested in trying the beer.

Note the amazingly out of focus photo which I didn’t realise was so bad until after I finished drinking –oops.