X-Mas Hop - Brouwerij De Molen

OF001

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330 mL btl poured into a tulip. Poured at 4C and tasted at 8C.

Golden hazy orange pour with a nice frothy 3 finger head that dissolves to one finger with adequate lacing.

Smells of musty, rustic grapefruit. Saison-ish yeasty horse blanket, farmhouse and dried grasses. Perfumed hops with hints of medium toasted bread wheat.

There is an initial yeastiness up front that is cleansed by grapefruit peel citrus oil and passion fruit tartness. Floral and lightly bitter hops follows on the center of the palate, passion fruit seeds and lemon pith. Lots of yeast on the finish, light horse blanket with overtones of dried grass, farmhouse and a punch of dust; and an undertone of of hops.

Medium bodied, initial juiciness with a citrus high note and a long dry hop finish.

Well hopped with nice citrus notes, especially the tropical tartness, good yeasty depth. I would really like this in the EARLY fall or late spring, but considering its name "X-mas" its a bullshit winter. Maybe if you drink nothing but IPAs or well hopped Pale Ales but X-mas, NO. This considered, maybe a 2.5 overall; otherwise just a 4, just. I do like the yeasty quality, just enough depth but not too much as to distract from a well rounded package.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 09:24:47 | More by OF001

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle, day 22 of the 2012 Craft Beer Advent calendar. Wow, a De Molen label that I don't need Google Translate in order to figure out. Huh.

This beer pours a hazy, muddled dark golden hue, with three fingers of puffy, foamy, and bulbous off-white head, which leaves some sparse splatters of fuzzy lace around the glass as it very slowly ebbs away.

It smells of bitter grapefruit rind, fleshy orange, soft pine needles, some leavened, bready caramel malt, and a further floral, perfumed hoppiness. The taste is fruity, as in more of the musty orange, grapefruit, lime, and kiwi citrus notes, a crackery, bready malt backbone, and some earthy, sweet florals lengthening the experience somewhat.

The bubbles are pretty laid back, the body a decent enough medium weight, though a tad pithy in its stab at full-on smoothness. It finishes off-dry, the skewed orange fruitiness and tempered grainy malt contending well with the overall bitterness of the other side players.

An agreeable new-world IPA, fruity and acerbic to a point - however, that point is bit more hollow when put up against the Christmas promise of this offering - I get the orange (in its floral re-imagining here), sure, but the pine essences are mostly lost, to a degree that I don't think Santa would grok this as a cookie accompaniment at all.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 05:27:44 | More by biboergosum

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Hazy bronze, huge white head, good retention & lace.

S: Surprisingly dank aroma, marmalade & pine.

T: Plenty of marmalade, bit of pine, not as dank as the aroma suggested. Solid bitterness. It's a good IPA, but for the x-mas theme, I'd probably go with some piny chinook than the dank columbus.

M: Well-attenuated, moderate body is smooth with a very light acidity.

O: A very nice IPA with some unique flavour... it doesn't really say x-mas to me though.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 01:32:54 | More by Derek

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into tulip 30/9/12

A another gusher from De Molen, hazy dark orange with a few bubbles but a very well sustained finger of light tan foam that leaves a few spots of lace

S lots of fruity hops, tropical notes, lime, orange, passion fruit, and kiwi, slightly floral with some caramel and pine, nose is very strong and quite enjoyable

T rind comes out strong with lemon, lime, and orange peels, the tropical notes are harder to pick out, a little sour and lacking what the smell had

M has some body and the bubbles make it feel even thicker, slick for a few seconds and lots of citric rind on the finish

O a very fruity IPA with well concealed booze, something different but I liked it. Yet again De Molen made me think I was getting a Winter Warmer but I was tricked again

After reading the label I see bergamot listed as an ingredient, I have no idea what that is but it would explain the massive fruity nose on this one. Not sure what X-mas has to do with this one but I’d have another but I won’t be buying another 100$ Advent Calendar to get one.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2012 17:57:29 | More by wordemupg