't Gaverhopke / Tired Hands Bitter Sweet Symphony - Brouwerij 't Gaverhopke

dragonWhale

New York

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The newest edition to 't Gaverhopke's market presence here. And hopefully a preview to Tired Hands..
pours with an orange haze and a good little head out of an angry drummer bottle. The drawing on the label is pretty great.
Smells floral yeasty, with light citrus notes. The yeast is the dominant feature here, but the hops very complimentary.
The drink is pretty damn good. Decent malt presence that the yeast rounds off really nicely with a citrus hop finish. Some bitterness, not over the top, after all, it is Belgian. a little mango and peach. Very harmonious marriage of the yeast and the hops. I can definitely drink a few of these guys.
Saved the dregs from this one for a future project..

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 12:38:02 | More by dragonWhale

Nutwood

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: 12 ounce bottle poured into a red wine glass yields a single finger of fine head on top of a dull, cloudy, rotten straw color. Head reduces to a nice solid cap that revives with a slight swirl. Not particularly inviting or appetizing. I rate the look high at 3.25 on the assumption that this is, as another reviewer noted, a "rustic" beer. Head reduces to a nice solid cap that revives with a slight swirl. Note: server took the liberty of pouring the dregs in a dark little circle in the middle of the head.*

S: Not much here at this serving temperature, not much more later as it warms. Malt, hay, distant over-ripe citrus, and a touch of yeast. I wish there were more here, I really had to dial up my sensitivity to get what was going on.

T: Flavors carry an interesting funky balance of yeast and malt, woody funk, grassy hay, tease of apricot, slight dry white vinous must. The hops characteristic is a bit elusive in the overall complexity and depth, but it is present, carrying subtle floral and woody notes. Is there a touch of sour? Perhaps, but maybe that's just another citrus note wrapped in yeast funk. My overall impression is of something primitive, yet sophisticated.

M: The body of this beer is a bit odd, but then so is every other aspect. So let us say that the dry, well-carbonated, dare I say fizzy body is in line with and compliments the other idiosyncrasies found here.

O: Once I get past the IPA label designation and just let this beer be what it be, I'm good with it. As with a lot of Belgian IPAs, it's heavy on the Belgian and the IPA part is lost on me. I'm sure my palate is more than a little biased toward the American IPA recipe, so if you are like me, set all that aside and enjoy this brew on it's own merit.

*I doubt that the dregs pour had much effect on this tasting, they were of minimal volume, and the beer came cloudy right from the start. I do want to go back and let a bottle settle well, and command my own pour to see if there is a difference.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 13:50:56 | More by Nutwood

BKBassist

New York

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%

06-10-2013 23:02:29 | More by BKBassist

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

03-12-2013 15:40:12 | More by RblWthACoz

mdillon86

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -12.5%

01-19-2013 18:32:53 | More by mdillon86

Evan47

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%

12-12-2012 00:00:46 | More by Evan47

ElGallo

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev 0%

06-22-2012 02:05:33 | More by ElGallo

PeteRiz

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

03-14-2012 21:32:35 | More by PeteRiz

beef13

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

03-14-2012 13:41:48 | More by beef13

briandot

District of Columbia

3.25/5  rDev -18.8%

03-10-2012 03:47:34 | More by briandot

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev 0%

01-25-2012 02:37:33 | More by DaveHack

SpillyBeers

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev 0%

01-16-2012 05:11:04 | More by SpillyBeers

Jspriest

Maryland

4/5  rDev 0%

11-14-2011 08:33:41 | More by Jspriest

StaEva

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

As far as I know, this was brewed with Jean Broillet IV, the owner and head brewer of Tired Hands, a brand new, as of yet unopened brew-cafe in Ardmore, PA.

Bottle into a large tulip.

Dark apricot with a touch of red amber on the edges. Nice and hazy, but not cloudy. Incredible head. Retained firm peaks, like marshmallow fluff or whipped cream until the absolute last sip. The texture of the head was thick and sturdy, too.

Tons of yeasty bread and funk on the nose. A bit of dry grassy hop profile and good American citrus-hop aromas. Fermenting peach/apricot is laced in with the funk. Definitely a memorable yeast strain in this beer.

Taste is very rustic Belgian pale fruits, nice crisp American citrus-hop character is full, then fades nicely to very bready yeast character. Dry finish, definitely a stand-out yeast beer. A touch of green apple with caramel just barely peaking through.

Carbonation is full, body is medium to start, then finishes light and dry. Very full bodied flavor, on a medium bodied beer. Alcohol is barely perceived, at 7.8. It's easy drinking.

I'm very impressed with this. It's definitely rustic, which floats my boat just fine, but there's a nice complexity to it that leaves a memorable impact. If this is what we can expect from Tired Hands stateside, we're definitely in luck.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 01:50:07 | More by StaEva