Poperings Hommel Bier - Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Dark gold with pristine clarity and an immense head of sticky lace-coat and tight density. An obvious 5.0.

A sneaky Euro-hop and some tart apple esters. Excellent yeast strain to identify the Belgique.

Simple ale with some spiky spice and a peak of hoppiness. Still pretty light (I'm used to Piraat or Houblon Chouffe), but flavorful with balanced sweet pale malts and estery fruits. Apricot, corn cereal, and ripe apple.

Really softly carbonated with some spicy prickle that plays around. Body is thinner than straight medium. Alcohol peels through.

Nice Belgian IPA. Borders on Belgian pale ale territory.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2012 19:03:44 | More by thecheapies

gtermi

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer pours a golden clear body with a some what thick white head that slowly fades away and leaves a tiny bit of lacing on the glass. You can see a good amount of carbonation bubbles in this beer.

S: Sweet malt, light amount of hops and yeast

T: There is a good amount of sweet malt, fruity yeast flavors and the typical Belgian flavor. There is no hop flavor though, but man it does taste delicious.

M: There is a lot of carbonation and has a strong tingle on the back of the throat and tongue.

O: This is a very delicious beer and I would for sure get this beer again. So good and glad I was able to get my hands on a bottle of this

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 02:07:59 | More by gtermi

Theshooster

Korea (South)

4.83/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

One of my favorite Belgian blonde ales. Poperings or Poperinge as it is more commonly known is a beautiful little town in West Flanders that I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the last 4 years. The town takes pride in their ale and being situated directly south of Westvleteren and east of St. Bernardus in Watou, they have a lot to live up to.

A - Hazy, blonde, nice clean head

S - Sweet, floral, less powerful than Duvel

T - Perfectly balanced, refreshing, and sweet

M - Not too overpowering, medium bodied

O - A wonderful beer from a wonderful little town

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2012 04:54:19 | More by Theshooster

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

2.88/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Split a 750ml with Hopswagger.

A - Pours a hazy golden color with a hefty white roof.

S - Stale grain, corn, skunky, old stale bread, mild grass.

T - Toasted grain, a metallic comes through pretty strong, phenolic chalky yeast, earthy pepper, lemon tartness, stale grain, low presence of eathy grassy hops, finishes spicy with bits of dried fruits.

M - medium body, medium carbonation, dry finish

Either this was past its prime or I'm missing something. Underwhelming along with lots of off putting metallic flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 00:46:11 | More by StaveHooks

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.1/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

P: Golden with tints of orange and sudsy bubbles climbing to the top. Clunky and spotty floaters. Off white head that is soapy and thin.

S: Soap suds, cheap lite beer, citrus, subtle diluted spice and doughy lager yeast. After several whiffs faint 5 cent bubble gum flavor comes out.

T/M: Stale, slightly sweet fruity malt, skunk, rose hips, delicate citrus and finishes with a lasting sharp waxy cheddar cheese. Finish is dry and unappealing. Mouthfeel is light and spicy carbonation. Hops are very hard to find for an IPA.

O: Overall the taste and smell is cheap and stale. Im shocked by all the great reviews on this because I was disappointed. Lager yeast is more prevalent than the expected Belgian style. Pretty disappointed in this selection and I really want my money back. Don't waste your time.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 08:33:09 | More by Hopswagger

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a rich caramel honey colour, highly effervesent, with a good amount of yeast sediment making it into the pour, head is a huge billowing foamy cap, with great lacing and excellent retention.

Smell has a very yeasty pleasant hop aroma, a bit of grapefruity citrus, pleasantly light, but fresh and zesty.

Taste is very solid. A initial zing of carbonation then a nice meaty yeasty character. Hope are not overly assertive, more an underlying bitterness that contributes a pleasant firm dryness throughout. There is a musty, sort of farmhouse/barn aspect. Pleasant fruit notes, tending again towards grapefruit. All round really good depth and complexity. Hops come through on the end for a tight bitter finish.

Mouthfeel has a creamy carbonation, a very firm and tight feel to it. Finish is crisp, dry and yeasty. Drinks quite lightly for the ABV, this is very refreshing and very balanced.

This was a great treat. Firm and balanced, it is a good composition of strong yeast, firm malt and bitter hops for an interesting and complex beer. More on the Belgium Ale side of the spectrum it combines a good amount of hoppiness to lend a nice bitterness, that works well.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 15:52:51 | More by mick303

Agent1

Alberta (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - A clear, pale yellow with ample head. Nicely carbonated; this beer is very active. Excellent lacing and impressive retention. This Belgian IPA appears to be filtered.

Smell - Aromatic malts are noticeable right away. Fresh Hallertau and vanilla stimulates the nose immediately. Very bright and refreshing. Zesty and crisply hopped. Great hop aroma.

Taste - Honey, bitter orange peel, fresh bread, rose pedals or marigolds, coriander, with a wonderful vanilla finish. Pale grains help create body, yet do not overwhelm and sit nicely within the overall tasting notes. Fresh bread, apple and pear. The yeast compliments the sugars and helps fill it out. Not only smells like Hallertau, but most likely brewed with it. The hops are quite acidic and crisp -- very nice. An impressive blend of spices and sugars.

Mouthfeel - Excellent use of carbonation. You can certainly feel this all across the palate. The bitter notes ring on the roof of the mouth and the sugars help stimulate all sides of the tongue.

Overall - This IPA is incredible when served chilled. Well-balanced and yet not too overpowering, this is a delicious Belgian gem done right.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 07:20:57 | More by Agent1

JMad

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a bright golden wit a thick foamy off white head that loudly dissipated. Smells of assorted citrus peels, mainly lemon with some tangy Belgian yeast. It tastes great, lots of lemony op flavor with a hint of pine, banana and lots of yeast. The beer is light with lots of soft carbonation and a dry finish. This is a great beer, I could live off of these guys.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 02:33:48 | More by JMad

dbell23

Tennessee

5/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The 750ml bottle opened with a loud pop. Always a nice sound. Poured into a tulip glass. Hazy golden orange in color with large white head. Good head retention with good lacing. A very nice looking beer.

Smell is oh so nice. Honey, maybe apple, phenols, Belgian yeast, maybe a little hop bite. Really nice.

Taste is superb. Like a hoppy Tripel. A little fruity spice with mild hops to start, hoppy Tripel in the middle with a clean mild hop finish. There seems to be a mild honey undertone throughout. Very good and refreshing.

Mouthfeel is great. Perfect carbonation with a little smoothness. Nice smooth crisp finish if that's possible.

Overall an outstanding beer. Not many good Belgian ipas out there but this one is really good. Like most European beers the tastes are very subtle as compared to Americans that tend to be out front. I've had it a few times and will definitely be back.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 21:35:16 | More by dbell23

CheezyBlaster

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Not a bad pour.

Nose is citric, grassy, green raisin, honey. Kiss of funky yeast. Not bad at all.

Very metallic, really drags the whole thing down for me. Raisin. Ripe grape. Clovey nips, but mild. Peppery. Hops cut through nicely, not over the top. Metallic imperfection fades a tad as I drink; about halfway. Still, it's there, and it messes up the otherwise nectar-like profile.

Medium body, little biscuity feel. Slightly sticky.

I'd like like to try again, see if the metallic flavor/compound is less present.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 23:37:39 | More by CheezyBlaster

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into its own Hommel tulip at a cafe in a small town in Belgium. Pours a hazy straw with nice white foam. Great yeasty hop aromas, slight citrus notes. Taste is slightly hoppy, peppery, citrusy, yeasty... a lot of complex flavors with this. Really great traditional belgian IPA..not overly hopped, but you get the full flavor and characteristics of the mellow hops. Well worth a try!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 21:48:26 | More by DrinkSlurm

champ103

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Down House in Houston, TX

A: Pours pretty much clear golden/orange color. Maybe a bit of haze, but not much. A small white head forms, and recedes in a minute. Light lace.
S: Phenolic, peppery yeast. Bread and biscuit. Light grassy hops. Not much else I can comment on.
T: Follows the nose with peppery yeast and bready flavors. Light hops that are floral and grassy.
M/D: A light to medium body. A bit to thin and watery. Not hard to drink. I finished my glass without a problem. Though not something I am coming back to often.

This seems pretty ho hum. I was hopping for some brighter hop characteristics with a crisp and dryer body. I have had pretty hoppy beers from Belgian breweries. This seems to subdued and mild, even for a non hop head like me. One that loves bright, crisp, non bitter hops that can be a great asset for the style. This ain't it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2012 22:56:49 | More by champ103

srv33

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pale cloudy gold, fantastic lacing, quarter inch fine foam head that doesn't dissipate. Scent of cloves, fig, citrus, and fine belgian yeast. Taste is of gentle but prominent hops, pepper, sweet citrus, and yeast. Mouthfeel is very smooth and thick, almost creamy, just what I'd expect from a good belgian brew. Very well balanced too, and it has a very fine, light sort of carbonation. A unique IPA, overall a phenomenal brew, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 01:38:38 | More by srv33

XicanoBeerRun

Texas

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours light yellow with yeast flakes in suspension. Smells sweet, cotton candy, fig. I could smell the carbonation, if that makes sense. Tastes biscuity, slight black pepper, and of the peel in orange marmalade. Refreshing carbonation. You do not pick up on the hops as you would in a US IPA. Reminds me more of a Belgian strong pale ale than an IPA. A great beer.

I’ll have another.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 17:28:55 | More by XicanoBeerRun

soju6

Missouri

3.85/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a good head that fades slowly to nice lacing.

S: Aroma of yeast, grain and herbs. There is a bit of citrus along with malt sweetness and fruit in the background.

T: Taste of the malt sweetness upfront then a bitterness with yeast and fruit mixed in. The finish is dry with a bit of a lingering sweetness.

F: Medium body, smooth and creamy texture. The 7.5% ABV is well hidden.

O: Good beer for the style, but the bit a bit too sweet for me to really enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 11:22:35 | More by soju6

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle, best before date is a bit cryptic, but the markings suggest a best before of 11/13, so we're good!

A - pours a big fluffy head of a few fingers (and risk of overflowing if one isn't careful). The beer is straw colored, very slightly hazy and shows lots of small effervescent bubbles.

S - the nose is interesting with some fresh grassy hops and clove-ester and yeast. Smells almost liked a hopped hefeweizen.

T - fairly strong hops profile, at least moreso than many other Belgians I've had. The hops are a bit tea-like and herbal, and the bitterness really dominates and endures. It's got a bit of Belgian yeasty skunkiness mixed in, especially on warming, but the hops rule. Very dry in the finish.

M - mouthfeel is simultaneously light but also fluffy. It's got some sharp carbonation, but it isn't overpowering.

Overall this is a very interesting beer. Unable to guess from the bottle what it is (i.e. how descriptive is Hommel?), I wasn't sure if this was a highly hopped Belgian Strong Pale or something even more experimental. It was a nice drink, and would be a great warm weather beer, though the well hidden 7.5% ABV pushes it a little out of the session zone. Tasty!

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 03:54:30 | More by DoktorZee

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drank at the Beerfeast at the Flying Saucer on the Lake.

The beer pours a hazy yellow color with a white head. The aroma has a lot of Belgian yeast notes, as well as some spices, grass and citrus which I guess comes from the hops. The flavor is very similar, with a lot of grass and citrus notes, as well as some spicy and slightly funky Belgian yeast. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 03:13:43 | More by Mora2000

superspak

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle into chalice, best by 4/2013. Pours extremely peppery cloudy golden amber color with a nice 1-2 finger dense off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice thick cap that lasts. Some nice thick soapy lacing on the glass, with a good amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big lemon, pepper, herbal, grass, apple, bread, orange, apricot, earth, slight funkiness, and big yeast spiciness. Very nice aromas with good balance, strength, and complexity. Taste of big lemon, orange, pepper, grass, pear, herbal, bread, banana, earth, apricot, and yeast spices. Nice amount of earthy spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, light fruits, pepper, herbal, grass, bread, and yeasts spices on the finish for a good bit. Really great balance of spicy flavors with sweetness; with a very nice amount of complexity. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a slightly creamy and extremely crisp mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with pretty much no warming noticed at all after the finish. Very easy to drink due to the great flavor balance. Overall this is a fantastic Belgian IPA! Great flavor balance and complexity; and extremely smooth. I will be having this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 03:22:56 | More by superspak

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 mL bottle poured into a plastic Solo cup.

Appearance - Pours a hazy orange with a huge overflowing white head. Excellent lacing. Excellent retention.

Smell - Huge grassy hop flavor that plays very nicely with the Belgian esters. Sweet malt comes through a lot, but doesn't smell heavy. Probably will be sweet.

Taste - And it is. Hoppy, but not as much as the aroma. Grassy and herbal again. Sweet malt comes through a lot and drops off for a bitter, grainy finish.

Mouthfeel - Sweet, but not thick. It almost dries out at the end. Well carbonated.

Overall - Good. I find it tough to review Belgian IPAs. They're supposed to be sweet-ish, but I don't always want them to be. Good hop profile in this one, though.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 21:08:23 | More by Alieniloquium

danieelol

Australia

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Mmm...interesting to try a highly rated Belgian IPA to juxtapose with The Quiet American.

Pours a nice lemonade colour with a hint of orange in the middle. Good head/lacing.

Smell is massive hydroponic leafy green hops. Lots of pilsener malt, almost sweet; a la Duvel (note I may be talking complete rubbish here). Lots of Belgian esters, bit of alcohol.

Taste is Belgian, pilsener malt/alcohol. Mouthfeel is finely Belgian, enjoyable.

Overall a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 09:33:29 | More by danieelol

Siriusfisherman

Montana

4.26/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A lovely hazy, deep blonde with hints of reddish amber and a thick champagney head. The smell is explosive, a strong herbal hop presence and wonderful sweet grain aroma, also some slight skunky sourness and phenolic alcohol tones in the back. The taste is as crisp as any beer I have ever tasted, a huge amount of carbonation stings the tongue and the palate opens to fresh herbal hop melody and estery light fruit yeast character. Very well balanced and as refreshing as any beer one could put up against it. The mouthfeel is superb, absolutely perfect for what is being attempted, massive amounts of crisp carbonation and an extremely dry finish to let the glorious hops finish the show.

Overall, this is a superb ale, not ordinary by any means, but just downright delicious and refreshing as hell. Just another reason to love those belgians.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 04:24:56 | More by Siriusfisherman

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up at a bottle shop in Brussels at the suggestion of some folks.

A very fizzy voluminous white head forms and slowly fades. Slightly hazy straw/gold color. Not much in the way of lace.

Aroma is nice and a blend of lemon peel and some candied sugar.

Initial sweetness immediately segues to some strong bitterness over an undertone of light fruit. The bitterness is really impressive and lays heavily on your tongue. At the tail end you get a touch of the candied sugar sweetness and some more lemon peel. *after I posted my review I was reading some others and saw someone note that they tasted honey. I agree and wanted to add this.... edit complete*

There is a slightly fizzy nature to the carbonation that seems to match the nature of the head. Not astringent but more on that side of the spectrum. This seems to match the bitterness and compliments each other.

A nice little beer. Not sure I call it as epic as some others, but it’s real nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 00:26:22 | More by Reagan1984

Aethien

Netherlands

4.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

25cl bottle poured into a Palm snifter.

Golden yellow with a good sized white head that leaves a nice amount of lacing around the glass.

Smells like fresh green apples, Belgian yeast, lemon zest, some tartness, grains and honey. Almost like a geuze.

Smooth and creamy feel, lots of hops that balance out well with the fruits and honey sweet, there's some tartness in there that combined with the high carbonation keeps it fresh and easy to drink. The sweet and sour gradually fade away leaving a strong and dry bitterness.

Overall this is a refreshing and a little different beer, very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 13:58:01 | More by Aethien

AronVietti

California

4.4/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pourd from a 25cl bottle, best by date of October 2013, into a tulip glass.

A: 1 inch head that settled into a nice layer on top of the beer, lots of lacing. Slightly hazy and with a light orange color, like roasted corn.

S: Spice and phenol's , orange and honey.

T: Some nice malt/cracker that immediately falls into some citrus and then finishes with a bitterness that is also citrus, like lime zest.

M: Plenty of carbonation, and great body for the style, not nearly as thin as expected with the ABV.

O: This is a beer that could get me in trouble. The ABV is masked by the body and citrus flavors from the hops. I also really love the nose, could smell this beer for hours.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 03:51:16 | More by AronVietti

Beerenauslese

California

4.95/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750 ml caged and corked. May 2013 freshness date.

Hazy gold, poured into a Bruery chalice, generates a big head easily, has good retention and lots of chunky sticky lacing. Appearance is the very definition of a Belgian golden ale.

Smells delightfully flowery and perfumy, with honey sweetness and fresh orange.

Can taste the funky Belgian yeast strain, complemented by bready malt with a bit of honey sweetness in the front palate, moving to orange hop flavor, coriander spice, and only a very slight bitterness in the finish. Just a slight metallic note from the yeast but that goes with the territory.

Body is medium with round bubbles of carbonation, has a nice creamy mouthfeel. Finishes a bit watery.

This is a delightful beer. I am enjoying the fresh orange expression due to the Hallertauer or maybe there's some additional orange rind thrown in. The bready malt and orange flavors complement the funky yeast. Really drinks smoothly and the ABV is just right at 7.5% Although this beer has a reputation for being hoppy, it is only mildly hoppy, with low alpha acid hops, and in the fruity, orange hop direction that I find increasingly enjoyable (Citra). I think this is a top example of a Belgian IPA brewed in a traditional hop growing area of Belgium, what's not to like? Not so easy to find in CA, glad I went to the Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. Now, I hope to find this on draft sometime.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 04:16:34 | More by Beerenauslese