Leapbeer Review #133 Urthel Hop-It Special Blonde

This next review is of one I shared with a Leapbeer contributor, Frank. He’s helped me out by buying me beers and today he helped me review this different beer.

As a well established hop head I was quite curious to taste this Belgian beer with a hoppy name. It comes in a grand sized 750ml bottle with a cork, similar to the Unibroue bombers, and it is a veritable heavyweight at 9.5% ABV.

I popped it open and released the beast. I released a beast that smelled of yeast. (Sorry I had to rhyme there)
This beer is a cloudy golden beer in the style of a Belgian Strong Ale. This Belgian beer does indeed smell of the hops. But there’s something more to it. To me this is strangely reminiscent of the Unibroue Fin Du Monde, with the addition of a wheat beerlike smell. Spice and citrus are in the scent, like other wheat beers. To me the putting hops on front street like that is a bit of a misnomer. The hops are more used for the scent, not taste. There really isn’t a huge bitter note to the beer. This beer has a very heavy mouthfeel to it, and it is definitely a sipper of a beer.  Frank felt that this beer would be well paired with a sharp cheese. We both noticed that while initially it was too sweet for our liking, as the tasting continued and the beer warmed. The scent too started to release its fragrant notes. All in all this isn’t a beer I see myself seeking out, but if you find you’re a fan of beers like Fin Du Monde or that style give it a try.

Leapbeer #133 is Urthel Hop-It from Belgium

 

Thanks for Reading.