From Belgium comes “Houblon Chouffe” Dobbelen IPA Tripel (9% alc, from a re-fermented bottle and poured at home)

Flavour: You get the spice and clove right away and it lingers all the way down your throat, hitting both the sour and bitter parts of your tongue and a bit boozy on the finish. Overall Impression: Despite some initial carbonation fears when I opened it, I didn’t find this over carbonated when drinking and in fact the small bubbles really added to the mouthfeel of the beer. I think the reason some of these Belgium/IPA combos work so well is that you get the fruity hops and the spicy yeast together in the right combo (think dried mango dusted with chili powder). This is very, very good stuff and for the price it’s hard to beat and to be honest it’s pretty unassuming to the average liquor store visitor and easy to miss.

Rating: I would rate about 9/10 for a craft beer as in awesome, I may have to age a few of these to see how they develop. The bottle says best before 2016, but probably could make it longer and I am really growing to appreciate this mash-up of styles.

Food Pairing: I think an apricot Stilton would go well with this one.