REVIEW #19: Bloemenbier (De Proefbrouwerij)

What a peculiar pale ale! "Flowerbeer" pours a golden haze with plain white, fluffy head. Very complex nose, heavily perfumed, flowery, grenadine. Starts sugary sweet, carries on sweet and finishes sweet; wincingly sweet! A malt backbone is just about detectable, along with banana-like esters, but I'm not so sure about the hops. To be fair, it gets better once the palate adjusts and the plant extracts add intrigue to the taste. But personally I think they have gone overboard with the added sugar / adjuncts.

The Proefbrouwerij specialises in brewing beers contracted out to them by other brewers. For example they brewed Jopen's Extra Stout prior to Jopen opening their own brewpub in Haarlem. I believe Bloemenbier is brewed under the 'Andelot' banner. Whether Andelot is a specific brand owned by De Proefbrouwerij or an actual brewing company which contract the Proefbrouwerij to bring their recipes to life, I'm not sure. The plain bottle is wrapped up in a cool little paper pyjama.

• MALTS: CONTAINS CORN
• HOPS: ?
• IBU: ?
• ABV: 7%
• WITH ADDED PLANT EXTRACTS. BOTTLE-CONDITIONED.

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