Hop Power of a Different Kind

Some of the smaller more adventurous Belgian breweries are making beers that are more along the lines of American IPAs. The beer in photo, Pipedream, is an example of this. It uses five types of hops and these give it a very floral and citrusy hop character. This beer is a collaboration (an increasing trend in craft beer) between Struise, Alvinne, and Pipeworks Brewing. Pipeworks is an as yet brewery-less trio of Americans that trained with Struise. Pipedream has a strong but very balanced hoppiness with a bitterness that is not overpowering. Very pleasant to drink. The 7.8% ABV is not really noticeable. It is a solid achievement in a style that can often stray from maintaining an important balance between the different aspects of a beer.