Kraft & Kromme

Three beers from two Dutch brewers today. First up is De Kromme Haring of Utrecht and their black IPA Inktvis. By saying it's "black IPA as we think they are meant to be" they make big claims for this one, and at 6% ABV and a sleek obsidian black it looks like they've got the basics down. The aroma is slighter than I would normally like, offering only a mild and subtle hop spice on a chocolate base. Mild and subtle is how the flavour continues. The chocolate is at the centre of things, with a floral rosewater effect, making it taste more like a jolly porter than a proper black IPA. There's only a faint resinous bitterness, arriving in the finish, and none of the spice promised in the aroma. It's fine: very drinkable and nicely balanced. But I like black IPAs to have more bite and more complexity than what's on offer here.

The next one is from an unfamiliar brewery: KraftBier in Tilburg. It's an autumn beer, but seemingly not in the typical Dutch herftsbok style. Rather than crystalline red, Goej Klèts is a muddy brown colour, and a bit stronger than the norm at 7.3% ABV. It's pretty sweet, with a mix of milk chocolate and raisins forming the main flavour. It finishes drier, with notes of stewed tea and a crisp green grassiness. These two contrasting opposites take a bit of getting used to, but it's enjoyable once that kicks in. I couldn't tell you whether it's warm or cool fermented, showing as it does the richness of the former with the crisp edge of the latter. I doubt it's for everyone but I liked what it offers.

It was the description "Champagne Brut" on the can that attracted me to Op d'n oewe!. That, and the 11% ABV -- phwoar! I expected something clear and clean and sparkling, and I even got my flute out for the occasion. I was nonplussed, then, when it poured a soupy ochre colour. The aroma is an equally unsettling mash-up of sticky candy or bubblegum and sharp malt vinegar. I find it hard to believe that's the first impression the brewer wanted. The sweetness completely dominates the flavour, utterly unlike champagne. With the soft and sticky sugar there's lots of flabby booze heat, a little like dark and cheap sherry. There is a bright side, with a fun mint and aniseed herbal quality which goes some way to clean and sharpen it. It's still a mess, though, more brute than brut.

Dutch brewers keep bringing the surprises, and nothing here was what I thought it would be. I'm not one for rigid adherence to predetermined style guidelines so let's celebrate the diversity.