BREWER: Fort Lapin, West Flanders, Belgium

STYLE: Tripel

ABV: 6%

VESSEL: 33cl brown bottle

TWITTER: #fortlapin

INSTAGRAM: fortlapin

DATE OF POST: 21st April 2023

SAMMY SAY’S…

Fort Lapin produces some great beers. There’s no arguing it. So, hopes might be high for Hoplapin. And to begin with, these heights are maintained – the nose is what you might wish for. It’s sweet and musty, leading into the world of Belgian beers.

But, and yes there is a but, the beer itself is a little bit of a let-down. Now, I am not saying that Hoplapin is poor because it’s not. In fact, it’s very drinkable and quite enjoyable. However, it sits somewhere between beer types. Not quite a Belgian and not quite an IPA. While its pine filled flavours are pleasant enough, it lacks identity. Hoplapin doesn’t quite fit any category. I don’t have a problem with this per se, but in this case, it leads to a little bit of confusion.

I like the concept. I get where the Fort Lapin brewing team are heading with Hoplapin. They want it to be a lighter Belgian. Perhaps, it’s aimed at those looking to step foot into the Belgian world with something a little lighter. It’s a bridge of a beer, if you will. But it doesn’t quite work for me.

That being said, would I have another one? Why yes I would. And I’d probably very much enjoy it.

Sammy’s Rating: 71%

JYMI SAY’S…

OK, before I continue I just need to check something…

Blimey. Inconclusive.

Ah well, I associate the word Lapin with rabbit, and I’m pretty sure our brewer dudes here do too. I cannot find a Flemish confirmation for this but we are where we are.

ANYWAY,

Awesome looking bottle for me, backed up by the simplest of logos yes, but utterly brilliant too. And what a name for a brew coming out of a brewery called Fort Lapin… HOPLAPIN, I mean they couldn’t not could they?!

To the beer itself, though the bottle doesn’t tell us this, we are dealing with a light version of their Tripel here. Quite what light means in this context again I’m not sure but… oh blah blah blah just get on with it.

Hoplapin has a great, sweet and vibrant nose. The delightful aroma is fresh and just screams BELGIUM! In the sip you get a lovely full citrus burst that is packed with lemon and lime which balance each other out very well. In the swallow the flavour mellows down in a good way leaving the drinker room to enjoy and contemplate the flavours of the sip. This is a very drinkable brew that belies it’s 6% weight.

Top beer from the team at Rabbit Castle.