All of these ‘Special’ beers from De Molen are one-offs, and they are always pushing the boundaries of whatever beer style they’ve chosen to play with.
Here we have a NEIPA, but I really don’t think this is that much like a NEIPA at its base. And even less so with the addition of rose petals and rose water (hence the name ‘Rose & Leaf’).
The aroma is intriguing, not seeming to belong to any version of an IPA. Knowing that it is rose water and rose petals doesn’t seem to help reconcile that in any way.
There is a doughy malt backbone to this beer, but the predominant flavour is a sweet floral note, and the undoubted taste of rose water laying over the tropical fruit flavours that come with the Centennial, Amarillo and Cascade hops.
The mouthfeel has a real smoothness to it, with the hop bitterness only presenting right at the end, though it does carry through in to the aftertaste. The rose flavours are integrated well into this beer, and I do think it works if it still sits oddly on my palate.