This beer is another reason to thank American importers. It was created in 2010 on request, and was just for the American market.
The name translates to ‘Hop Rider’, and it pretty much explains what’s going on. It pours a hazy golden blonde, with the typical sweet Belgian yeast nose and fruit sweetness with grassy, floral hop notes.
There is a strong malt body supporting the lovely sweet-spicy hop bitterness. Lots of flavours to explore in this beer – orange, grapefruit, pear, honey, white pepper, coriander. It all seems to work well.
A “Co-operation Beer”: the US importer studied brewing in Belgium in the ‘80’s, and took a shine to Duvel; which he later imported of course. He also went on to establish the Ommegang Brewery, whose beers are based on the Belgian style. This beer was a recipe they developed with Schedlebrouwerij to pay homage to the Belgian traditional strong blond ale, while incorporating America’s love of hops.