In addition to buying tokens, you need to put down a refundable deposit (€3) for a souvenir tasting glass, and likely purchase a thorough program listing all of the beers (€0.50). With glasses in hand, we then started visiting the 100+ tasting booths. One of the more popular stands was the double-sized booth shared by De Struisse and Alvinne. My favorite here was the Rio Reserva. Also available were Cuvee Delphine, Pannepot, Shark Pants (a hoppy collaboration with Three Floyds), two barrel-aged variants of Melchior, and many other beers. Other standout offerings were La Vermontoise (Blaugies/Hill Farmstead collaboration), Duvel Tripel Hop (Sorachi Ace this year), Prearis Quadrupel (coffee infused), St. Bernardus Paasbier. Only a single AB InBev product was available (Leffe Royale, being served via a self-serve tap system that they are marketing for in-home use. (The Diamond Club in the Brussels airport also had the same system serving Leffe beer to their customers.).

The Sunday session was less crowded overall, so there was more opportunity to talk with the brewers, as well as other attendees. Food was available for purchase – frites, pizza, hamburgers, paninis, pasta, etc. The festival hall is located at the edge of a business park, so the only food options are the ones provided by the festival. A small amount of beer-related merchandise was available for purchase, as well as bottled beer at many of the booths. Very few of the beers ran out before the end of the day’s session (with the exception of de Strusse/Alvinne, where about half the beers were depleted before the end of each day) and there were few lines to wait for beer).

A nice touch that is perhaps common at Belgian festivals, was that the servers at each booth would wash (with soap) and rinse (separately) your glass for each sample. Seating at tables, as well as some free- standing tables was available. All of the tasting booths, as well as the seating was located indoors (non-smoking), with a small outdoor smoking patio, as well as the food trucks which were located outside. Another unusual feature (from my perspective at least) was that while admission to the festival was free, use of the restrooms cost €1.50 (one time fee for the session).

We had a great time at Zythos and I would recommend attending to anyone who loves Belgian beer. The Belgian beer drinkers that we met were very knowledgable of Belgian styles and brewers. Many in attendance were members of clubs (with matching club shirts) that meet to learn about and sample beer – usually under the guidance of a brewer or other experienced taster. And if you make it to Belgium, then you will have the opportunity to visit any number of classic beer destinations.

The aroma has fruit overtones with a mix of hops hiding in the background.

The taste starts out with an alkaline aspect that holds on past the finish. But quickly, the flavor shifts to spices and peat flavors. The malty flavor come in during the finish as a nice surprise.

The mouth feel is driven by the clinginess of the flavors. The medium body holds on only for a bit and fades quickly in the finish.

Overall, Funkwerks Solenna is a very enjoyable beer. I could enjoy this beer while sit on my deck and sharing it friends to push their beer boundaries.

The aroma is first of a dark chocolate malt and hint of bitterness or peat in the aroma. It makes you expect a drier beer before the taste even arrives.

The taste starts off with a welcome to your pallet due to cellar temperature. Chocolate malt flavors are there right away with the mild bitterness. Chocolate tones turn to bitter cocoa in the finish. While, the warming of the beer brings out the bitterness. The flavor doesn’t want to leave the mouth long after the sip.

The mouthfeel of Zebulon is heavy on pallet with a take over the taste buds kind of attitude.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable beer. The full body and the rich flavors make this a great beer for enjoying in Colorado Springs’ typical winter weather. The 6.1% ABV won’t slow you down, but a session beer this is not due to the other characteristics. If Phantom Canyon had a fireplace, Zebulon’s Peated Porter would be the beer of choice to drink while setting in front of it. I would suggest the Colorado Lamb Sirloin or the Center Cut Ribeye to complement its flavor.

The aroma shows the presence of the high alcohol right away. The hops bouquet is nice but not too floral as was expected.

The taste of this beer is driven by the big characteristics of it with a high alcohol, big hop profile, the bold malt flavor, and heavier body. Finish presents with the heat of the alcohol. There’s a nice sweetness throughout the whole beer’s flavor. But the hops, they hold on throughout the taste, but they’re not over-the-top.

The mouth feel is driven by the strong malt backbone giving it a deep thick body, that is for I PA. The high ABV creates an interesting character in the mouth feel especially in the finish.

Overall, Devil Dancer is a very impressive beer. The 12% ABV makes this beer something to be enjoyed gradually so that you fully appreciate all the characteristics from the beginning to the end. I appreciate that there’s quite a few more of these waiting in the refrigerator.

The aroma is rich in chocolate and a spice that can’t be placed.

The taste is dry with chocolate flavors throughout. The chocolate is not too much in that it will not overwhelm. The alcohol heat is barely detectable.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable beer. The chocolate flavors would make this good with a dessert or as an after drink beer.

The aroma is mild for what I would’ve expected from a double IPA. There is a hint of pine in the aroma. Given the limited hops in the aroma, I wonder if the beer is old. There is no obvious date on the bottle, but there is a code which I guess the brewery could figure out.

The taste is kind of mellow. There are hops flavors throughout, but they are ill-defined.

There is a medium body to the beer. The body seems about right for what I would expect from a double IPA.

Overall, I was hoping to be more impressed with a double IPA. The ABV is 7.72%, which doesn’t put it too of outreach for drinking a couple of them with friends. I am concerned that this was just not a fresh batch as I picked it up at a local grocery store.

The aroma is very mellow for what was expected. Hops characteristics present nicely with slight pine flavor. No wheat is detected in the aroma, but I’m not sure how much is in the beer to contribute to the aroma.

The flavor starts out with a mild bitterness with a small amount of sweetness. The finish holds on for just a bit with a kick of more bitterness. The flavors fade fast in the mouth and leave behind a slight bitter after taste.

The mouth feel of Left Hand Brewing’s 400 Pound Monkey is heavy for what the appearance would lead you to expect.

Overall, this an enjoyable beer with a interesting mix of characteristics. The finish leaving behind a bitter after taste leans this beer to not be a session beer, but it would be great with a mix of other beers.

The aroma is rich with rye and hops. For comparison, the rye aroma is much stronger than Terrapin’s Rye Pale Ale.

The rye presents boldly at the beginning of the taste. The rye adds a different dimension that the traditional IPA profile wouldn’t have by itself. A fan of hoppy beer is likely to enjoy this new dimension.

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA has a medium body that compliments the flavors of the rye.

The rich flavors of this beer makes it very enjoyable, but the flavors don’t overwhelm. It would make for a good session beer with the 6.6% ABV. I will be looking forward to this seasonal coming around again.

Achel Extra (Brune) (Belgian Strong Dark Ale, 9.5% ABV) is distributed in 750 ml bottles. It pours a dark brown, with golden-red highlights visible in light. It has a fine light brown head and exhibits excellent lacing. The aroma is a little yeasty, but as the beer warms dark roasted malt dominates the smell. When I initially poured the bottle, I detected a slightly sour roasted malt flavor, but as the beer warmed a little, the sourness diminished and the toasted malt, prune, and raisin flavors were outstanding. It was at about 60°F that the superior flavor of this beer really became apparent. Some other reviewers have noted low carbonation levels, but this bottle was fully carbonated and a world class beer.

I took another picture of the empty glass to highlight the thick lacing that was present to the end. In addition to the Achel Extra, I also highly recommend the Achel Blonde 8° and Achel Brune 8° — they are a little harder to find than most other Trappist beers (except Westvleteren), but worth seeking out.

Hopslam’s aroma is rich hoppy mixture from the numerous hops. It is like a potpourri of hop smells.

The initial flavors are sweetness likely from the honey followed by a hoppiness that fills your mouth with citrus and floral. The finish is mixed with a little alcohol heat showing up right it the end of the all of flavors.

The flavors cause the mouth feel of this beer to be driven by the hold that the flavors have on your mouth. The sweetness and body of the honey help to give this beer a nice medium body, which compliments the favors.

I would say this a classic for the hophead to include in their annual rotation of beers. The highly limited availability of this beer here in the south makes this beer something to mark on your calendar for each late January.

The appearance is very golden with orange to copper colors. The head is big at the start and fades slowly with thick lacing.

The aroma is very strong and full of citrus and grassy characteristics. A little bit of a pine aroma is present, too.

The taste is mellow compared to the aroma. There is a very even hop flavor throughout the mouth, but a pine flavor returns to provide a stronger hops finish to the beer.

Overall, this is a very good fresh hop beer. Some would appreciate a taste profile that is richer in flavors. The 7% ABV helps make the beer very drinkable.

The aroma is full of rich hoppy goodness. A little pine and citrus are the main aromas.

The taste is starts with a hoppy bitterness turning to a malt mixed with hops bitters.

Overall, Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale is a very tasty fresh hop organic beer with a 6.7% ABV.

The aroma is very rich in hops. There is a citrus aroma that rises up quickly to fill the air.

The taste starts with a crisp bite from the hops. There is a rush of bitterness that just fills your mouth. The finish starts to present a little hint of the malt backbone of this beer. The 10% ABV is hidden in the cyclone of hops flavor.

Overall, this is very enjoyable beer. The can makes is it easy to travel. The high ABV will or should slow you down some.

The aroma present with lime citrus right away from the key lime in the beer. The lime overwhelms the other aromas for the most part, but the typical phenolic characteristics are present.

The taste is surprisingly flat for what would be expected. The key lime and spices are to main taste in this beer.

This would be a very enjoyable beer during the hot summer months.

The beer pours up with a minimal head that fades quickly without lacing.

The aroma is wonderfully filled with deep roasted malt tones that hints of alcohol somewhere hidden below the surface.

The taste starts at the tip of the tongue with a crispness that vanishes quickly. Malt flavors take over your mouth as the alcohol tries to push through the malt flavors, but it is held back. As the finish approaches, the maltiness gives way to bourbon like flavors enriched by alcohol burn in the finish.

Overall, Yellowhammer Brewery has hit on there hand with this beer. Hopefully, next year, they will brew a larger batch. The style is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale and has a 10.5% ABV. Fellow reviewer, Jay Kissell, reviewed this beer for the Huntsville Times’ Go Magazine.

Some breweries of note are the Marble Brewery, Terminal Brewhouse, and Woodruff Brewing.

The Jam featured music from Kelsey’s Woods, Barstool Romeos, Black Cadillacs, and Cutthroat Shamrock.

This year the organizers, Community Shares, had an area setup for children including a moon bounce and craft table.

Community Shares helps area groups in need.

The whiskey barrel aging presents at the nose very well. The maltiness at the nose compliments the bourbon tones.

The bourbon flavors present right at the beginning of the taste. The high alcohol of 10% ABV goes very well with bourbon.

First of all, be warned that the Hof ten Dormaal beers tend to be highly carbonated.  As soon as I loosened the wire cage on the 375ml bottle of Hof ten Dormaal Dark (7.5% ABV), the cork popped and fine light brown foam came pouring out.  So be ready with a glass and a towel.  Once poured, the beer is a hazy brown color with abundant light brown head that eventually settles to a thin layer of tiny bubbles.  The smell is better than the appearance — typical saison spiciness — very nice.  The mouthfeel is somewhat creamy, but with a very dry finish.  The taste is anchored in flavorful malt and even a hint of cocoa in the finish.

Overall, I would drink this again and look forward to trying the other saisons from Hof ten Dormaal.

It pours black-brown, with 1/2 finger of fine, light brown head with some lacing.  The aroma is of warm bread crust, warming alcohol, and a hint of fresh sea spray.

The rich taste is mostly toasted malt, with a hint of coffee and bitter cocoa.  The body is full and creamy, with moderate carbonation and a dry finish.

I enjoyed this beer a lot — next time, I’ll have to try some with fresh oysters.

The amora is a sweet floral mixed with little bit of the spices, which are coriander and orange peel. The aroma is very enjoyable.

The appearance is a hazy wheat color. The appearance is enhanced with the steady stream of bubbles rising up.

The taste is dominated by the flavors from the yeast mixed with the spices. There a medium body to it.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable beer. It would go very well with light fish like trout or Chilean Sea Bass. The 5.38% ABV make this a very good choice for a session beer to be drank while smoking your trout. Mmmm.