The Bruery Fourthmeal Hoppy Belgian-Style Ale
Fourthmeal is a collaborative effort between Maine Beer Company and The Bruery — two factions of which I am big fans. This 6.9% ABV is billed as a “Hoppy Belgian-Style Ale” and that description couldn’t be any more accurate. It also a brew that successfully captures aspects of both companies — The Bruery’s Belgian influence and Maine Beer’s love of hops.
There is a solid amount of grassy hop character and tropical fruitiness packed into this beer’s golden depths, but Fourthmeal isn’t just a hop bomb with a some Belgian yeast in the mix. There’s a tremendous balance to this brew as the bready backbone, yeast and hop character all play with one another nicely, creating a brew that is fun and refreshing.
Fourthmeal is anything but a traditional Belgian-style ale. The fruit-forward hop character mixed with the spicy yeast makes for a brew that I could drink all day long. At a relatively manageable alcohol potency, the beer drinks dangerously easy and satisfies thoroughly. Man, I need to find more of this beer.