Jessenhofke
Brewed by Brewery Jessenhofke
Jessenhofstraat 8, Kuringen-Hasselt,Limburg, Belgium
A shared passion for nature and conservationism, and a love of beer, made Gert Jordens and his good wife Christel Putzeys come up with the idea of owning and running a bio and eco-friendly brewery that produced beers with pure flavours and the best of local craftsmanship, with the least carbon footprint possible. This dream became a reality in 2006 in the quiet and peaceful small Belgian village of Kuringen when the couple created their bio brewery, only brewing beers with completely organic products. Jessenhofke, the name of the brewery comes from the street, Jessenhofstreet, where they founded their brewery.
They brew quite a wide and exciting variety of beers, and also some unique collaborations. For example, their PMPRNL (Jessenhofke Pimpernelle) is in collaboration with a herbalist Sanguisorba from Ranst, while they also brew Blueberry beers, Chocolate beers, beers brewed with beautiful Mont Roucous spring water, and so on. That is part of the attraction for the brewery, you just never know what they will come up with next, but as they are a Belgian brewery you can be assured they will be at least quite hoppy!!
Today the brewery is going strong and still keeping to its original remit of producing 100% organic, ecological and environmentally friendly beers. They sell within Belgium and to a number of countries throughout Europe, demand is high. In a market as competitive as beer in Belgium, it is refreshing to see a small Brewer with a great idea shake it all up and compete, offering something different. Many breweries have organic beer, that is not new, but less than a handful offer 100% organic beer.
But what does it mean to be a bio beer? To achieve the bio label is not easy, they don’t hand it out to any brewery that fancies going eco friendly! You really have a lot of tests to go through and reports to be filled in, certain strict conditions in the company have to met, and all the time, checked regularly by independent supervision agencies, and they check on everything from the raw materials to the production process. No chemical products are to used on the product, no artificial smells, colours or sweeteners, and, of course, no genetically modified ingredients. This extra mile that the company goes through results in a beer that is slightly more expensive than a regular brew. But I think most consumers can accept this extra expense when they realise that if more breweries cared about the well being of the environment and ultimately the health of their customers, then everyone would benefit so its really a small price to pay for, in reality, a better, cleaner product. Hats off to Jessenhofke and to Gert and Christel for giving the market a real alternative.
Review: 33cl stubby bottle of Jessenhofke’s RSRV, Belgian Quadrupel: 10% ABV
Coming in a lovely little stumpy black bottle with RSRV in big white distinctive lettering. The RSRV signfies Reserva, i.e higher quality than usual. An organic beer that is of high fermentation.
This beer is a Quadrupel, one leg up from a Tripel, and is an ale that has greater strength and a bolder flavour. Usually darker in look, rich and sweet to taste, and hops to the background.
On pour get a nice creamy head with a reddish brownish colour. Has to be said it looks fantastic. A really great looking beer. Head looks good and the beer has a real depth to it.
Some good lacing and head maintains well.
Was great to swish the beer around the glass, looking at the beautiful colours and the light carbonation fizzing about. A magnificent appearance and great body.
The aroma is slight, of fruits, caramel, the sweet malts, and the hops, ok on the nose.
On the taste, the initial mouthful was lovely, brilliant, creamy and definitely the beer started with the “wow” factor.
Fruity taste with the organic hops lingering in the background. Caramel is there too. Also got a strong taste of the candy sugar.
It is a full bodied beer, rich in taste, like a good hearty meal that takes a while to finish, this is beer to savour.
It is hoppy, it is a strong Belgian after all, but it very manageable and the hops caress your taste buds, smooth enough to drink and enjoy.
For a 10% ABV I thought the alcohol was very well hidden and inoffensive which was some feat.
Overall it was a beer that was pleasant and enjoyable to drink. A nice Belgian beer experience from a bottle.
Review: 33cl stubby bottle of Jessenhofke’s ‘t Bottelke, Belgian Ale: 6% ABV
Again in the nice stubby bottle, t Bottelke, in English “The Bottle” (I think), comes with a logo referencing the past of the old brewery.
On appearance the beer is a light hazy yellowish colour, with a nice white head.
Smell is earthy, and very fruity, get a good dose of the lemons. Nice on the nose.
The taste was very silky on the tongue, smooth, and easy to sip and enjoy while sitting down to view the football.
I got the malts, and can feel the yeast and lemons.
Light and very nice mouthfuls. Could drink a lot of these bad boys.
Not sure how much of this is a Belgian ale as it felt more like a light lager to me, not very bitter, it was very drinkable and went down the throat so easy.
The flavours and tastes were not so strong, lurking in the background, but strong enough to make their presence known.
I really liked this beer, and will definitely snap up a few of these bottles if I ever come across them again. Nice beer, and so clean and fresh.
Review: 33cl stubby bottle of Jessenhofke’s RGLR, a light blonde: 3.5% ABV
With big lettering “RGLR” as the logo on the stubby bottle. I am guessing it means Regular, as in this beer is a regular light blonde.
As a light blonde, you get that usual light pale yellow golden appearance, that one would expect, also a little hazy with some small carbonation. A white head that is small but sticks around. Not a bad looker, looks nice.
The smell is faint, of the yeasts, and malts.
On the taste it is very light, the barely malts to the front and centre of this beer.
Not a huge array of tastes and flavours, but then this is a light blonde, so I guess we shouldn’t expect too many in any case. Apparently this beer was made to serve at lunchtime over a meal, a light accompaniment, which certainly makes things a bit clearer. A low alcoholic thirst quencher to enjoy while tucking into some food.
Is definitely easy to drink, low in bitterness and going down the neck very smoothly.
Review: 33cl stubby bottle of Jessenhofke’s Arvum, Belgian Blond Bier: 6% ABV
‘Arvum’ is a collaboration brew between ‘Herkenrodeboer’ and the Jessenhofke brewery. Organic farming meets organic brewery. All ingredients found as close to source as possible.
Its a high fermented beer, with a secondary fermentation happening in the bottle.
On pour get a thin white head with a nice looking golden yellowish coloured beer, looks ok.
Head maintains well, and the beer turns very hazy after a while.
Smell is quite strong on the nose, very sweet, getting the malts, the lemons and the fruits. Not a bad aroma.
For the taste, found it quite a unique taste. Very sweet with a creamy feeling to the beer, hints of spice as well.
The unique taste is from the eco-friendly produced hops and the organic barley all locally sourced. Definitely stands out amongst the crowd.
Citrus taste, got the light hops, the sweet malts and some fruits. A very well balanced beer that ticks all the boxes when it comes to taste and flavours.
It is light and easy enough to drink, no strong off putting tastes nor unpleasant bitterness.
Tasty for sure, but a Blonde ale, If I am honest, is not my most favourite style, its half way between a lager and an ale, and not quite one or the other for me.
Review: 33cl stubby bottle of Jessenhofke’s BRWN, Belgian Brown Ale: 7% ABV
The beer is re-fermented in the bottle and all ingredients are organic. The little stubby bottle with BRWN spelled out in big lettering as the logo.
This looks lively, a very nice white frothy creamy head appears with a coloured beer of dark brown. Looks nice and solid. Good bit of carbonation.
Head maintains well and some good lacing apparent.
A good appearance to whet the appetite. Good start.
Nice smell on the nose, very fruity and a lovely chocolate, dark malty aroma with some caramel to boot.
On the taste opened up with nice big sweet mouthfuls, got the flavours of malts, caramel, of the chocolate, sugar, the barley, all nice at the start, all very refreshing in the taste.
Also a little hoppy too, quite a bit bitter, lingers on the tongue.
A very nice, tasty beer, loving the chocolate flavours, not too strong but is there in the background as a reminder.
Nice enough, a sweet beer with some bitterness that is manageable. An easy beer to drink and to enjoy. A good introduction to a Belgian Brown Ale, and the 7% is well hidden.
Review: 33cl stubby bottle of Jessenhofke’s TRPL, a Belgian Tripel: 8% ABV
Once again, the beer is re-fermented in the bottle and all ingredients are organic. The little stubby bottle with TRPL spelled out in big lettering as the logo.
On pour get a decent sized white frothy head of foam, and a deep hazy looking orange coloured beer. Not bad, looks the business.
The smell is all fruity and very nice on the nose.
Lovely big mouthfuls to begin with, very nice on the tongue, sweet and fruity.
Not bad, liking it a lot, very tasty and very nice to sip on.
Smooth, very smooth, didn’t feel the 8% alcohol at all, very well hidden
Mild bitterness. Sweet malts, fruity and citrus notes, the hops, all well balanced.
Like it, it did the business. For a tripel I found it was not as hoppy and bitter as expected. Also perhaps not as full of strong flavours and over bearing tastes as I thought but nevertheless a well balanced body, crisp, light and refreshing, that went down very easily and was very savory.
Felt it was quite a perfect beer to watch the football with.
Review: 33cl stubby bottle of Jessenhofke’s Maya, a Belgian Ale: 6% ABV
MAYA spelled out in big lettering on the bottle. A very interesting beer that uses the starchy water of a local seitan factory in Maya, hence the name. Seitan, of course, is a meat substitute, and is a chewy protein-rich food made from wheat gluten.
Looks good on pour, with a nice hazy white head, and a nice golden colour, looks very good in fact.
Some small carbonation going on. By the end of all that it stands tall looking fantastic in the glass.
Frothy white head maintains very well.
Smell was pretty light for me, but I did get a whiff of the malts.
Lovely creamy mouthfuls on the initial taste, very nice, also getting some light tasting fruits.
Hops come into play soon after. Light and very manageable. Well balanced with the malts.
The alcohol is very well hidden, making this a very light beer and very easy to drink.
Also getting some caramel in the background.
A regular Belgian blonde that is all organic.
Review: 33cl stubby bottle of Jessenhofke’s PMPRNL, a Triple bier: 8% ABV
PMPRNL spelled out in big lettering on the bottle, representing the Pimpernelle plant, a plant that is spicy and with well known healing powers, particularly for digestive and stomach issues.
On the appearance I got a cloudy dark yellow coloured beer with a nice good foamy white head. Not bad.
Had some good lacing
The smell was very fruity, banana and orange, plus citrus, sweet with the malts and herbs, all very pleasant on the nose.
The taste was quite unusual to me, full of spices and herbs that I would not be very familiar with at all. Very interesting.
A bit sugary too, initially.
Fruity, yes get a good taste of the banana, the oranges, the lemons,
Light hops, and the alcohol is well hidden.
Alright, smooth enough, drinkable. It is a Belgium triple alright.
It is quite well balanced considering all the differing complex tastes and unique flavours, and it certainly is something different, so hats off to the brewers there.
Back at a World Cup after an 8 year break, and with a decent squad full of confidence, they might surprise a few people. Star player, Tottenham midfielder, Christian Eriksen sets the tone for the rest of the team, and when he plays well Denmark play well. Captain, Simon Kjær, controlling the game from the back, can turn defence into attack very quickly with his accurate passing game and is coming into a World Cup at peak fitness and experience. Pione Sisto on the wing can cause teams all sorts of problems once he starts running at them. They have a strong squad with many players earning their wares at the top leagues of Europe, this is no team that will easily be beaten.
The do have a tough enough group though. France will always be a tough test, while Peru might cause a problem here or there. I would fancy them to have enough for Australia. The order helps them though, playing Peru right off the bat will surely give them a good idea of what they need to do to get out of the group. A win and they are set up to get out of the group with another win in their next game against Australia. Six points heading into the game against France, might free them up to play a more attack minded, winner takes all, type of game. A victory would mean they get to play Nigeria/Croatia, a loss means probably Argentina in round two. I’d fancy them to have a good shot at the last eight either side of the draw, but there is a certain advantage in winning the group for sure. I like this Denmark team, they are a physical team that are not easily pushed around, but also have enough skill to play their way out of difficulty too. Yes, Denmark are a tough nut to crack!
All this nonsense takes away from the fact that Uruguay have a pretty good footballing team. José María Giménez and Diego Godín have worked well together for Atlético Madrid this season and are a rock in the centre of defense. Up front the pairing of Suarez and Edinson Cavani will be a major headache for a lot of teams. They are physical (perhaps too much), feed off each other perfectly, and can score from all angles. They are a dangerous partnership that deserves respect. 
Oscar Tabarez is back for his 4th World Cup, but I thought they should have ditched him after the last fiasco, as he lost control of his own team and appeared to be a bit of a jabbering idiot at times. In times of panic and mayhem you need strong leadership and he was found badly wanting. 
Coming in some very eye catching logos, Zombräu, definitely have an interesting concept and story behind them. The names of the beers stand out too, with titles such as “MotorOil”, “Voodoo”, “Macumba” and “Insbierator”, all with themes related to the spiritual underworld.
I can certainly can see the attraction in these beers. Experimenting with exciting new styles, they are very unconventional in their style and approach, so much so that they consciously violate the purity law that German beers hold so dear. Breaking rules and doing something new, I love it! The traditional Bavarian wheat beers and lagers were a thing of the past, here they tried to do it differently. No beer styles are off limits. they brew IPA’s, Stout, Porter, Red Ale, Belgian beers and some specialty wheat beers, and more. Easy to see how spending time with Brewdog, one of the brothers (Tobi) came back a changed soul full of creative ideas and an action plan. In the beginning of 2013, Giesinger Bräu in Munich gave them an opportunity to brew a 5 hl brew of their finest IPA in their brewery, and the rest the say is history. Now the boys have a collection of beers, bottled and on sale ready to dominate the World, one town at a time.
On pour get a nice frothy head, with a very cloudy golden orange coloured beer. A good bit of carbonation resulting in quite a big white head. 
The logo for this one has a sleepy village and a church, with a nuclear power station in the background. Impending doom perhaps? The calm before the storm?
Aroma was strong, definitely could smell the bourbon aroma. I found it quite strong on the nose, also got some smokiness and an earthly feel from the beer. 
Motor Oil, what a great name for a beer, and especially for a stout, very good. “200% Stout, Guaranteed satisfaction” written on the bottle, ok I guess but a 100% would be good enough for me!
On the taste, I get the chocolate, the dark malts and the caramel, some licorice 
On pour get a nice frothy white head with a beer that has a lovely hazy amber-ruby colour. It really is a lovely looking beer, very nice.
From the Brauer and Co in Leipzig, in the eastern German state of Saxony, in what was part of eastern Germany, I got two unique looking beers. One a pilsner called Funky Forelle (Funky trout!), a Pils coming in an equally funky bottle with a rather pop art design of a fish on the long necked brown bottle, looks great. The other beer was a radler called Pretty Potwall (Pretty sperm whale!), also coming in a rather trendy looking design. We get the sperm whale enjoying himself with a nice big yellow lemon! Other than that I dont know a whole lot about the beers or the brewery but then I would guess that is part of the attraction of the beers! Mysterious! 
On pour I got a decent sized white headed beer, with a very clear, golden yellowish colour.
Coming in a nice long 5,l brown bottle with a rather cool looking logo of a Sperm Whale in the shape of a glass, eye catching.
Get a hazy looking light golden coloured radler. 
So for this World Cup can we expect more of the same? They might, but probably not. They got Spain and, European Champions, Portugal, with Morocco propping up the group. The only silver lining is that they get to play Morocco first, knowing a win is vital if they have any chance of making the second round. Playing Spain in the second game will be simply all about damage limitation, but if they get the result in the first game then they could try for a point that might be good enough for them in the last game against Portugal, provided they do some sort of defensive number on Ronnie. Perhaps Carlos Queiroz might have some useful tips for this game to pass onto his players? He certainly did a great job in the last world cup, assembling a very well drilled team. I would like them to do well, but I cant see it unfortunately. 
They have got a new coach Mladen Krstajić, after dispensing with Slavoljub Muslin who got them into the damn thing. So sure enough it takes time for the new coach to get his ideas across as that can be seen with their intermittent form in the friendlies. I dont know what the Serbian FA want, the manager did very well to get such a rubbish team into the World Cup, and if they are playing so poorly then surely the senior players should get a kick up the backside rather than sack the coach? 
In a group with Brazil, they wont win it. but they have a chance against Switzerland and Costa Rica for sure and could sneak into the second round without too much hassle. If so then its Germany up next, but remember they did beat them the last time they were in the World Cup, 1-0 in 2012, a result that at the time few expected, so maybe perhaps lightning could strike again? I doubt it though! 
Unfortunately Julius Appeltofft died in 1851, and so his business eventually fell to his son Per Gustav Appeltofft. Money was tight so in 1861, it was decided to transform the brewery into a joint stock company. This extra money helped with employment, modernization and expansion. 
Tacky enough pic of a crocodile for the logo, looks really cheap and one would never guess that this is a beer brewed in Sweden, where there are, as far as I know, no crocodiles. 
Their first game against Sweden really is where they need some sort of result to have any chance of progressing, as Mexico in the next game might be reeling from a loss to Germany at the start and in no mood to lose two games on the bounce. Maybe they will be lucky in playing Germany last, as the Germans might be already through by then and go easy on them. Clutching at straws there, but I dont see much that Korea can do in this group. I think if they get a point it will surprise me!