Hops on Pops

Day #630 Poperings Hommelbier / Brouwerij Van Eecke, Watou, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Het Kappitel Watou Blond and another Watou Blond

Today marks the first day of the 2013 Penn State football season.  It doesn't feel like the first day.  Maybe it's me; maybe I haven't prepped and planned the way I usually do.  Maybe it's the fact the first game isn't in Beaver Stadium.  However, at 3:30pm today they kick off, so I better get myself ready for football... and fast.

Keeping the wheels turning on the glut of reviews from the trip to Belgium, and today's offering is a glass of Poperings Hommel Bier, a Belgian IPA from Brouwerij van Eecke.  In the glass you get a very bright and clear gold color, with a traditional monster white head.  Compared to other Belgian beers, this one is quite hoppy, both in aroma and taste, with mellow citrus flavors.  Whereas American hoppy beers give you pine aromas and flavors, this one has more of an herbal taste.  Earthy and green and tasty with a touch of malt sweetness, this beer is rather refreshing and enjoyable.  I'm not sure anyone is flying to Belgium to drink Hommelbier, but maybe they should.

This beer is brewed in Watou, a small town near the French border.  You'll hear more about Watou as I continue to go through beers.  This area is famous for growing hops, one of the main ingredients in beer. Therefore, a very important place from a geographic sense in the Belgian beer culture.  In fact, this beer is brewed using only locally grown hops. Outside of the beer world, this area is more famously known for being the nexus of trench warfare during the First World War.

Hi there, sexy.

Hops, in the local dialect, are known as 'hommel', and Poperinge is the name of the region where the hops are famously grown, hence the name of this beer.  If you wanted to learn more about hops than you ever thought possible... stay tuned.

Thing to Think About Today:
A few of my friends and I have recently been discussing a below the radar rap group from the early 90s, 3rd Bass. These guys are sort of like the Beastie Boys Light, although unlike the fun loving Beasties they spend considerable time rapping about the legitimacy of the rap game and societal issues facing African Americans. This is notable, as the two main members of the group were white.

Why am I discussing this?  In the spirit of Poperings and hops, I present some hip-hop in Pop Goes the Weasel, a song that tore Vanilla Ice to shreds for his pop star aspirations.  Plus, I love the hook they stole from Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, so that + making fun of Vanilla Ice = awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzXI_ApY4dY

P.S.  GO PENN STATE!