This beer is fairly well known because it is atypical of a Belgian beers. Belgians are known for their hop restraint. Lambics even use stale hops that have had the acid degraded over time. Not Gaspar. In fact, the claim is that this beer has 115 IBUs of hops. IBUs are international bitter units. As a reference point, it is not uncommon for India Pale Ales (known for their hoppiness) to have 70-85 IBUs. Needless to say, there is a huge amount of hops in this beer. However, I drank a bottle that was 6 years old, so I couldn’t tell you how a fresh bottle tastes. After six years, I’m sure the hops toned down and the sweetness ratcheted up. Here is how my six year-old bottle tasted.
The Pour: This beer had a dirty copper-blonde body that was brooding in the glass. The cloud-like, fluffy head was a tranquil balance to the effervescent beer. When I pour a Belgian like this with a fluffy head, it’s like heaven and earth in the glass.
The Nose: A very ripe fruit nose was much present in Gaspar. Touches of metallic aroma came through the spicy yeast head. Of course, Belgian candy sugar was part of the lovely smell as well. Being that this beer was 8% ABV, it’s not surprising that there were vinous (wine-like) notes to the beer. I also noted a distinctly raison and apricot-touched aroma.
The Taste: Notice that I didn’t mention hops on the nose. I really think 6 years of aging really affected what hop presence there might have been on the nose and taste. However, Gaspar still presented some hop flavors and a very deep bitterness. The creamy head released a lot of that hop flavor (but not in the taste…strange) and yeasty spice. The raison and apricot that I smelled came on the taste (I think the apricots were the hops changing). Some metal and burnt grain on the taste balanced some of the bitterness. Residual sweetness, candy sugar, and initial fruits also pushed the bitterness into the realm of pleasurable.
Overall, this is a great and unique beer. I am interested to taste this as a fresh beer. It was very nice at 6 years and could have gone another 6 easily. Pick it up wherever you can find it.
Mike’s Rating:
Overall Satisfaction: 
Among other Belgians: 
