Bellfield Lawless Village Hop Trophy special
"This shows that you really get an intensity that can easily stand up to American hops."
- Keith Robertson, Bellfield Brewery
Read all about the third beer in the Hop Trophy series below, scroll down for the full video.
Bellfield decided, as the first brewery in the Hop Trophy, to brew a special version of a beer from their core range. Not just any one, as they chose their flagship IPA Lawless Village. This choice created an opportunity for head brewer Keith and the Bellfield team to experience how hops from European soil can make a difference.
Selecting hops
When Bellfield came up with the idea of brewing a new version of Lawless Village, we were immediately excited, as it is a wonderful way to show the full potential of European hops.
Bellfield wanted to keep Cascade and Centennial from the original recipe in it, we supplied these two originally American varieties from European soil. We suggested supplementing this with Lilly, for its nice citrus aroma, and Petit Blanc, to add a more tropical touch. That's how we agreed it should be these hops.
Hop usage
Head brewer Keith: “When you brew the same beer with different type of hops, you can see the difference. And that shows that each hop is an individual and has different characteristics, and it’s about using and utilizing them in a great way. With this one we used cascade and centennial that’s been grown in Europe In this one, we used Cascade and Centennial, which are grown in Europe. Of course, these are slightly different from American soil. Maybe you lose a little of that intense citrus, but you gain more warmth and depth in return. We also used Lilly and Petit Blanc, mainly as the aroma ones, so as the final addition in the whirlpool, and in the dryhop. You guys at Hollands Hophuis recommended those two, as an interesting European take on those classic American West Coast hops.”
Lawless Village IPA - Special Edition
Lawless Village was inspired by West Coast IPAs that were booming in the middle of the first decade of this century. In doing so, Bellfield opted for a lower alcohol content (4.5%) than is usual for such beers. As a result, Lawless Village is deliciously Pintable, or, in other words, perfect to drink by the English pint.
We taste the Hop Trophy edition of Lawless Village with Keith and he is very pleased: “I’m really happy with it, how it’s turned out. The citrus and pine aroma we want is in there. You’ve got a kinda red fruit character, some of that is from the malt. We use a bit of crystal malt to get this colour, so it’s linking up with that. There’s a good level of bitterness, and a lot of fruit which is really nice to see. So yeah, really happy with it.”
Punchy European hops
Although the focus at Hollands Hophuis is entirely on hops from European soil, this beer cannot escape comparison with American hops. Keith has his thoughts on that: "There’s maybe an unfair belief that European hops are more subdued, smaller in flavour character and not as punchy as American hops, but as you can see here, that’s not true. Especially with the new varieties coming true. Yeah, it’s really good to see.”
Our enthusiasm for the idea of brewing a special edition of a beer from the core line is confirmed. The strength of hops from European soil comes out well, as it happens:
“When we chose together the four hops, I basically replicated the recipe I usually use, with the same amount of hops per litre. This beer is the same recipe as our original, but with just the hops replaced. This shows that with these European hops, even at that same level of grams of hops in your brew, you really getting an intensity which easily stands up to American hops. Which is really cool to see”, Keith concludes.
Want to try it yourself?
Lawless Village's Hop Trophy edition can be tasted at A.B.T. Cafés across The Netherlands throughout February (and beyond should there be any left over).
Bellfield is available throughout the UK and is doing a lot to spread their beers throughout Europe. The beers are available in their online shop (shipping within the U.K.). You can follow them on Instagram or visit the website.
Tasting notes from the tasting panel
Of course, our independent panel of beer connoisseurs also tastes International Affairs. You can read their findings here.
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