North East Beer Review

Moersleutel is a Dutch brewery which has often intrigued me as of recently. I often see their cool can designs and think I wonder what that brew is like. Then I most of the time I see the price tag and opt against getting one. Well this one was kind of a bargain from Beer52 and I finally pulled the trigger on one. So today’s review is on Moersleutel Fruit Bomb which is a Double IPA. What did I think of this beer and brewery? To think find out I will cover the history of the beer and brewery, the pour, the taste and aroma, and finally I will give you my verdict. Cheers

A well respected Dutch brewery

Moersleutel Craft Brewery is one of the most respected craft breweries in the Netherlands. It was founded in 2016 by four brothers, Pim, Tom, Max and Rob Zomerdijk. The Alkmaar based brewer became known for its engineering based approach to brewing bold and flavour packed ales. The name even means Wrench in Dutch due to the founders love of technical backgrounds and mechanics.

This began as a family experiment but quickly evolved into a serious brewing practice after the brother refined recipes and advanced their equipment. Their first breakthrough came with a barrel-aged imperial stout, which helped establish the brewery’s reputation among European craft beer enthusiasts. Internationally, they have a reputation for producing powerful stouts, heavily hopped IPAs and their famous limited releases. The brewery sometimes describes itself as “Beer Engineers” which as stated earlier is inspired by the founders love technical engineering. Their semi-automated brewing system allows them to carefully control temperature, water quality, and ingredient additions to maintain consistency and maximise flavour intensity.

Moersleutel Fruit Bomb is one of the brewery’s flagship IPAs and part of its core beer range. Released as a Double IPA with an ABV of 8%, Fruit Bomb was designed to showcase the brewery’s love for modern hop-forward beers with intense tropical flavours and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. The beer became very popular for its strong flavour and full bodied texture.

Fruit Bomb helped cement Moersleutel’s reputation outside the Netherlands, especially among fans of New England and hazy-style IPAs. The success of the beer later inspired stronger variations such as Triple Fruit Bomb, which intensified the tropical hop profile even further. Among the craft beer community, Fruit Bomb is regularly praised for its juicy flavour profile and smooth texture, with many drinkers considering it one of the standout Dutch DIPAs available today.

A fruit juice type pour

Moersleutel Fruit Bomb pours a thick yellow to golden colour which was is incredibly hazy and juicy like. The cloudy body to this brew may suggest oats are used in the brewing. The head is bright and white and has an impressive level of retention. This also leaves a fine level of lacing down the glass. The carbonation is moderate with a small stream of bubbles travelling up the glass. Overall, the presentation is very inviting and typical of a new style DIPA.

An extremely flavourful flavour profile

Aroma

The aroma on Moersleutel Fruit Bomb is intensely tropical and immediately bursts from the glass after pouring. Strong notes of ripe mango, pineapple, passion fruit, and peach dominate the nose, backed by hints of citrus zest and sweet orange. There is also a soft stone-fruit character that adds depth alongside subtle floral hop notes. As the beer warms slightly, a creamy oat sweetness begins to appear, giving the aroma a smoothie-like quality that is typical of modern hazy Double IPAs. Despite the heavy fruit-forward character, the alcohol remains surprisingly well hidden, allowing the hops to remain the star of the show.

Taste

Fruit Bomb is deeply aromatic and the flavour also shows in the tastes. Explosions of tropical juicy flavours such as mango, pineapple and peach are thrusted forward. This is slowly followed by citrus fruits such as orange and lemon. A soft malt backbone gives this beer a smooth full bodied oat feel, this is followed by a moderate hoppy bitterness which helps the brew become more approachable despite the 8% ABV. The sweetness of this beer is more equivalent to a fresh carton of fruit juice. The finish smooth and slightly resinous alongside a lingering flavour of tropical fruits. Overall, Fruit Bomb is an immensely full flavoured pour which appears to focus on drinkability, creaminess and juicy flavour rather than aggressive bitterness.

Time for my verdict

Moersleutel Fruit Bomb is brilliant introduction to a new brewery. This was extremely smooth, creamy and immensely tropical fruit forward. The levels of fruitiness actually caught me off guard and for a moment I actually thought I was drinking a glass of fresh fruit juice. This brew despite nearly being out of date, tasted ridiculously fresh and the alcohol warmth was brilliantly masked. I think the only improvement would be to be slightly more balanced. Despite this, I still give this a great 4.5 out of 5. Cheers

Where did I buy this beer?

I bought this beer from the Beer52 online store.

Thanks for reading my review. If you enjoyed my review you will love my review of another beer I purchased from Beer52 called OY Brewing Palleba Oat Pilsner.