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BRUSSELS — A Brussels brewer has just the thing for Eurocrats drowning their sorrows over Donald Trump’s victory in the United States election: A brand new “The Future is Europe” beer that uses Ukrainian hops.
“I think there’s a huge deficit in the feeling of belonging to the European project, which became even more prevalent during the last [European] elections [in June],” said Sébastien Morvan, co-founder of the Brussels Beer Project company that initiated the project.
A group of 12 breweries from 11 European countries, including Latvia, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Portugal, are involved in launching the new beverage.
Named “The Future is Europe” in reference to a famous mural in the heart of Brussels’ European quarter, the beer — described as “hazy, tropical, pro-Europe” — is a collaboration to celebrate European unity and multiculturalism in Brussels, Morvan added.
The recipe for the beer — a fresh New England IPA, in case you were wondering — was created mixing European ingredients, including hops from Ukraine, and techniques from all the collaborating breweries. People can expect notes of mango, pineapple, coconut and grapefruit in the slightly bitter drink, Morvan said.
“Often in Europe, we’re lacking a little sense of pride and ambition,” Morvan said. This beer aims to show that Europe can be “collaborative, innovative and fresh,” while promoting European entrepreneurship, he added.
It’s also about regaining a sense of pride for the European flag, the Brussels brewer said, explaining that the project tried to “associate a popular product” — beer — “with a project that is often seen as elitist” — Europe — “so that when you think about Brussels and the European flag, you don’t only think about regulation.”
