Struise Tsjeeses Reserva

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers
Style: Abbey Tripel
Oostvleteren, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

Pour off orange with decent white head. Aroma soft vanilla, light barrel notes, peppery, yeasty, spice, fruity. Taste wood, vanilla, dark fruits, bready yeast, pepper. MF medium body pretty high carb. Interesting brew with some strange tastes.

wow this is pretty wild. smokey fruit throughout. lots of smoke and funk and vanilla in the aroma. flavor is that plus dark fruits. nice medium body, chewy with a lingering smoked raisin finish. alcohol well-hidden but warming. really excellent.

Nice xmas beer. Spicy, but not over the top. Nice balance between hops, alcohol, spices and fruits

THOUGHTS: Very Belgian. Better than the original, but the original I had a couple years ago might have been bad. Woody and nutty both from the fruit pits. Very fruity, too. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a medium amber with a small to average head that mostly diminished, but left excellent lacing.It also had tiny to small particles of a thick density floating in the body. The aroma had light to moderate fruit syrup; hints of caramel; moderate floral, herbal, and perfume hops; slight minty hops; light to moderate spicy and dusty yeast; slight funky yeast; plum; mostly peach; wood and fruit pits. The initial flavor was moderately sweet and lightly acidic; while the finish was moderately sweet, moderately acidic and lightly bitter. There were peaches mostly, syrup, a little caramel, plum, cherry, alcohol, spicy yeast, herbal, floral and perfume hops; wood, nuts, fruit pits and slight funky yeast. The medium body was a little syrupy and sticky on the lips and then dry (especially toward the bottom of the bottle) with soft yet tingly carbonation and a light to moderate alcoholic finish.

750 ml bottle, best before 12/12/2012: ?? vintage. 01/30/2012. Pours hazy burnt copper, transparent around the edges, foamy haze head which dissipates in short order. Nose is very spicy, with peppers, thyme, rosemary, dark fruits, smoky vanilla. Taste has gone a bit sour, I don’t remember this in a more recent bottle- tart apples, sherry, sweet vinegar, lingering fruity aftertaste, sugary.. Mouthfeel is thin. Don’t believe this is as intended, will re-rate another bottle in the future.

33cl bottle. Dark amber with medium dirty white head. Nose : Excellent aromas of dried fruits and spices. There is this roasty caramel barley and some alcohol aromas. But there is something deep in it : the aroma of tree resin. Cream tart. Sip : The texture stays great, like the ordinary version of Tsjeeses. The overall taste is more dry with stronger sourness in the aftertaste. The alcohol is warming like a whysky. Definitely the aging was a success and the difference is well noticeable : the wood aromas are present. 6 month hein ?

Bottle at Delirium Reserve. Slightly funky nose, quite funky, actually. Dry, apple, pears, minerals. Deep amber color with orange, and a tall, fine head. Sweet honey flavor with caramel, stewed fruit, minerals, and a bit of ass funk. Hot alcohol too. A strange one—not as immediately likeable as the regular version. Very funky, dirty, plus quite sweet. Complex and spicy, and it grew on me. An interesting, good beer.

330 ml bottle bought @ Etres Gourmet and consumed on January 21. 2010 vintage. Pours cloudy chestnut brown with a huge creamy white head that slowly dissipates while leaving lots of trace on the glass. Smell is sweet, spicy and fruity with dates, figs, raisins, clove, cinnamon, caramel, wood and alcohol. Taste is sweet and slightly bitter with caramel, wood, minerals, vanilla, cloves, sweet cherries, burnt sugar and alcohol. Finish is slightly sweet and slightly bitter with lots of wood.