Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva

330 ml bottle. Dark brown body with a beige head. Aroma is sweet malty, caramel, brown sugar, dry fruit, spices with a hint of vanilla and smoke. Flavor lives up to the expectations of the aroma. Sweet malty, caramel, mild smoke, vanilla, dry fruit, syrup, liquorices and a tiny hint of acidulous that just suits this beer perfect. A classic.

Bottle (330ml). Poured muddy red-brown with an average foamy beige head - not much the laces (harumph). Lovely, lovely aroma - complex spice and tart fruity malt, mild astringent oak resin and yeast - alcohol not all that noticeable; very, very promising (8+). The taste - initially I am a bit put off, the dry astringent woodiness is almost too forward, and there’s an odd lactic sourness too, but still the spice/raisin/yeast maltiness is complex and rewarding, so great marks from me! Thick, somewhat squeaky mouthfeel, a tad still (after all that time in-barrel I understand), with a dry tart malty finish. Overall, very smooth, and while the oak is quite mild in the taste, I expect it to mellow further with another year or so of cellaring - very very good, and worth a revisit down the road.

Bottle at Volo Cafe, Aug. 2008. Certainly, this beer is very good, though it gets too much attention in my mind. The colour is beautiful brown, with a strong, persistent head. I like the aroma too: sweet, with dark sugars, raisin, vanilla. The flavour is far too sweet; it overwhelms the other complex flavours: raisin, brown sugar, caramel and black licorice.

33cl bottle from Barley Wine. It poured a dark brown colour with a medium beige head that settles down fast in the glass. It has a sour aroma that that smells of yeast, malts, dark fruits and alcohol. The flavour is dry and spicy and tastes alcohol, malts, and dark fruits. It has a lingering aftertaste.

Bottle. A dark brown beer with a beige head. The aroma and taste is of sweet malt, dark fruits, wood and some alcohol. Medium to full body with a sweet fruity finish.