Struise Pannepot

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Oostvleteren, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

UPDATED: FEB 8, 2012 Very dark brown, almost black beer. Nice head, foam seems to last forever. Nice aroma’s comming to my nose. Looks very tasty. Good strong taste with a bit of "drop"-taste it seems. The taste changes when you nip till you swallow, very complex. Very much sweetness, and a nice oily-sticky mouthfeel. Really like this one. Also the aftertaste holds for a long time, and even that one seems to change. Without a doubt a great beer. Fruity, but on a nice way. Sweetness is a big part of this beer. Edit: At 10 sept 2010 tasted a 2004 version. So 6 years old. A bit lighter it seems at the first sight. Still a good sized head, smells more earthy and a bit weird burned. Prunes comes trough. Smell is less then a fresh one in my opinion. Very sweet, really more sweet then expected. Taste prunes, chocolate, fruits. Very complex, maybe even complexer then a fresh one. Caramel, sucre, sucre, sucre, but also other tastes comes up to make it that complex, but to much sweetness for sure. I slightly prefer a fresh one, that is more balanced. But even this one is still a good beer ofcourse. Both (fresh and aged) just maybe got a bit to much sugar in it.

2006 bottle...holy god am I ever impressed by this beer. The nose and flavors brim with figs, raisins, plums, cola and toffee. Mouthfeel is a tad on the thin side but appropriate for the style. If I had a St. Bernardus and a Westy 12 in front of me, I have little doubt that I would favor this in a blind tasting. Happy to have a few of these in the cellar.

UPDATED: FEB 2, 2010 Been waiting a long ol’ time for this. Not a gusher, but almost no liquid on the pour. Enormous tan head, like a milkshake’s froth. Airy, fine, wonderful. Lasts ‘til the very end. Beer itself is black. Bready aroma of spices, rich caramel malts, ginger, cake. Nuanced and complex. Rich, huge flavor. Rich, bready malts. Sweet but not cloying. Meal-like. Acidic cherries matched with all kinds of dried fruits and plums. Body is lighter and thinner than you expect. Very silky. You almost want more of a bite. Big alcohol. Slightly roasty woodiness in the finish.

Bottle. A dark brown to blackish color with a creamy light brown head. A rich fruit filled chocolate aroma.with figs, sugar, raisins, and light spices rounding out the flavors. A delicious beer through and through.

2007 bottle. Been wanting to try this for a while. Dark brown/black pour with a big light tan head. Fantastic big aroma of cherries and dark fruits with a barrel aged warmth to it. Flavor is dark fruits, nuts, brown sugars and a musty quality. Finishes up sour and bitter. Soda-like late arriving carbonation. Not what I expected for some reason. Definitely seems like a beer that could change with age. Has a bit of an antiseptic feel to it.

33cl bottle purchased at La Cervezateca in Barcelona. I think this cost me 4 Euros (about $5.50. It’s important to note that La Cervezateca had two different bottles of this. One bottle had been shipped directly from Belgium to Barcelona. The other had been distributed by Shelton Bros, meaning it was sent to the US and then back to Barcelona for sale. Needless to say, I bought the bottle less traveled. Pours a nearly opaque, deep, dark brown, nearly black with garnet edges and a thin, creamy beige head. Aroma is very nice, prunes, plums, raisins, alcohol, yeast, bread, light spice. Flavor is nice, yeasty, bready, prunes, raisins, some dark chocolate, toasted grains, a little bit of alcohol. Finish is full bodied with some lasting sweetness. Nose is very nice, flavor is a bit of a downgrade.

I waited long enough to try this, and damn it was awesome. 33cl bottle poured into a snifter a dark brown with a thin tan head. Aroma was utterly superb. Fig, dates, plum, malts, slight amounts of chocolate. Taste is full of the dark fruit, belgian yeast, malty character. The palate is just dominated by this beer and it was glorious. One of the best.

Bottle. Strong caramel and vanilla aroma with floral notes. Pours a dark brown with a camel head. Oaky and smoky. The malt is quite strong making it a sweet beer. Nice for a good winter’s evening.