Struise Pannepot

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

This was just pure love. Took me one and a half hour to drink a 33cl bottle since the flavor and intensity from a small zip could last for several minutes! Dark brown and opaque with an exploding head, which unfortunatly resulted in some of the brew spilling onto the table, so be aware. Aroma is intense, extremly fruity and vinouse with strong alchohol and molasses, like a quad should be, but with a nice edge of roasted chocolate. The intensity is carried into the flavor, where the fruity sweetness along with the alchohol and roasted bitterness just makes it extremly delicious. Given it was served at the right temperature, and drunk alone as a desert an hour after dinner, without anything else to mess up the flavor, this is probably the best beer i’ve ever had!

Wow...this beer is huge. Aroma was pretty strong. Strong malt and yeasty aroma with a hint of farts. Pour was deep dark brown with a nice 1 finger tan head that faded down to a thin ring after a minute. Taste was very big and bold. Strong malt with toffee and molasses fills the mouth with dark roasted malt in the aftertaste. The mouth dries after the swallow and the great carbonation combines with a yeasty bite. A little too big for my tastes but it is a great beer. I’m going to try the other version next.

Bottle (33 cl) at Kulminator, Antwerp, Belgium. Dark brown with a rich creamy beige head. Intense malt aroma, sugary and slightly roasted, with spices and molasses. Medium bodied, just a bit too much carbonation to get the highest palate score. Quite sweet, with a dry finish that dos not completely balance up the sweetness.

2006 bottle: pours dark brown with ruby around the bottle bulb of the glass. The head pours about 2 fingers high and rocky slowly going down to a thick film over most of the top. a beautiful beer. Aroma is vinous, with some roastiness, and yeastiness. It still maintains a fresh note on the tale end of the aroma, somewhat piney, and with some traces of alcohol. Flavor is rich, with a particular slightly oily taste. beer is roasty, but not stout like. the aftertaste is very rich, yet dry, and spicy. Flavor as you drink showcases different spices. ginger at times, and cardamom. It seems also that there is a touch of coriander that accentuates the spiciness of the hops. As the finish approaches the beer shows some caramel character, and what I think is a smokiness. I also detect some soy... actually the last sip was all soy and spice. mouth feel is very active, sometimes a couple too many bubbles to really get the flavor of the beer. This wasn’t really a beer I loved, I enjoyed the unconventionalness of it, but it didn’t strike me as great. I have one more bottle that I will sample later. Definitely enjoyed the oak aged better, and would like to try it again.

’06 Bottle: Courtesy of jsquire at the local tasting. Dark nut brown pour with a big, tan head. Spiced dark malts, toffee and pine are blended together perfectly to make what is easily one of the best smelling brews I’ve had. Very holiday-ish brew, I could imagine sitting by the christmas tree on a snowy night sipping on this. Wonderfully carbonated mouth feel. Dark roasted malts, cloves, cinnamon and some dark fruits come through in the taste. Has a perfectly balanced peppery finish to it. Damn near perfect.

Bottle of 2005 vintage, from Boutip - thank you! Pours a cloudy brown with a tan head with good retention. Good god - aroma overwhelming! Spicy sweet, gingerbread & fancy molasses, crystal malt & saltwater taffy. Taste does not disappoint - Jigs Dinner (for you non-Newfoundlanders, salted ham) masala, bbq, dark honey. Slightly thin on the finish, but warm and sweet. My notes punctuated with expressions of rapture. Nice creamy body with perfect carbonation. Wow, this is one of the most complex, most delicious beers I’ve ever had. Thank you again, Boutip!

Bottle. 11.2 oz 2006 vintage from yonkers65. Aroma of bitter chocolate, dark and dried fruits, brandy soaked lightly charred oak, spices and alcohol. Pours a thick opaque brown with a very dense and creamy light khaki head. Chocolate, amaretto, wet toasted oak, creme brulee, spiced maple syrup. Mmmm... quite tasty. The complexity only increases as the beer opens in the glass. Lush and creamy on the tongue. Slightly silky. A very pleasant alcohol warmth on the finish. Very nice stuff! Huge thanks to Bruce for this bonus beer!

Thanks to Holdwine for giving me a chance to sample this wonderful beer. The defining charcters of this beer for me was the incredibly soft palate for a beer of this abv, and the underlying zesty sourness that keeps the big, thick, beer in perfect balance.