Struise Rosse

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

A Mes rate: Bottle at home thanks to Carlo and Urbain.
Lovely amber brown colour with a very impressive thin but very tight and grippy white head leaving plenty of lacing in its wake. Slightly burnt aroma with notes of tropical fruit toffee and spice. Fairly heavy sediment following the final pour turrning it very cloudy and topping up the head nicely. Toffee and caramel and sweet stuff up front in the mouth but it almost instantly gives way more tropical fruit and some sharp spicy hops. Lovely delicate prickly warmth to it. May only be 5% but it’s given me a bit of a glow. Nice fruit and caramel finish. Just that little bit different as all Struise beers are. Tasty and drinkable.

Bottle, vintage 2004. Bought at DØE Festival 2006. Pours a clear red amber with a big fizzy white head. Aroma is mild, based on caramel, but contains coriander, vanilla and herbs as well. Fizzy mouthfeel. Flavour is mild, sweet and caramelly, but there is a slight tarty finish to it, not lowered by the fizzyness. The spices come to the fore in the aftertaste, letting it dry out slowly, but with a continuing pine-like and spicy taste experience. This is so muchlike a Saison that I’m almost thinking it should be :o)

(Bottle, BB 12/2010) Pours a cloudy orangish-brown body with a moderate off-white head. Aroma of floral, leather, mustiness, earth, grass, and roasted nuts. Flavor of floral hops, lemon, and herbs with a dry finish.

Bottle thanks to royce. Aroma is yeasty, citrus andfloral. Taste iosa similar, floral to a new level, quite tasty.

Bottle sampled on 3/12/07: Pours a cloudy hazy copper with a thin, frothy light tan head. Aroma of sweet bready dark caramel sugar with some mild toasty notes and a touch of light oaky fruit. Body starts slightly sweet, thinner, dry and earthy with some toasty bready notes.

courtesy of Greg Gaughan; 2007 vintage - pours a fully cloudy copper-orange colour with a giant and creamy beige head; aroma of tangerines and caramel along with some undefined spicy notes; soft yet tasty mouthfeel, quite sweet with a hint of acidity; very low bitterness and a respectable malt body; long aftertaste of bread and honey - solid and charming

Bottle. Quite yeasty, with some banana esters popping up. Citrsuy in the finish, a touch sweet to start, with an off-dry finish.

Very hazy gold with amber shine; thin white head, rather stable. Faint cheesy & herbal smell; very, very faint fruit in the finish. Sweet taste, despite the ice-cold serving. Some cookie malt, finishing with a starfruit flavour, and slightly more bitter and definitely more fruity. I seem to get some diacetyl as well. Medium bodied, alcohol is not shy in comparison the the low ABV. I’m not overwhelmed. It’s all so faint - even for Caulier. I don’t expect a huge beer at 5.5%, but all the same. And I certainly don’t buy the story about the wrong yeast being added, colouring the beer amber.