Struise Rosse

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

Bottled. Thanks to Carlo for this. A deep reddy amber coloured beer with no head. The aroma is very fruity yet dry. There is also a woody character. The taste has good fruits, probably raspberry dominant together with a little musty sourness. Again feels wuite dry in the mouth. Lots of flavour for a Belgian beer of such a low ABV. Very nice.

2008 bottle shared by bhensonb. This cloudy apricot colored beer poured with a very thin beige head and a fruity aroma. There is a unique flavor that is chalky and malty, not at all sweet. This strange walnut flavor sticks well to the palate.

Pours a slightly hazy red/brown with an impressive, long-lasting, tanned head with a touch of pink. Light sweet- and bitterness. Aromas of malts yeast and a hint of cherries. Dry finish with notes of cherries. Nice and refreshing.

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 I brought to cgarvieuk’s sunday sojourn. Cloudy golden with a thin filmy white head. Sour nose, some sweetness of unripe cherry and sharp fruit. Mouth is sweet and some sharpness, bit too sweet, very dry, some woodiness, little bit sour. Alright, could do with more flavour. Good though.

Bottle at home, picked this up from Dranken Geers, near Gent, Belgium 03-03-08, drank 09-03-08 Soft summer fruits are the theme here. This beer was sweeter than I expected with barely a hint of tang or sourness at all. Poured reddy/light brown colour bit hazy with a small head a very slight sourness on the nose. The carbonation was quite mellow and on second taste there was some lychee and tropical fruits steeped in watery syrup. I liked this, it’s not at all what I expected but it was really interesting and quite different.

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Stockholm, 6% abv) Dark amber colour with huge, frothy, off-white head. Malty nose with dark fruit, blood oranges, yeasty and slightly acetic, earthy notes. Malty taste with notes of dark fruit, roasted nuts, black-currant and a slightly earthy bitterness in the finish. Discreet yeasty hints, very fresh flavours. Nice balance, good beer.

(03/2007. Bottle). Hazy amber color. Off-white head that collapses quickly, but does leave some nice lace. Sweet caramel aromas mixing with a quite-sour nose. Medium-full bodied. Sugary. Complex tastes dance on the tougne. I wish I would have taken better notes on this one ... I’m going to miss it.