t IJ Columbus

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Amsterdam, Netherlands

clear dark golden with a nice white head. good lacing. aroma sweet tea with a squirt of lemon....and some honey and hay. sweet pear flavor with a slightly bitter spicy hop bite. spicy bittersweet lemon tea finish. medium dry. full bodied but seems a bit thin. decent.....not bad.......just nothing fantastic.

Small bottle, poured a honey gold color with a nice white foamy head, pilsner malt and faint sweet fragrances, yeast, honey, small hop bouquet, some fruit fragrance, taste of bread, pilsner malt, small hop bite, some sweet in the mouth, faint alcohol in the nose with each drink, there is an off taste, this might be the alcohol showing (biting) through as it warmed, small sour citrus lemon taste, the alcohol became more evident as it warmed, this was ok, not worth the price.

A survivor of my trip to Amsterdam over a year beforehand, I was afraid the Columbus might have succumbed to its age - but how wrong I was. Dark apricot in color, a mountainous beige pillow lathers above. Well-buttered southern biscuits flourish on the nose alongside asparagus, peanuts, cookie, brown sugar and pineapple. An eclectic aroma, amusing to decorticate, but perhaps lacking balance or unity. The flavor suffers a similar predicament, suggesting burnt toast, banana, mango and hints of pepper and coffee. Smooth and finishing with a long fruity aftertaste, ’t IJ always seems to please by its exotic profile and indubitable quality. A solid effort, just not the brewery’s best.

Huge creamy head on top of a hazy yellow brown. aromas of grapefruit and pineable. Flavor is mild, well balence between sweet fruit and sharp hops. smelled better than it tasted, but still a highly enjoyable beer. Sadly I don’t liv in A’dam anymore

Bottle. Creamy white excellent fully lasting head. Light amber colour. Wonderfull appearence. Powerfull hoppy citrus/pineappple aroma. Not as goreat flavor. Very fruity but also very messy finish. Creamy palate.

Pours a hazy orange with a giant white head. Aroma of orange and other citrus fruits dominate the nose. The flavor is a nice balance between sweet and sour, as well as a nice bicuity feel to it. The mouthfeel is creamy with a hint of spice. Very nice beer.

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Stockholm, 2 Feb 2007) Amber colour, slightly hazy, with huge off-white head. Fruity nose with notes of apricots, orange, Seville orange and lots of spicy, flowery hops. Fruity taste with a nutty backbone (walnut?), notes of dried apricots, grapefruit and loads of spicy hops in the finish. Quite complex brew with a lovely spicy, hop character. Very nice!

Bottled. brownish amber with a big white foam. Quite dry and fruity aroma of roses, , pine-apples, kiwi and grassy hop oils. Dryish aromatic aflavour of flowers, yeast and caramel. Long warming aftertaste of wet grass, roses and caramel. Really interesting belgian strong, this.