t IJ Columbus

Bottle: Cloudy ambercoloured, big off-white head. Distinct IJ-aroma of their yeast, sugar, fruits and some hops. Taste is initially sweet and fruity, but then the bitterness hits you. It even leans a bit towards the bitterness of bile, but not in an offensive way. Dry, bitter and fruity aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel. On tap @ IJ brouwerij: Sweeter and more bitter than from the bottle, the flavours seem more out of balance. I prefer the bottle. Still one of the best strong tripel-style beers imo.

On tap at brewery 6/18. Pours hazy brown with a thick head. Nose of fruits, caramel, and coffee. Taste is good, striiking a nice balance between sweet and vineous. Very nice beer.

Bottled (33 cl) at het Amsterdamertje, Göteborg, Sweden. Cloudy amber with medium white head. Yeasty, spicy, with tropical fruits. Medium bodied and smooth. Well balanced with a dry finish.

11.2 oz bottle, brewed 7/05 or 04. Foggy orange brown with a yin-yang froth and haze. Lacy spots and tendrils. Nose is apricot peach preserves, toffee and rhubarb. This has softened quite nicely and sips medium light with just enough tiny carb tingle. Taste is caramel with a touch of peel that seems thin at first but really expands as it washes over the palate. Finish is yeasty with hints of apple and plum and a sourdough smoothness. Alcohol well hidden. A Belgian barleywine?

On draft at brewery. Firm head on a hazy dark orange brown body. Nothing subtle about this beer! Big strong tones of bitter and sweet, but alcohol for a 9% very well hidden .

On tap at the brewery under the windmill, Amsterdam (3/2008). Firm foam head is large and dense with small bubbles that produce a tight lacing. Syrupy texture. Strong finish of pepper, corriander, and bitter hops, dry and lasting. Other than that, pretty lackluster and average. It’s an able vehicle for the alcohol, which doesn’t show much amid overripe peach, cantaloupe, and sugary malts that slide over the carbonation and never seem integrated. Light and buttery on the nose.

Big beer that doesn’t hide its character. On tap at brewery. Pours hazy orange-brown with thin, grayish-white head. Fruity nose, malty. Lightly sweet flavor rolls into moderately hoppy kick. A bit warming, with some booze showing through. Big, fun and tasty.

Bottle. Golden colour with a beige head. Aroma is fruit, yeast, apple, caramel. Flavour is hop, yeast, caramel, apple, berries, spices. Nice body and a nice beer.