’t IJ Natte

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Serve in Trappist glass

Bottle best before 6/04: Pours a rich garnet brown with a dense light tan head. Sweet malty and bready Belgian aroma. Body starts very light and thin with some spices and earthy, musty off-flavors before settling into a smooth, lightly dry finish. Not really much of a Belgian strong. Needs more body and to get rid of those off-flavors.

Bottle. Dull bronze brown with a small head. Aromas are yeast and berries with bubblegum. Hoppy and smoky with some meaty notes. Flavours are weetabix malts with sweet milk chocolate. Yeast with soft spices and hints of citrus. Decent.

Murky muddy brown looking body with a forceful but short lived head. Sweet in the taste though fortunately not too heavy, malts as well as light spice and dark fruit. Don’t mind the beers from this brewery.

Pours a lightly hazy deep amber color with ruby-orangish highlights when held up to the light. It is toped by a frothy, finger-thick, amber tinged tan colored head. The aroma is an interesting mix of fruit and fresh-yeasty bread notes. Both the fruit and some alcohol notes combine to remind me of brandy, though only a hint in the finish. The aroma is quite complex, though it is certainly on the sweet side of things; I get notes of caramel soaked raisins, concentrated malt (almost extract like), a hint of cherries, and a rich almost aged character that has a touch of sherry. There is something almost vegetal in the aroma too, and I can’t quite place it.

The taste is only lightly sweet, at least in relation to the sweet smelling nose. There is still a fair amount of dark fruit notes though, I get notes of raisins and prunes predominantly. There is not much to balance the fruit notes either, I would have like a bit more yeast derived spiciness, or perhaps even a bit more body and strength. As it is, this beer has a medium to light body, and despite a slight bit of spiciness is fairly clean as well. There is a hint of aged malt character here as well, most noticeable as a slight sherry note and a sort of meaty stew-like note. This beer seems to end a bit thin, and perhaps even a bit drab. I have definitely had much better offerings from this brewery, though this is certainly not bad.

Bottled (BB 07/2006)
Dark nut brown, good creamy off-white head. Aroma is lemony, a bit fruity. Medium-bodied. Some roasted malts underlying. Not sweet, but a bit sticky mouthfeel. Dark dubbel, but not really dark in the taste. Easty to drink, does not show alcohol much.

Malt hop aroma with sweetness and fruit. Clear red brown colour with fair head and lacing. Hop flavour with fruit and slight malt flavour. Smooth palate.

16 June 2005 (Maastricht-Fallstaff) - Some fruit malt and hop aromas. Clear red-red/brown colour, lowish head and OK lacing. Complex fruit and hops, could have more malt. Thickish palate.

This pours a hazy brown color with lots of yeasty residue. The full tan head retreats into a light cap which lingers and laces the length of the drink. The aroma is somewhat musty, but it’s got a nutty malt aroma with brown sugar and juicy dark fruits. The flavor is a sweet, nutty malt with a surprising rush of chocolate overlaying the fruity tastes. The finish is mildly bitter and tart. Good drink.