’t IJ Struis

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Dark brown color. Sweet like candied fruit. Thick, full bodied, alcoholic (some of which comes out in the taste). Nice head, great thick molasses aroma.

Dirty brown body, light brown head. Aroma of sour malt, spicy yeast, chocolate, alcohol. Strong flavour, but nice sweetness overall.

Bottle @ the brewery. Murky brown colour, little grains of yeast depot in the bottom of the glass. Tanned head, good lacing. Aroma of cheese, kandi sugar, malts and fruity hops. Some alcohol detected, a bit of wine is also noticeable. Really soft mouthfeel. This has lifted my IJ experience to another level. Awesome dark taste of dark ripe fruits like plums. Really balanced sweet taste, with some cardamon dryness to it. Great!

Pours a reddish, dark brown copper with a very large, thick, off-white head. Aroma is crackers, herbal, plum. Taste is sour apple, spiciness, Belgian candy sugar, dried fruit. Finish and aftertaste are strongly IJ i.e. sour apple and appleskin as well as spiciness and pepper. Very pleasant, though I did enjoy it a lot more in Zatte.

330ml bottle from Cracked Kettle

Pours dark brown with a medium white head. Aroma has notes of alcohol, caramel, malts and spices. Taste is quite malty with notes of caramel, toffee, syrup and spices. Hints of herbs and raisins. Finish is quite smooth and warming with fruity notes. Quite well balanced barley wine/Belgian strong ale hybrid.

Sweet malt, hints of caramel. Fresh hops, grass, floral, mainly citrus but still mild. Yeasty! Not as yeasty as other Belgian styles but still a fair amount of yeast, the yeast smell is stronger then the yeast taste though. Which is a good thing. A very distinc alcohol taste. Color: Brown colour, like a dark bockbeer. Liquid is sparkling, lively bubbles. Frothy head which is brownish, dissapears quick. medium sweetness, medium bitterness, ok. medium body, thin feel, fizzy & lively carbonation. Very abrupt finish, not so dry as expected, the taste doesn’t hang in the mouth for very long. The lively carbonation adds to the beer pleasure. Sweet fizzles on tongeu :) Overal: Quite good beer, the sweetness balances the yeast flavour out quite well it’s not a very complex beer though. Good as the ’last’ drink on a summer night.

Ei taivu omaan suuhuni tämän oluen nimi, mutta katsotaan taipuuko se maultaan mihinkään. Lasiin se ainakin lorahtaa, paksun näköisenä, ruskeana nesteenä ja muodostaa kelpo määrän paksua, hieman valkoisesta poikkeavaa vaahtoa. Tuoksu on banaanisen hedelmäinen, marjainen, kukkaisen humaloitu ja happamuutta huokuva. Maussa on hedelmäisyyttä, mausteisuutta ja humalan puraisua. Suutuntumaltaan ei ehkä ihan niin paksu, kuin ulkonäön perusteella olisi voinut odottaa, mutta silti reilun puraistava neste. Lasin pohjalla lilluu jotain epämääräistä. Hiivoja en toki lasiin kaatanut, kuin vasta loppuvaiheessa.

Bottle 33 cl, Cracked Kettle. Pours murky redish brown with a small tanned head leaving some lacing. Aroma is malty, yeasty, a bit sweet, fruity, spicy, cloves, fresh bread and honey. Flavor is malty, sweet, yeasty, spicy, a bit sour and bitter. Finishes bitter fruity.