’t IJ Struis

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Aroma of yeast, cobwebs, dried fruit, coriander. Appears a hazy red amber with a huge off-white head that diminishes but lasts. Flavor is bitter and astringent, with lots of yeasty flavors over raisins and an alcohol tinge - peppery in the finish. Palate is dry and leaves the impression of cobwebs. Overall, an interesting brew but not to my taste. My thanks to SoLan for this fine sampling.

Into a stumpy chalice at just on cool. Big, rocky beige head formed off the pour with little stopping its release. Rose a good half inch from the lip of the glass. Body, a muddy chestnut with a lot of quickly settling yeast forming a cake on the base. Big, fresh, prickly and tickly fruits on the nose like honeydew, cantaloupe and tart peaches. Nice backbone of sweet toffee, candi and a hint of yeast aids its complexities, yet it didn’t excite like the last ’t Ij I tried. Yeasty, caramelly and doughy in the mouth, light showing of toasted grains and ripe tart fruit with just a tainting edge of plastic taking the fantasy out of it. Frothy in the mouth, body is medium. Rock candi flavour lingers in the aftertaste, a light warmth of alcohol in the swallow. A peppery spice aids it’s phenolics, well masked alcohol, though, adds points. A mere shadow of the ’Vlo’. Not altogether integrated but as is it weren’t too bad. (33cL, Batch No.20, Int’l Beer Shop, W. Leederville)

Hazy dark amber color,large off white head that had a good hang time then faded to leave a bit of a lace behind.The aroma was yeasty with some nice fruity notes some hints of spice and a bit of band-aid as well Hmmmm.The flavor was mildly malty with some flavors of dried fruit raisin maybe some plum with a slight yeasty thing going on as well as a noticeable alcohol hint in the middle,the brew seems a bit on the heavy side for me but definately goes down nicely.Pretty nice brew and well worth trying again.

UPDATED: OCT 10, 2006 (Bottle at The Rover, Göteborg) Pours hazy red. Liquorice and leather in aroma. Nutmeg and brown sugar. Sweet. Alcoholy nose. Dark fruits. Salty, strange bitter flavour. Medium body.

Bottle. Cloudy reddish/amber body. Huge creamy light-brown head. Light acidic fruity nose; apples, cherries and citrus. Taste is sweetish. Ripe oranges, peaches, sweet toasted malts, fresh hops. Dry bitter finish. Yum!

Best before 10/05: Really good except for it erupting like Mt. St. Helens when I opened it. It just foaming out and I didn’t have a glass ready. Lot of floaters in it. It is like a barley wine with just a little more yeastiness than normal and very little hops. color is a rusty brown and like I said before lot of small gelantenous floater in there. It tastes really good though. Caramel, a little fig, plums, alittle raisin are all in the flavor. Carbonation is a little fizzy. Body is medium. Enjoyable, but I only got about 7 oz. out of it.

UPDATED: OCT 26, 2006 This is excellent. I say we call it an Abbot. No hops to this beer, it is all about the malt. Aroma begins with an initial burst of alcohol, then that fades and what remains is malt, fermenting fruit, and yeast. Flavor has sweet plums, cherry, light raisin, brandy, brown sugar, bread dough, and caramel. Thick and heavy, dark brown with lots of sediment and a lasting head. As usual, t’IJ has a great beer.

Bottle from Super Saver. Hazy deep coppery/rubyish pour with 1-finger off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, figgy fruit, some vinous fruit, brown sugar, slight cherries. The taste was caramel malty, with a slightly funky oaky fruity vinous mid-palate, and some finishing brown sugar and spicy hints. Very complex and well balanced.