’t IJ Struis

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Bottle (Edo, Danke !): Chestnut-amber coloured, a bit hazy with visible sediments, creamy, egg-shell coloured stable foam; strong fruity nose (dried fruit) with caramel and (port-)wine; medium bodied, robust sweet flavour; warming, caramelly fruity finish with a little tartness and a little bitterness. A pleasant, warming ale...........

Bottle. Poured a medium and hazy/cloudy amberish color with a huge sized off white head. Aromas of yeast, bananas, spices, pears, brown sugar and all around fruity. Tastes of caramel, candi sugar, and fruity. Medium sweet with the alcohol content well hidden.

11.3 oz bottle. Dark brown beer, no head at all. Quite oily on the pour. Swet fruity aroma wit loads of dark plums, cherries and a hint of chocolate. Raisins and a rummy/molasses character. A touch of sherryish oxidation. A little bit of dustiness. Very chewy and sweet, but with an unusual sweetness. A bit of sweet nutty almondy character. Flavour shows great balance, sherry, almonds, cherry pits and plums. Warming intensifies the raisiny/plummy sweetness but it never gets cloying. Quite a lovely brew.

Bottle best by 4/04: Hazy dark copper color with a dense and well-lacing head. Aroma is musty and bready with a touch of yeast and tartness. Body starts light and syrupy sweet with some cookie dough maltiness and a semi-dry warming finish. Decent complexity and hides its alcohol well, but could use a little more body and balance. Very drinkable though.

Hazy brown ale with a thick off white head, lacing. A sweet caramel aroma with light brett notes. In mouth, a wild beer with dry crisp malt, light licorice, brett, earthy. Rich and comlex. A very surprising beer. Bottle at Gollem, Nov. 2006, 3.50 Euro.

Bottle. Dark orange colour with a beige head. Aroma is fruit, yeast, dried fruits. Flavour is fruit, yeast, apple,spices, hop, berries, malt, dried fruit. Nice body and a nice beer.

Hazy orange-foxy beer with a good yellow-beige head. Very perfumed nose, even raspberry. Yeasty, fusel alcohols betraying themselves. Again very perfumed taste, a hint at tartness, and a lot of esters. Fruity, like strawberry flavouring, but a tad artificial. Well bodied, slick, oily, alcohol. Artificial strawberry flavour remaining in the aftertaste. A bit perfumey, and it is not a beer that one would drink at more than one an evening. Would be hard to swallow fast, even discarding the ABV.

Bottled - St Albans Beer Festival. A muddy brown coloured beer with a sour blackberry aroma. The taste is fruity but a bit tired and stale. Not bad but T ij is better than this.