Struise / Pipeworks Xenophon’s Wine

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers
Style: American Strong Ale
Oostvleteren, Belgium

Bottled. Thanks a lot Carlo and Urbain for this bottle that I got for my 40th birthday. A deep red beer with a lazing off-white head. The aroma has strong notes of fruits and sweet malt as well as medium notes of alcohol and hops. The flavor is very sweet with strong notes of hops, and elderflowers, as well as medium notes of alcoholl, malt, caramel, and fruit, leading to a dry, alcoholic and fruity finish. The alcohol leaves a slight burn in the mouth.

Bottle 33 cl. Courtesy of Ungstrup. Pours a hazy deep amber with some floaties and a thick beige head. Nose is rich with aromatic hops and burned caramel. Solid body, burned caramel and fruit. Warming alcoholic finish. 220909

33 cL bottle. Pours hazy deep redish with a light off white head. Solid hoppy and wooden aroma, dense fruity. Dense and dry hoppy flavoured. Mild fruity and dense wooden mild citrusy touch and dense dry hoppy flavoured. Dry frity and hoppy finish. Good balanced and solid flavoured. Mild milky/yogourt touch.

Bottle 33cl.
Unclear medium amber orange color with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate to light light heavy malty, caramel, berry - fruity, moderate hoppy, orange, candy, diatyel notes ! Flavor is moderate to light light heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, and a peppery after burn. Body is medium, texture is oily - sticky, carbonation is soft. [20090306]

Bottle. Weak teaish and grassy aroma. Cloudy dark amber colour. Very small creamy tan head. The flavour is quite hoppy, grassy, even getting a bit sour. The hoppiness gets a bit much. Good caramelly finish.

Bottled (thanks fonefan!). Amber colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is bready malts, mild alcohol and some caramel. Flavour is caramel malts, alcohol, some grass and US hops. Some oak as well. Pleasant.

Bottle at PreZBF at Alvinne. Cloudy orange red coloured with a medium sized off white head. Fruity and light acidic aroma of milk and hops. Fruity flavour of liquorice powder, hops, grass and pine needles. Hoppy finish.

Bottle, thanks Patrik! Murky dull brown is fairly unappealing, but it is a barley wine. Big oaky, alcoholic aroma with floral hop notes. Brash woody character is probably a bit over the top. Alcohol, vague brown sugar notes. A very muscular beer, not especially Struise-like in that respect. It’s just too oaky, although it seems to be picking up some tart notes through age. Has a nice floral, perfumey, American hop finish...I think it will develop well.