Struise Mikkeller (Elliot Brew)

Formerly brewed at De Struise Brouwers
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Oostvleteren, Belgium

Sampled at Bockyhorsey’s Bocky Bash on 7-5-08. Citrus, malt and spice aroma. Gold body. More of a malt and spicey hop ipa from across the pond. Give me that cool and crisp on the palate ipa like in the states.

Bottled. A hazy pale amber beer with a huge and persistent. almost creamy white head. Intense hoppy aroma with notes of grapefruit, but maybe less aggressive than many American examples. Some underlying malt and other fruity notes with light alcohol touch. The flavour has a medium sweetness, again a hoppier touch that gives a citric taste, and a Belgian feeling . Medium to full body, lively carbonation, long finish with high bitterness (but less than expected) and the alcohol is felt more in the mouth than in the nose. A good cross between An American and a Belgian beer.

20080709 33cl bottle from Pennington Super Saver. Nice looking beer thankfully, but had I poured a tiny bit more the glass would have filled with a thick sludge that was in the bottom of the bottle. It is a coppery amber with a lofty, rocky, lasting beige head. Spicy, peppery aroma full of bready yeast and light sweet sawdust notes. Body is full, lithe, and nicely carbonated with a soft eff. Flavors not entirely in keeping with the aromas, there are strong caramel candy notes, resinous astringency, more pepper. Finishes with yet more pepper, feels thinner as it sets, leaves a nice lingering note of alcohol - the first I notice it’s alcoholic heft. Interesting and good, yet unsettling in a way similar to a first experience with a new Hitachino brew. it might take a few tries to wrap myself around this one.

20081130 didn’t realize I had already had this but I’m glad to give it a second go since I even noted the first time it deserved a second look. A more careful pour and this beer is beautiful in the glass with perfect head. The aromas and flavors have clearly developed and melded over the last few months into a more cohesive brew. The previous note of heat is completely gone. A unique, delicious, dangerous, excellent brew. I sure wish it wasn’t so expensive. Bumping up from 7-4-7-4-15.

Sampled at Bockyhorsey’s Bocky Bash on 7-5-08. Hazy copper color pour with a good foamy white head. Aroma of citrus hops, light fruit, and sweet malt. Sweet fruity trippel-like flavor with a bit of malt and spice, which turns slightly bitter and hoppy on the finish. Very unigue and tasty. A kinder, gentler DIPA.

In short: A weird spicy aggressive beer. Messy and not cohesive.
How: Bottle 330ml (many times)
The look: Cloudy murky orange body topped by a medium white head.
In long: Nose is spicy with woody hints and some alcohol fumes. Taste is weird. An spicy/peppery attack, dry wood, residual candy sugar, tree sap, bubblegum, green grass, “hot” spices (chilli and such), acidic touch, more grounded white and black pepper, plywood in the finish, and I could go on and on. More all over the place than complex if you ask me. Alcohol was also rather apparent. The collaboration between these two great breweries has created a disappointing offspring. That’s like Jack Nicholson sleeping with Pamela Anderson and getting an offspring with Nicholson’s physique and Anderson’s talent.

Bottle. Crazy complex nose, caramel and flowers up front, herbs and spices toward the back. Belgian yeast, peaches, a touch of bubblegum. Grapefruit, pine, rose petals, sugary dark pitted fruit. Very floral, essentially a hoppy saison (which surprised me massively). Murky caramel-colored pour with a dense, rocky, lacing foamy beige head. Coarse-textured medium-light body shows a lot of booze. Taste is floral and spicy with light bitterness (stronger than many IPAs, actually, but well-balanced here); spritzy grapefruit, lemon, and light lychee mingling with candi, pine needles, peach and mango. Squeezing a lot out of complexity out of the hops here! But the yeast is ultimately the dominant component. Slightly tart with a whisper of earthy resin. Bone-dry woody aftertaste but not terribly bitter. Easy-drinking and dangerous, an interesting stylistic fusion that excites the senses as it soothes the nerves. A fan of both brewers, but I much prefer what Struise brought to this brew.

Enormous head on this hazy, melted caramel colored beer. Pleasant floral and citrus hops over a sweet, candied malt foundation with some yeast, as well. Syrupy body. Lemon, citrus, some floral notes in the flavor. The alcohol is very pronounced. Some yeast comes through in the end, as well. Enjoyable IIPA with fun belgian twist.

Bottle. Copper pour w/ lots of head. Aroma is belgian yeast, some cand sugar and dark fruit. Flavor is mild candy sugar, yeast and earthy hops combined, some plum, and the earthy bittering hops and some biscuity malt linger in the finish.