Struise Mikkeller (Elliot Brew)

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

Crazy hazy yellow color, huge whipped egg white foam head. Wow. This is impressive looking. Flavor is big yeasty bread, some ripe fruit, finishes on a surprisingly dry hop note. So this is how the Belgians do IPAs! Solid and enjoyable.

Clear light brown color with tall white head. Floral hop aroma with citrus and sweet malt. Flavor is delicate and smooth, with sweet malt, herbal hops, and banana on the finish. A smooth, elegant, flavorful beer that lives up to its Struise pedigree. This really shows the potential of the IIPA to be far more than a simple hop bomb. Excellent!!

Aroma says Belgian ale, flavor chimes in with more west-coast IPA. Neat idea, and it’s good, but for being the result of the collaboration between two amazing brewers it comes across as a bit disjointed and disappointing. Perhaps I just don’t like the style blend.

Bottle, thanks to akevitt for sharing. Pours a cloudy, orange-brown body with white head. Aroma of caramel, floral and citrus hops, candy, and sweet malts. Flavor is mostly caramel and sweet malts with hints of toffee and grapefruit hops. A little too malty for an IIPA. Medium bodied. Sweet malt and grassy hop finish with a slight alcohol burn.

The beer was cloudy orange with generous egg-shell colored foam. In the aroma I got sweet candy malt, some grapefruit and grassy hops, and subtle alcohol. The amount of hops and alcohol are well hidden. (130 IBU and 9% ABV) The hops are more pronounced in the flavor than the aroma. Sweet candy malt and alcohol are also present. Sweet hoppy finish. Palate-wise it was like a milk shake.

Shared by akevitt and sampled at OSLO/Guerde’s Memorial Day Weekend tasting. Pours a semi-hazy orange amber brew with an average off-white head that has some good retention and spotty lacing. Aroma of caramel and toffee scented malts, sweet grapefruit and citrus zest, a touch of banana and papaya. Taste is medium bodied and lightly carbonated with flavors of caramel malt, some roasted nuts, toffee, grapefruit and a touch of banana esters. Finish has a semi-sweet grapefruit flavor and bitterness that slowly disappears after the finish.

Glass: Tulip Purchased at: Circle Liquors, Pennington, NJ Price: $7.49 Size: 11.2 fl oz ABV: 9% Estimated Calories: 200 C RateBeer Rating: 96 Aroma 10 out of 10 Intensity: Strong Balance: Sweet Impression: Nice Malt Flavor: Sweet Roast Nut licorice banana Hops Flavor:dirt grass Herbal Spice Tar Lemon Other: cherry, candy Notes: What an amazingly tasty, varied, layered flavor. Appearance 5 out of 5 Color: Copper Clarity: Sandblasted Head Retention: Good with great lacing. Notes: A stunning looking beer. The malevolence of the deep sandblasted body is notable. Flavor 10 out of 10 Intensity: Strong Balance: Bitter Impression: Nice Malt Flavor: Grain Sweet Roast Nut Toffee Hops Flavor: Earth Floral Herbal Spice Resin Citrus Other: Cherries, licorice, bubblegum Notes: The flavor is the best part of this absolutely fantastic beer. Palate 4 out of 5 Mouthfeel Sensation: Creamy Warming Body: Full Carbonation: Lively Finish Length: Long Intensity: Strong Balance: Bitter Notes: The palate and finish are yet another complimentary aspect of this brew. General Impression: 20 out of 20 Craftmanship: Excellent Freshness: Fresh Personal Taste: Loved Notes: Probably one of my favorite beers. Address : <http://beercritic.wordpress.com/>

330ml Bottle (Pikkulintu, Helsinki)- Hazy copper coloured with a large and lively head. Fairly floral aroma with toffee and grapefruit. Nice and fresh hoppy taste which has some citrus and toffee. Quite nicely balanced and very drinkable for the strength although it leaves a bit of a soapy aftertaste so loses some marks for that.