Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva

Grand reserva 2005. Bottle. Nearly opaque brown with a thin off-white head. Average retention and lacing. Aroma is wood, caramel, toasted malt, dark fruits, vanilla, brown sugar and liquorice. Flavor is figs, dates, raisins, grapes, molasses, brown sugar, dark honey, alcohol, cookies, spices with a long sweet aftertaste. Full body with a slightly visquous mouthfeel. Awesome!

Bottle. Pours a very dark, crystal clear rich reddish0rown, with a tawny hue. A soft one-finger head fades to a persistent ring, with acceptable lacing. Nose is very full, with lots of sourness. Dark fruit, funk, barnyard, very wine-like. Palate is surprisngly light on its feet, very lively and youthful, with great sourness, both dark and light fruit, cherries, red licorice, strawberries, oak is present but subdued. Very pleasant and surprisngly drinkable. Finish goes on for at least 90 seconds.

Thanks to Solan. Aromas of dark fruits, oak and some brown sugar. Flavors are mostly dark fruits and brown sugar with some of the oakiness coming through.

Vintage 2006. Courtesy of Daniele. Vinous aroma of glue, cork, marmite, crackers, pear, oranges, apples, alcohol, mushrooms and oak. Alcoholic and sweet. Huge amounts of marmite in the taste. Overly sweet. One-dimensional. Extremely low bitterness. Some coconut, oranges, pear, apples and cork sneaking in. Vinous and salty. The alcohol is rather apparent with the calvados characteristics being overbalancing. Sweet finish with marmite being dominant. Dissapointing, somehow reminiscent of Floreffe Prima Melior.

Sweet caramel and nut nose with a soft and round taste of nuts, figs, spice and caramel. Medium body and minimal carbonation.

2006 bottle - Pours dark brown with a big, thick tan head. The aorma is of caramel malt, vanilla, and some spice. This brew has a very sweet taste of toasted caramel malt, vanilla, and spice. It has a medium to full body and is easy to drink for all that alcohol. The 10% abv is mostly buried. It’s an excellent brew. I wouldn’t mind it a little less sweet.

2006 from Monk’s. Pours black with a thin oily ring of beige head. Strong alcoholic vanilla tones, oaky, quite a lot of nail polish, malty, spicy and calvados spirit. Superb taste, liquorice, chocolate, malt, vanilla, with quite a nice long apple taste. Despite its strength it is smooth to the last, and with very little alcohol there. Excellent.

2005 bottle. Pours brown with a tan head. Aroma of dates, raisins, honey, brown sugar and some vanilla wood tones. Flavor has some slight oxidation wtih some tartness. Raisins, vanilla, alchohol, wood, apples and a hint of chocolate covered coffee beans. Nice nice beer.