Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva

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

Bottle… GIABMISGFAB… Cloudy prune-colored ale with a small, creamy, khaki head. Fantastic retention. The aroma is subdued, but I sense notes of wood, dark fruits and brown sugar. Full-bodied and a touch biting with medium carbonation. The flavor provides nice balance between acidity and sweetness with offerings of Calvados, caramel and more dark fruit. Tangy, fruity, and then dry finish. Thanks go out to Marsiblursi for shipping this one across the pond!

Bottle thanks to OldStyleCubFan: Pours a hazy dark mahogany with a clingy-lacing froth of beige head. Aroma of sweet fruity notes, some doughy caramel malts and Belgian yeast along with oaky apples. Starts effervescent with lively carbonation settling into a sweet caramely maltiness nicely balanced with complex woody character and light fruits. Finishes drier, slightly tart with nice calvados flavor. An enjoyable and well-made brew.

Small dark-beige head over near-black beer with ruby highlights. Slightly smoked, aroma’s of old books, slightly dried pipe tobacco, lots of liquorice, ivy, and discreet spices with pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, some caramel. Sourish-sweet, with soup vegetables, coriander, more nutmeg, liquorice, oakwood, dark candi sugar. Dried fruits retronasal (apple, apricot, pear and grapes). Very well-bodied, very slick, just not syrupy. Leaves an oily film on the mucosas. Pity about the expressly liquorice part. Just a touch more acidity would do it a world of good - just as a 75cl bottle with some extra aging would do, instead of the 33cl.
Rerate for draught version Pretty similar, except for the nose, which is incomparably more complex, with notes of fine brandy, or better: single malt whisky. Would earn 9/10.

Rating # 4900. Cloudy deep reddish colour with a small beige head. Caramel and dark fruit sweet aroma with spicy notes and hints of wood. Sweet malty flavor with dried dark fruit notes and hints of wood and spices.

Bottled. Hazy reddish brown coloured. Very vinous apple aroma with spicy notes. Sweet and herbal fruit flavour (especially apples and plums). Some pleasant acidity in the finish. Rather fizzy. Medium bodied.

Bottle, 33cl. When opening the bottle, and pouring the content into the glass, a wonderful aroma of dried fruits, dark caramel and vinous wood enters my nose. In the glass it has a semi-clear dark, dark brown color with a ruby tint, and on top a fingerthick, beige, creamy head rests and resists all forces trying to diminish it. A fine carbonation is going on too. A further inspection of the aroma reveals that the vinous woody aroma are dominant, but there’s also aromas promising a sweet flavor, some prunes and figs, a touch of alcohol of the kind only found in fine spirits and a tiny roasted touch. It may be my mind playing tricks on me, but I think there’s a touch of apple-based spirits too. It’s very smooth and full-bodied, a pleasant warmth enters after a second or two, and the tiny bubbles spreads in the mouth. There’s a fine vinous and woody flavor and a good dash of sugars. Still, it sort of feels dry in the finish. There’s also some vanilla, dark plums, dried fruits, some fine alcohol and a touch of Port. Warm, sweet and dry finish with dried fruits and plums. Some notes of oxidation too. This is why beergeeks love Belgian beers and Struise. It’s complex, tasteful, moreish as hell, and a damn fine beer to enjoy slowly. (090113)

My Bottom Line:
This Barrel-Aged Belgian Strong Ale is a veritable playground of complexity where wooden tenements harbor cajoling chocolate and vanilla sweetness, delineating apple orchards and vineyards till the taste horizon fades. This is another delightful Struise product which can age gracefully.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A layer of foam covers the blackened dark brown. Is it me or this one is a shade darker than the regular Pannepot?
-The spice bouquet is not quite as revealing (or blatant, for that matter) as in the regular version.
-The meditative finish provides effective dryness alongisde an alcohol nudge.
-The aroma efficiently foreshadows the flavor profile.
-A peppery splash precedes the vinous fruitiness.
-The body is beautifully ample, with many caramel love handles to hang on to.

Bottles; 2005 vintage.

Bottled. Dark reddish brown coloured. Light brown dense head. Aroma of prunes, raisins, spice and marcipan. Flavour is quite similar. Very balanced, but also somewhat subdued. Has some sournotes. Medium to full bodied. Alcohol and fruits dominates the end, but a somewhat grapish sourness is there as well. I my book not as elegant and complex as the former versions, but definately still a great beer.