Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva

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

From a lableless 75 cl bottle. Pours a very dark brown beer with a fine light-brown creamy and longlasting foam on top. Aroma is very trappist like(Rochefort) and has lots of different aspects going on. It smells like Coffee, bread, port, sweet dough, raisins apples (Calvados) and wood. Taste is very similar to the aroma. The beer is mild, not to sweet, slight bitter, like coffee bitters and hops. Mouthfeeling is mild and soft malty with a nice touch of wood, dryed sliced apple, some banana and good boos soaked raisins. Not as sweet and a bit more dry as the regular pannepot, but very complex and the afthertaste is superb. Thanks to the Struise guys for letting me taste this one from a champage size bottle.

Hazy dark brown with tiny light brown head leaving laces. Aroma is sweet and spicy with roasted malt liquerice and overripe fruits. Flavor is moderate sweet with overripe fruits, liquerice, pepper, oak and roasted malt. Full bodied and very complex. Finishes light hoppy. Near perfect!!!

Bottle 33 cl. Huge thick and very creamy like beige head that just looks amazing and lasted for ever. Dark mahogany color. Excellent lacework was left in the glass. Out comes a very complex aroma with notes ala prunes, dates and other dried fruity tones. Mixing in was yeast, melon, oak and some wine like Calvados oak notes as well. Very vinous and potent sniff. Underlying liquorish and roasted malt could be detected. Over the palate comes an explosion of complexity like never before. Initial thought was more like a wine then any other beer that I have ever tried. Again vinous and alcohol, berries, oak, hint of spice, hint of almost smoke like notes. Heavy and thick body with an average carbonation. Heavy sweet flavor and yet very balanced with notes of bitterness and hint of acidic could be detected. Lingering vinous oaky liquorish and light chocolate finish with an alcoholic warming feel to it. What can I say, simply one of the best beers that I have ever enjoyed. I guess my rating just tippet this beer into top 50 which I totally think it deserves.

Had this courtesy of Chris Lively at Ebinezers Pub. Oak aged Panny need I say more . If you are a huge fan of barrel aged or oak aged beers like I am well lets just say you take one of my all time favorites Pannepot and age it in Calvados barrels and the Struise gang does things a notch above all others. Vanilla,caramel,oak,spice its all here this just might be the best beer ive had and thats putting it in some lofty company...

This is the only Pannepot I’ve tried. I need to check out the rest, even though they are hard to get. However, to my rating:

33 cl bottle. 2005 vintage. Pours a dark brown color. Aroma is vinous with dried fruits and spices. Taste is liquorice, spices, some portwine notes, sour apples and peppercake. Wonderful. The best is the slight sourness tickling in the background... mm, amazing. There’s also some oaky notes, and you can feel the presence of a finer spirit, like Calvados (haven’t tried Calvados though - but I guess it is, due to the maturing). Best belgian beer I’ve tried. I hope I will get the opportunity to taste the other Pannepots someday...

Pours a murky brown. Dark fruit, funk, sweet malt, mollases, oak, roasted malts, candy sugar, alcohol, vanilla, other rich spice nose. Flavors are an insane medley of dark fruit, oak, vinous tartness, sweet sugars and caramel malt, figs, grapes, some apple. Warming. Fing amazing!!!!!!

A very dark, almost black colored beer. It has a beautiful, lasting, foamy, beige head. The aroma is so very complex. It has all kind of notes, several dark fruits, like dates and prunes. A little calvados, roasted malt, some oak. The taste is complex too, everythng from the aroma is there as well. It has also a nice chocolate bitterness. The 10% alc. gives a very warm feeling, which stays for a long time. A very great beer. If a beer can be perfect, than this is very near.

Rating #800! 2005 bottle at the Kulminator in Antwerpen (yeeeeaaaah!). Amazing very dark reddish-brown pour with a large tan head. Aroma of sweet malt, red wine, oak, dark chocolate, and mild roast. Flavor included all these elements plus coffee, brandy, spices, dark fruits...come to think of it, maybe I should be naming the flavors that weren’t in this beer instead, that might be a shorter list. Awesome full palate with soft carbonation. This beer was absolutely legen...wait for it...DARY!