Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva

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

Date: 05/10/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: clear dark brown, wispy dirty white head,
Aroma: rich deep dark fruit aroma with a dark caramel and vanilla sweetness and a hint of oak,
Flavor: sweet dark fruit flavor touch of oak comes in to corral the fruit, dark caramel adds a touch of sweetness and bring out a ripeness in the fruit, light woody character adds a hint of tartness, light spicyness along with light peppery alcohol,
-------- /> Date: 05/20/2008
Mode: bottle
Source: trade

Aroma: sweet and fruity aroma with a nice peppery spicyness, rich dark fruit with vanilla sweetness and spicy oak,
Body: highly carbonated body stirs up a continous creamy head until it finally turns creamy,
Flavor: rich and fruity flavor, growing dark ripe fruits, rich chocolate, caramel and vanilla sweetness is tempered by light oak and spices, light bitter finish follows out of the spices,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***+/4

Bottle: Poured a deep brown/burgundy color ale with a super large foamy head with some exceptional retention and great lacing. Aroma of apple is easily distinguishable with some oak notes and light candi sugar notes. Taste is also dominated by the calvados notes with some oak notes and a nice lightly sweet malt base. Great carbonation with a full body and no discernable alcohol notes. Very well done overall but I still think I prefer the original Pannepot and maybe the oak-aged/calvados-aged has replace some of the complexity of the original beer.

Bottle for rating #2900:   Deep brown, large frothy sand colored head, very nice lacing.   Biscuity nose, heavy cookie dough and dark pitted fruit.   Otherwise some basement and musty notes.   Very musty on the tongue, huge dark pitted fruit.   Heavy raisin and prune flavors.   Definite Oak notes.   Slight tartness on the backside.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate to full.   Finishes with a sweet dark pitted fruit aspect.   This one is absolutely divine.   Lingering dark pitted fruit all over this one.   It has a huge vinous aspect as well.   Lingering mustiness, sweetness, and woody notes.   This one is certainly aged and wonderful.   Thanks Steve for this rarity!

(Bottle, 2005 vintage) Pours a dark brown body with a small tight creamy beige head. Aroma of dates, molasses, apple, watermelon, caramel, brandy, and raisins. Flavor of burnt molasses, toasted marshmallow, vinous, toffee, caramel malt, anise, baked apple, and pear with a smooth mouthfeel and a dry oak finish.

Bottled (thx Theis). Hazy and very dark brown coloured with a rather large tan head. Very well balanced and quite complex. Notes of ryebread, blueberries, woody dryness, calvados, liqiurice, chocolate and has a somewhat vinous feel.

Deep brown of color with a beige head. an aroma of dark fruits, port, raisins and alcohol. A flavor of dark fruits, port, alcohol, raisins and a smooth mouthfeel.

Bottle that Craig kindly passed onto me at Cropredy festival 2008, cheers mate, consumed 10-08-08 Strictly speaking this wasn’t my first tasting of the Grand Reserva as I had a couple of little tasters of Loz’s at Delirium, Berussels the other week and at just 4 euros 50 cents I thought it was an excellent price. The nose is quite distinctly different from the regular Pannepot, its woody, a little sour and not unlike an old aged wine with far less of the toffee and buttery sweetness of thge regular version its quite lovely. The colour is still a hazy brown but its not so murky as the Pannepot and appears quite clear at the top although just seperating a little at the edges, in short this beer looks great and betters the original in the beauty stakes. The taste is quite gorgeous, dark molasses, dried fruits, the warmth of the alcohol is still there but a little more refined, nice sweet and sour edge to this, fruity, some toffee again. This is very, very nice but just lacks the depth of flavour and richness of the regular Pannepot in my opinion.

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Stockholm) Dark brown colour with ruby hints, frothy brown head. Malty, slightly vinous nose with chocolate truffels, cocoa, vanilla, cinamon, liquorice and a hint of green apples. Malty, spicy taste with notes of vanilla, chocolate, coffee, liquorice, gingerbread cake and peculiar hints of green apples and calvados in the finish. Full body, rather sweet. Understated bitterness lurking in the shadows of the massive malt and wood presence. The calvados finish gives it a peculiar but interesting twist. Lovely beer in superb balance.