Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva

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

Two bottles courtesy of... someone from AZ. Either PtD or nbutler11. What a weird experience with this. Not particularly like Pannepot in any discernible way. Thinner, more tart, more grainy. Not as warming or full of yeast character. The Calvados traces don’t even show up particularly.

Bottle. Wow, a surprise from a friend. 3 way blind taste test alongside westvleteren 8 and pannepot reserva 2006. Nice dark appearance with little head. Fruity, ripe cherry aroma and some alcohol, maybe a bit of oak. Taste is very bold, ripe and fruity. Good alcohol presence, again a beautiful palate.

Year 2006, 3 bottles, 33 cl, shared with 5 friends at delirium in Brussels. It were the last 3 bottles. A dark, black beer with a medium beige head. Aroma is very similar to the Pannepot: complex, with roasted malts, dried fruits, drop, caramel. But less sweet and in-the-nose as the Pannepot itself. The taste is like ’WAAW’: I don’t think I already drunk a more complex and good beer as this one. With the sugars already refermentated it looks like the complexity has grown and that there are some hidden tastes coming to the foreground mixing with each others very nicely. This beer gets me in to the highest state of consiousness, because it is close to perfection, as the best beer ever should be. Don’t ever tell me Westvleteren is the best beer in the world, because this one is the best, certaintly the best, with a few lengts before the Westvleteren and Black Albert.

bottle for 7.20 euro in ’delirium bar’ in Brussels, dark colour with beige small head. Smell: liquorice, roasted malts and dark fruits. Taste: very, very, very complex with some notes that I feel more then a minut after a gulp. Liquorice as leading note, plums, sugar, alcohol, buttery, wood, roasted malts, bitterness, sweetness. Some overpowering aftertaste! This is a masterpiece!

75cl bottle, 2005 vintage. Dark black/red body, beige head, vinous nose. Tannines, ruby port, dried fruits, figs, but also smoked ham. Liquorice. Some caskwood, bit peaty. Good sweet / sour balance, very interesting acidity, lactic acid from the casks? Well bodied but very slick velvet mouthfeel. Overall a real treat, great complexity.

The hazy burgundy brown liquid keeps it elegant beige cover forever. Wood and fruit cake are evoked in this spicy-anise, oregano, pepper- aroma. The wood quickly takes a strong apple character, revealing the calvados barrel that went into the process. Quite acidic, having a rather juicy middle despite the unmistakenly Belgian soft foamy, ample texture. As its rich malts evoke chocolate, prunes, dates and raisins, its yeast levels it up with fittin desserty spiciness. A sweet offering indeed, if not quite at the same levels than the regular Pannepot, especially with that acidity backing up. Deeply complex, yet I find myself liking it less than the less alcoholic, tighter regular Pannepot whose maltiness seems less cohesive. If the barrels add an extra layer, they also remove from the brightness of the layers underneath. Still, that’s one excellent and unique offering.

Bottle, 33cl. Pours very alluring dense and dark mahogany, with generous off-white head. Extremely complex aroma of sweet dark fruits, chocolate, liquorice, spices and caramel. Very well blended on the palate, with perfectly smooth mouthfeel, the smoothest of all the Pannepots. A truly great ale.

WOW. What can I say? Simply mesmerising. A hedonistic smell of cameral; dark chocolate, musty perfume and brown sugar If they could bottle that I’d wear it! Awesome texture. Very dark and robust coffee notes with red elements and a sandy colour at the top. Purely intoxicating. A wonderful brew. I recommend pairing wtih a Rochefort 10. WOW. This is 2006 aged.