Struise Pannepot Reserva

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

Bottle from PUB’N. Pours turbid ruddy muddy deep brown with 3-fingers of off-tan head. Nose is earthy, peaty, with caramel malt, spicy notes, some cacao, blackberry, oak, and bourbon. The flavor was spirity, oaky, with figgy fruit, brown sugar, cacao, blackberry, and slight rauchy notes. The palate started semi-sweet, but got more cognacy at mid-point, and more oaky bourbony spirity late! Do whatever you need to in procuring this, but keep it legal. it isn’t worth a felony charge, but it’s close.

Pours brown / garnet with a tan soapy, dense head. The aroma has oaky, candy apple, dark toffee, Belgian yeast and oxidation that works for it. Medium / thin body with a lot of soft gentle carbonation. The flavor starts with green apple, dark malt, odd sweet & biting trait, Belgian yeaste, underlying oak and some alcohol. The finish has lots of sourness, green apple and funk. Good interesting and unique. I’m very glad I got to try this one - thought I’d never get a shot.

2005 vintage Bottle at Otown throwdown. Very dark body. Chocolatey and irony. Smells like candy sugar and chocolate milk powder. Very easy to drink. Very spicy.

Bottle from the Otown throwdown. 2005 from Cheeseman, another great and rare bottle! Brown pour with a medium tan head. Chocolate, butterscoctch, fruit and yeast. Flavor is chewy, tart and yeasty with some stone fruits and spices. Damn good.

FRO Throwdown: 2005 bottle. Dark brown, foamy. Chocolate and dry cocoa powder nose. Caramel candy. Nice and sweet but well balanced by a semi-sweet chocolate finish, with hints of caramel and fruit.

750 from Belmont Station. Looks lighter in SRM than reg. pannepot, slightly deeper nose of wet basement, lime and carroway. Spicy but kinda hollow, OK mouthfeel but just a bit underwhelming and beat up, not much oak character to speak of until the very last sips. It’s not as good as some other "regular" pannepots I’ve had...

C&PLYFOTD: 2005 bottle, courtesy TheCheeseMan. Caramel red pour, thin lacing and a white head. Slightly tart nose, cherries, hazy chocolate, licorice, honey, and just a shit-ton of spices. Rich brown sugar flavors, caramel and chocolate, very dry sexy tartness throughout. Very rich. Full-bodied, very yummy, could drink for ages. Delicious.

Bottle from SL. Splendid brew, quite like the original but (did a held back bottle side by side) with some excellent oaky sawdusty notes. The pour was dark orangey-chocolate brown. The head was not as large as the original, but still quite nice and pretty. The aroma was complex, grapes, coriander, cinammon, other spices, light floral elements, apples, some dark fruits, caramel, chocolate, and sawdusty oak. The flavor was full of rich dark fruits, chocolate, grapes, apples, spicing, floral character, full sawdusty oak. The 10+% alcohol was quite smooth. The mouthfeel erred on the malty still side, yet was decent. Thanks, Robert, for making sure I got a bottle!