Struise Pannepot Reserva

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

33cl Bottle (2007). Dark Red color with a small brown head. Sweet and vinous aroma with notes of plums,grapes, caramel, malt,cinnamon.Sweet flavors of grapes, caramel,malt,ripe fruit, spices and a warming alcohol feel. A powerful and complex beer.Masterpiece !

[Bottle] shared by STLWill. Pours a clear deep brown with a large beige head. Aroma is amazingly rich with lots of raisins, tons of brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, and alcohol. Flavor is quite sweet, slightly tart, oaky, raisins and brown sugar, and a touch of alcohol. Phenomenal beer, and one I’ve been looking to try for a while now.

750ml of the 2005 vintage. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Lots of carbonation in the pour. Aroma is of malt, yeast, sugar, dark fruit, oak, and alcohol. Has an amazingly inviting aroma. Taste is of dark fruit, particularly plum. Lots of yeast, alcohol, caramel malt, and sugar. Has lots of undertones of smokey oak and tobacco. Lingering sugary plum flavors. Creamy, heavily carbonated mouthfeel. The alcohol is well subdued, but provides a nice warming effect. Really damn good.

3rd Annual Woodshop Tasting, 3/1/08. Thanks John for bringing the 750ml. Surprisingly, the barrel influence seems to dumb down the original for the worse. It mellows out the normally intense and deliciuos flavor. A notch above the grand, but a notch below the normal Pannepot for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still great!

2007 bottle. Vinous, chocolaty and fruity with a small touch of licoriice in the finish. Smooth and elegant.

Part of our hotel room tasting, GABF 2007. Thanks to whoever brought it (awaisanen? kp? don’t remember). Big, creamy, eggy head. Smell is absolutely decadent in the oakiness and alcohol, swaddled in caramel and brown-sugar malts that occasionally remind of unsweet chocolate. Nice body, has a rich feel like Westy 12. Lots of different flavors packed in this mostly sweet concoction of malts: figs at first, some bright peaches later, some prickly raisin riding the carbonation, definitely some brown sugar around the figs and peaches, and running counter to it the whole time is an oakey oiliness. Very, very tasty. Since this tasting, I’ve had regular Pannepot a couple of times, and like it better, but it’s pretty damn close. Struise, I love you.

’05 Bottle...can’t remember who came through with this for me, but thanks. Pour was a dark brown with a tan head. The nose on this is something to behold, notes of dark plums, cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak and dry cocoa powder. Nice carbonation...flavors were spiced malts, dark fruits and oak. Great beer.

750 ml bottle, vintage 2006, thanks to Jeppe for keeping the beer for me. A cloudy dark ruby beer with a medium sized, beige, creamy, lacing and persistent foam. The aroma is very complex, malty, fruity (cherries, berries, dark fruits) and spicy. Lightly woody and alcoholic. The flavour has a medium sweetness and a light acidity. The oak is well integrated. Very malty, spicy and fruity and some light licorice and chocolate notes like the regular Pannepot. Warming and very complex. Medium to full body, average/lively carbonation, long finish with light bitterness, lightly alcoholic. World class, no doubt.