Struise Pannepot Reserva

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

Bottle@ Kulminator Antwerpen. Complex beer in all aspects. Plums, raisin, raspberry, oak. Loads of dried fruit. Excellent.

A Mes rate: Draught at ZBF. My last beer of the festival on the Saturday and more than fitting to roll up our 1000th rate. Sim and I shared this on the train back to Antwerp accompanied by Mads who was fittingly drinking an Aardnon if I remember correctly. Almost stouty character. Alcohol is a little more pronounced or is that just my imagination? Nope it definitely is. Much more chocolate than the regular and almost gone are the liquorice and candi sugar. The oak is very clear and gives it a superb earthyness missing from Pannepot. Considering its strength being clearly apparent it is gloriously mellow and dare I say it, downable. These guys can pretty much do no wrong and I am proud to pass this mile stone with one of their finest.

Bottle @ ChristianScheffel. [thank you Christian!]
Wow! Pours a dark brown with slight ruby edges. Big fine beige creamy beige head. Aroma is fantasticly complex, vanilla comes as the first impression - oak in itself is difficult to discern. There are plums, raisins, alcohol and belgian sugars. Stunning creamy palate. Flavour is great - the wood enhances all factors in the beer. Vanilla is again very present, prunes, raisins, sugar, some chocolate. Brilliant!

750ml bottle shared courtesy of egajdzis. 2005 Vintage. Opened to a very lout and audible pop. Poured a medium to deeper reddish tinged brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of wood, dark fruits -raisins and plums-, caramel, and some earthiness. The wood really came out more and more as I spent time with this one. Tastes of wood, the same dark fruits, and vanilla. Alcohol content well hidden.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 4     Pale Yellow(1)->Copper(5) : 4     Still(1)->Volcanic Sparkling(5) : 3
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 4     Lasting: 5     Lacing : 5
Aroma:
Intensity : 4  
Yeast : 5   Bread : 2   Dough : 4   Esters : 4   Phenols : XX   Dusty : XX   Spicy : 2   Apple : XX   Banana : 4   Tropical Fruits : XX   Brett : XX   Barnyard : XX   Leather : XX   Wood : XX   Vinous : 2   Cheese : XX   DMS : XX   Diacetyl : XX Sulfur : XX
Malt : 4   Pilsner : XX   Pale : XX   Vienna : XX   Biscuity : 3   Toasty : XX   Hay : XX   Caramel : 3   Honey : XX   Cereals : 3   Grainy : XX   Wheat : 1
Hops : 1   Noble(1)->American(5) : 1   Leafy : XX   Perfume : 3   Orange : XX   Floral : 2   Lemon/Lime : XX   Herbal : XX   Grassy : XX   Piney : XX
Notes : Pepper : XX   Cloves : 1   Coriander : 1   Ginger : XX   Orange : XX   Earth : XX   Vanilla : 2   Oxidation : XX   Bubblegum : 3
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 5   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 5   Sourness : XX   Acetic : XX   Lactic : XX   Bitterness : XX   Farmy : XX   Complex : 5   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 4   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 4   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : 3   Mineral : XX

Comments: A ridiculously complex beer, thick, spicy with extreme sweetness and pure yeast decadence. I recognize the subtlety in the barrel flavour impartition, but it felt almost futile to a Pannepot. I can’t say I found it greater. If anything, it felt a bit more alcoholic, of course woodsier and I found it more caramel focused. Less naturally spicy, but just as gorgeously fruity. Anyway, both are world-class and I can’t imagine anyone who enjoys one and does not the other. A must.

Bottled thanks to Jens, rbesg07. To say i was disapointed would be an exstreme understatement. The oak aging seems to have taken all of the amazing subtle pannepot character away and givemn it sweetness, alchol and over ripe fruits. Still an axcellent beer but the ordinary pannepot is sooo much better.

(750ml bottle) Pours a cloudy mahogany body with a thick dense beige head. A complex aroma of toffee, chocolate, cookie dough, dates, figs, vanilla, roasted nuts, butterscotch, and a touch of anise. Flavor of figs, dates, cinnamon, dark caramel, roasted malts, coriander, and nutmeg with a dry finish.

Bottle thanks to boboski: Dark mahogany amber with a frothy, nicely-lacing dark tan head. Aroma of sweet dark candi sugar and fruity esters with a nice mild oaky complexity and a hint of doughy yeast. Body starts with a nice earthy dark caramelk sweetness balanced with drier oak and lightly spiced with a hint of tartness and alcoholic warmth toward a doughy finish. Effervescent palate makes this seem not as sweet as the regular version.