Struise Pannepot

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

2006 label with a very cool painting of a pannepot, which is defined as a fishing boat in the descriptive text of the label. The color is black and the head is short white-tan bubbles. The smell is a little sweet and syrupy with a little black licorice but not cloying in the least. First taste was gum, who knows what type, and spices and a little sweetness, pretty good. I wonder what spices they used because while the beer tastes spiced, I sure can’t pick them out individually. This one is a monster because it seems to foam up in my mouth and is going to take a while but the flavors are good, which is all that matters to me. Good stuff. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-07-2007 17:50:41

2007 Bottle. A slightly sour fruity front with a rich nutty malty character. Slightly purple hued with a thin creamy tan head that clings in a wide swath to the edge of the glass. Flavor is very rich, quite tart with a backbone of chocolate nutty malt. Very foamy higly carbonated feel. Dry lingering tartness. Quite good, interesting.

Bottle @ Ebenezers. Pours deep brown into a snifter. Tan head with excellent retention leaves slow sheets. Pit fruit and malt aromas. Full and sweet with dark dried fruits upfront, turning slightly sour and peppery in the lasting finish.

Pours a beautiful deep red/brown but already I’m slightly perturbed by the head, nice tan colour but looks a bit fizzy. The nose is good, smells just like fresh bread dough interlaced with spices. Now for the bad bit, unfortunately my bottle was very overcarbonated. I know that’s the risk you take with bottle conditioning (& one well worth taking too) & everyone else seems to really rate it so I guess I was just unlucky, but the fizziness completely wiped out any flavour & body in the mid palate. I can see underneath some fantastic deep fruit with eastern spices & a terrific sweet/sour balance. The finish is very long as well, with those spices subtley lingering, but I’ll just have to crack open another bottle, worse things happen at sea.

Bottle. Dark brown colour with a huge tan head. The aroma of malt, liquorice and dark fruits. The flavour is very sweet, malt, spices, berries and liquorice. Aftertaste is sweet and vinous. Full-bodied and very smooth. Very good, aging would probably make this even better.

The spices in this beer were off the hook. I loved this beer. I could drink it all the time. well, as a night cap really.

The aroma of this beer is somewhat subtle, in that it is not one of the "in-your-face" variety. It is cherry and ripe plum. The head is definitely espresso colored and thin, but it is long lasting with good lacing. I notice the carbonation right away with a chocolate flavor initially. The flavor mellows out and becomes somewhat sour in aftertaste. I don’t notice the spices that are added and I find this a good thing. The alcohol is noticeable, but also very subtle. Coloring is very dark, rich brown. Overall, the flavor is very fruity. I’ve tasted a lot of beers that were more appealing.

Tasted at the Cambrinus in Brugge. My current favorite beer. Pours a dark red/brown with smallish head. Nose of cherry, plum, strawberry. Taste starts out with a little milk chocolate and cream. Turns sour toward the end with some coffee and berry notes. Took a few bottles of this one home.