Struise Pannepøt

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

11.2 oz bottle, dated 2006. Pours a murky brownish tea color with a thin white head that quickly diminishes to a thin film.

The aroma is sweet brown sugary malts, figs, and a little wood.

The flavor is sweet caramel malts, some dark fruits, earthy yeast and some spices with a light grassy bitterness at the finish. The alcohol is present at the finish, but not overdone. The mouthfeel is medium to full with soft carbonation.

Overall, a nice dessert type beer.

11.2 oz bottle. Murky chestnut with a light but holding tan froth. Toffee, cinnamon and cloves with a touch of alcohol. Taste is more grapey than the regular version and thinner without the same creaminess. Woody currants, figs and candied orange peel. Clean finish. I was surprised how much this differed from the non-ø.

11.2 oz, 2006 bottle. Foamed when uncapped. Pours a deep garnet with a fizzy disappearing head. Nose is very fruity, all types of berries and banana, mild spiciness. Cinnamon, nutmeg, dark sugars on the palate, a little thin and flat but nice and silky; finishes with a spicy yeast that lingers. Quite nice

2006 bottle. Really nice malty aroma, sweet with overly ripe fruits and a bit of candy sugar and sour cherry. Caramel and raisin and a bit of christmas cake, and more apparent alcohol than the original version. Pours a near-opaque red-brown with a scant beige head. Taste is rich and sweet but never cloying, lightly bitter and faintly sour, more to round off than anything. Medium, quaffable body (but who would want to?) with notes of an herbal, slightly medicinal brown sugar, and tea-ish leaf extract. Spruce? Would be excellent in candy block form. Smooth, densely malty feel, aftertaste is dry and slightly herbal with a flash of something reminiscent of juniper. Spicing is, on the whole, very subtle and refined. In contradistinction to the original waft (and even in the main whiff it had diminished), the alcohol is nowhere to be found in the mouth - perfect integration! Stylish and classy, but not up to the standard set by the original - what exactly is the difference in Danish taste that’s being brewed to?

Yet another bottle shared by puzzl (uberthanks!). Poured dark brown with no head at all, which was quite striking compared to its Belgian counterpart. Aroma was incredibly sweet, full of sugar and dark fruits. Taste was full of caramel and spice, though I wished there was more for me to pick out. Pretty sticky mouthfeel and finished sweet and spicy.

An odd, tart, minerally aroma, full and rich with maple and pomegranate. No head on the pour, interesting next to the enormous head of normal pannepot. Purple grape and thick, sweet flavor, ending with a tingly bitter fruit note. Tasty stuff.

Compared to normal pannepot, not near as sweet, and definitely has a hop note which is not noticed in the regular. A bitter, kind of drying aftertaste and aroma. Not as refined, but sitll very enjoyable.

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

Comments: I presume the most helpful rating is a comparison with the regular version. This felt, if possible, perhaps even sweeter, in a juicy way, perhaps an impression caused by the lesser presence of darker malts, toasty and bordering roasty which have a balancing effect in Pannepot. It also feels less long and dries out quicker. Excellent, but not the decadent treat it seems.

Bottle 2006 sampled 11/16/07. Opens with a lot of CO2. No gushing. The pour is a challenge with all of the CO2. Huge lasting white frothy head. The aroma is huge caramel backed by vinous sherry notes, dark fruits, and barnyard character. A rich lush body that is made more drinkable by the high level of CO2. The flavors are instantly sweet caramelized malt and dark cabernet. The wild yeast characters of the beer make the vinous character come out in full force. The finish is sweet and satisfying with a ever so light dryness once the fluid has left the mouth. A great Belgian dark ale.