Struise Tsjeeses

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers
Style: Abbey Tripel
Oostvleteren, Belgium

Bottle: Cloudy brownish orange pour with a thin, creamy beige head. Strong aroma is rich with Belgian spices, namely cloves. Some corriander and orange peel too. Flavor is smooth with maltiness, dark fruits, orange peel, and cloves. Finishes a little dry with some yeast and faint florals. Very good.

Bottle that I picked up at Dranken Geers, Oostakker, Gent, Belgium, March 09, consumed 16-04-09 Pours murky puddly orangey brown, actually more brown than orange. Fruit and spice dominate the nose which at times brings forth visions of being sat around a brazier with a steaming mulled wine. There is a real softness in the mouth with this beer, streaks of citrus mingle with the spices and a yeastiness is also apparent. Finally I note that the mouth is gradually being warmed by the 10% alcohol, yet this doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of this beer. A7 A3 F8 P3 Ov15 3.6

Pours amber / copper with a small sudsy head that is very dark for a tripel. The aroma has dark honey, thick esters, very yeasty, toasted malt and a hint of spice. Medium / full body that is slick and velvety with soft, yet lightly stinging carbonation. The taste has thick dark caramel, toasted malt, honey, herbal tea and alcohol warmth. The finish has more heat, spices and minor hops then there is a lingering since of anise and sweetness.

Another beautiful De Struise beer. Good lord, these guys are becoming another De Dolle for me. Which is bad considering I needn’t have another $5/bottle temptation, the broken condition my wallet is in. Tastes lively for sure and sugary, like crisp tart alcoholic apple cider and snicker doodle spice. Pumpkins? And some orangy citrus, though not in a hoppy way. Beautifl beer too with chalky chunky yellow amber gooiness.

Pour is a murky dull orange color bordering on brown. Aroma is seriously deep with some wildness about it along with some citrus fruit and caramel syrupy sweetness. At first sip you get a full bodied malt experience with some bread and chewy grain. That gives way to a lemon and orange citrus flavor and the finish is all yeast and spice, clove and coriander. After all of that goodness you are finally left, rather unfortunately, with a bit of a hot alcohol mouth feel. Other than that though I am pleasantly surprised by the complexity of this guy.

330mL bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a hazy golden orange with a big creamy white head that sticks to the glass quite a bit on the way down, leaving sheets of lacing. The head remains intact for ages as tons of floaties cycle through the body throughout, the only negative of the look for me. The aroma is spicy with lots of yeasty sweetness and a hint of orange peel and lemons. There is a big bready malt presence as well as some candi sugar, though nothing too sweet. The taste is very yeasty with lots candi sugar sweetness, more than the aroma would suggest. The hops are there but definitely in the background along with the bready malts. The spices are present only in the finish and not quite as big as in the aroma. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with lots of carbonation. It’s very smooth for the style and with a bit more dryness in the finish. I enjoyed this one a lot and the extra little bit of spiciness differentiates this one from some of the other Belgians I’ve had lately. Very drinkable for the ABV, which is barely detectable.

11.2 fl oz. Amber-orange color with a fine white head and lots of suspended particles. Really a fantastic and complex aroma - peach, apricot, orange rind, sourdough, yellow cake, and an herbal, almost minty, note. Flavor is less interesting but still very good. Doughy with a subdued and under-ripe stone fruit flavor. Quite spicy in the beginning and the end, with sweet vanilla in the middle. Big bubbles. Really close to being unbelievable.

Bottle into chalice. Pours a cloudy orange-gold, lighter towards the top, with loads of floaties, and a creamy bone-white cap that leaves substantial lacing. The floaties were disconcerting, but the beer otherwise looks fantastic. Nose is apricot and tropical fruit mixed with a rich, lightly doughy yeast note, spicy alcohol, bit of candy sugar shining through. Delicious. Taste is yeasty, bittersweet, rich tropical fruit and apricot, sweet candy sugar and some spicy alcohol. Honey, and maybe nutmeg? Dry at some points, deliciously rich in others. Finish is yeasty, a bit bittersweet, bit of alcohol on the exhale. Mouthfeel is a bit sticky, soft, fluffy carbonation. Drinkability is fantastic. When I finished this, I was left wondering why I hadn’t bought more than one. I actually realized I was drinking it so fast that if i didn’t get to reviewing, I’d run out of beer before I finished. An exemplary beer. Delicious.