Struise Tsjeeses

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

Courtesy trade with Chewy. Thanks man! This beer is a perfect example of how far brewers can push the boundaries. This is a tripel but is very unique. Aroma was nice.yeast, funk and spices are strong. Pour was was a deep dirty orange with a one finger off white head. Taste was very fruity. Strong cantaloupe, melon and yeast with a thick and carbonated light fruit aftertaste. Hides alcohol wonderfully. The melon and fruit taste was a little too much for me, but shows how different beers can be made.

Pricey bottle from Premiere Gourmet. Pours peachy golden with very white topping, and lace on the way down. Some spiciness in the nose, and certainly in the taste. Livey carbonation that adds to mouthfeel. Quite tasty and drinkable, dangerous 10% that is a bit boozy.

Bottle: Pours a dark brown with a minimal tan head. Seemed much darker than a typical tripel, but what the hell. Nose was heavily spiced but not in the traditional cinnamon/nutmeg sense...massive spruce, mint and herbal notes with some nice roasted malts to provide a backbone. Heavily carbonated, wonderful body. Flavor was much of the same from the nose with an added candied sugar sweetness lingering about. Very good brew, only wish I could have a whole bottle to myself at some point.

(330 ml bottle from McKean and Charles) Pours cloudy dirty orange-amber with quite a few small solids. One finger of biege head recedes to a thin layer. Aroma is surprisingly a bit muted and one-dimensional - mostly just sweetish and lightly candyish, perhaps some fruit. Mouthfeel smooth, fairly soft, fairly heavy-feeling for the style. Finishes a bit dry. Weepy, light rings of lacing persist. Flavor is sweetish and lightly fruity. Not much hint of the spices that are described on the bottle. No real particular flavors actually jumped out at me. Just a touch hot but ABV pretty well-hidden. Nice if not too remarkable.

Tap at Toronado SD. This is the best Tripel I have ever tasted, and perhaps the best Belgian style. Aroma of grape and Flemish sour. Flavors of light wheat, yeast, sour, oak, grape, apple juice, and sparkle. Just immaculate. I thought Struiselensis was the beer of theirs I would drink any day, but I was wrong. This is a masterpiece. Note two weeks later: the bottle version is not as good.

THOUGHTS: I thought this would be better. Hid alcohol fairly well. It was good, but not as incredible as I usually thing of Struise beers. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a murky, medium brownish orange with a small to average, just barely off-white head that kept a thin sheet. There were also tiny to medium body particles of an average to thick density. The aroma was moderate to heavy earthy hops, a little funk, pear, peach, pineapple, honey, candi sugar, some spices and cherry pits. The flavor started sweet and finished very sweet, a little acidic and slightly bitter. There was peaches, pineapple, spices, yeast, candi sugar and honey. The medium body was syrupy then very dry with very fizzy carbonation and a lightly astringent and lightly alcoholic finish.

11.2 oz bottle. Pours a nice orangey copper with a slight haze- and a few yeastie colonies floating around- killer dense off beige head and nice lace. Aroma is peppery earthy and spicy phenolic yeast- yet smooth and not out of control- some nice fruity orangey esters with some apricot and pear- nice doughy malt sweetness. Flavor is also phenolic spicy earthy and peppery from the yeast- it almost gets a bit out of control but then balances itself out with a good doughy lightly sweet malt backbone. I kinda like the yeast they have going for this beer. High velvety carbonation makes for a smooth palate in the end. Nice but I think I like the Reserve just a little better.

Poured from a 330ml bottle and served in a tulip. This beer poured a hazy, darker golden orange hue with a large number of floaties and a one-finger thick off-white head that settled into a lasting cap. Not much lace to speak of. The aroma consisted of dried-orange peel, spicy yeast esters, honey, candi sugar, apricot, and light dates. The flavor had a surprisingly soft sweetness. Honey, caramel, apricots, oranges, and pears interwoven with coriander, cinnamon, and a mild peppery hop finish. Very nice! The mouthfeel was full-bodied and heavy on the tongue, but neatly cleaned away by a decent amount of crisp, aggressive carbonation. Lots of flavors going on and not overly spiced. Very well done!