Struiselensis

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers
Style: Sour Ale
Oostvleteren, Belgium

A young bottle (I definitely want this after the Brett has fully developed). Sweet and very tart sour smell, the wild and untamed Flemish Browns of old with floral notes and nicely matched lemon. Hazy blonde pour with good firm carbonation and little head. Very fresh taste is very sour, mouth-puckeringly so, with dry champagne notes in its dying moments and an overall citric impression. No vinegar and no cherries. Medium body. Mellowing would surely do this good; currently a little too forceful with the carbonation, and not very bretty. Tartness is excellent, and I have high hopes for this sucker.

My Bottom Line:
A bountiful bouquet boasts coniferous cookies, wild grass, and fruity flower petals before sour benevolence seeks to cleanse the mind with its lemony and drying flavor surge. This is a most inviting Sour Ale.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A thin veil of foam dips into the hazy blond.
-The finish is a little yeasty, but otherwise this is quite clean throughout.
-The flavor profile does not feel as complex as the aroma; maybe time will make evolve?
-Flavors aren’t too intense in the brett world, but they certainly are joyous.
-Comfortable effervescence facilitates bigger sips.
-I could smell this for hours.
-An aged sample reveals a very different creature. Lots of citrusy sourness, none of the biscuity and coniferous allusions, and a mostly fruity and vinegary (white wine vinegar) flavor profile and finish. Still quite good, but just not as compelling as the fresher bottle was. From 3.9/5 to 3.5/5.

Bottles.

A belgian ale? More like a sour ale. Tons of super astringent bacteria cultures that make this beer taste like heavenly apple cider vinegar plum-skin juice. It has a bit too much carbonation though, but it is otherwise an absolutely beautiful, sweet sour beer.

Thin white head of varying sized bubbles. Decent carbonation. Nice tart aroma with lots of wet oak, ripe fruit, white grape and some light malts. Succulent aroma. Color is a pretty clear dark gold. Light and crisp flavor with more wet oak, grapes and grassy flavor. Almost like a sparkling white wine in flavor. Thin body with just enough sourness and tartness to make you mouth salivate constantly. Finishes tart and dry. A pretty good sour ale. Not over the top but just about right. Good stuff!

Thanks to mcbackus for this - cloudy blonde beer, with a small ring of lace - well-developed brett funk in the aroma, with a lot of musky character, slightly apple-ish acidic smells, a faint hint of sweetness underneath - very lively carbonation in the mouth - this, coupled with the dryness and moderate acidity gives it a very champaign-like feel - medium gueuze-ish funk - white wine grape fruitiness - what sweetness there may once have been has completely dried out - light, refreshing, and well-balanced - why is this not listed as a sour ale?

11.2oz bottle purchased at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. Poured a clear light orange-golden color. Head was fizzy, white, and reduced over a minute or so to a lasting thin film. The aroma was reminiscent of sour apple juice with whiffs of cider vinegar and spices (kind of nutmeg-ish). Imagine a funky mulled cider, but cold-ish. Mild to moderate acidity up front which mellowed gradually and gave way to some sweetness. Relatively light bodied with moderate carbonation. I tasted funky apple juice, champaign, and subdued berries. Very fruity. Pretty good stuff.

Clear amber, very little head. Strawberry(?) aroma, some brett. Very assertive sourness, lemon, mandarin oranges, light background hopping, brett. Feels akin to a sweetened gueuze but without the sweetness, in that it is slightly syrupy. Despite appearances, manages a lively and almost spritzy MF. Mouthwatering and borderline fantastic.

Bottle. Sour, spicey candy aroma. Orange body with no head to speakof flat no carbination. Sour and tart flavor to start with. Near the middle turned into surgar candy and laquered the palate with sourness. Filling brew as the sugary candy aftertaste lingers.