t IJ Columbus

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Light orange gold color, slightly cloudy. Big sized white foamy head. Aroma is fruity and sweet, banana and cloves. Nice lacing. A medium bodied Belgian Strong Ale. Malts are fruity and sweet, lots of banana and clove esters. Nice bright yeasts. Smooth taste. Lots of all those flavors that you would expect in a Belgian ale; pepper, banana, orange, peaches etc. Nice solid beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

This beer poured a fairly clear golden color with a thoroughly massive white head which was half soapy and half creamy and absolutely refused to die. The carbonation level in this beer was utterly unbelievable, yet it died down incredibly when I actually sipped it. The aroma is nice and yeasty as to be expected. No real surprises here aside from the heavy citrus and orange peel. Other than that the standard lemon, banana, yeasty freshness and grapefruitness that we’ve all come to love from belgian strong ales. The flavor begins as a dry fruity, banana meld but leads into a nice, more mellow citrus, apricot and grapefruit amalgamation by the time this beer warms. A little spices come into play later in the beer in both the nose and finish, but there were nice. Mildly dry lemon and fruity ester finish with a hint of alcoholic warming as well...but I mean only when it warms can it be found. Well rounded beer.

Dark amber, lively head formation. Sweet apple, cidery aroma, woody. Puckering sour apple palate, tart fruity finish. Lanbicish in its tart acidity. Not what I was expecting from my last beer of the night.

Fairly clear light amber w/a huge white pillowy head of foam. Light grainy malt & sugary sweetness, toasty, yeasty, oaky wood. Dried apricot fruitiness turns to candied dates as it warms. Very slight hints of buttery diacetyl & pepper from the yeast. Well balanced w/ just a bit of diacetyl at first, them malty sweet as it warms. Bitterness into the finish, but very low. Sugary sweet flavor w/a low fruitiness which is surprising given the nose. Light bready yeast & spicy hop in the aftertaste. Highly carbonated, very smooth, fuller med. body, alc. barely noticeable. This was a damn fine beer! Nice complexities for a lighter colored beer!!!! Props to Brooklynboy for this one!!

Sheezus,this has more floaters in it then the Gulf of Mexico during the Cuban Flotilla.Has a wild fruit nose with a little sourness.Taste like I am chewing on a book of matches.Must be a bad bottle.

Bottled, at the Lowlander, London.
Soft, milk chocolate brown coloured body, slightly hazy with a full bold head. Sumptuous aroma. Sharp but not astringent, lovely tart malt flavours.

A woody taste dominates, with an alcoholic finish. OK but not one that I would purchase a second time.

Murky chesnut colored ale with a well retained dark off white colored head. Aroma is wet wood, a dash of vinegar, light malt, and a touch of alcohol. Mouthfeel is wonderful, velvety but not too thick. Flavor is a little hoppy with nice peppery finish. Enjoyable.