t IJ Natte

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Lure:
Walking through a North American Chinese meat market. A few vegetables are boiling a few tables away, some rusty coins and dropped food litter the floor. Luckily, a roasted chestnut vendor drives by and the enveloping sweetness and earthiness of his wares masks the surrounding nastiness.

The Festivities:
Sweeter and yeastier than the aroma, the nuttiness and grape-y earth expand the flavor portfolio into near-interesting realms. The mouthfeel is sadly stale and tired though. A second look onto the bottle confirms that this bottle isn’t past due, but it sure tastes like it is.

Transcendence:
A little cleanliness will go a long way.

Muddy caramel to copper. Light off-white head. Oxidized dulled fruits aroma hints at cardboard, melon and sawdust. Slightly tart, wet, nutty and roasty (coffee?), but nowhere rich.. Slightly creamy texture make it seems like it may not be at its best flavour wise, but as it is (still quite a few months before expiration) it feels like a hole in T Ij portfolio.

This pours a hazy brown color with lots of yeasty residue. The full tan head retreats into a light cap which lingers and laces the length of the drink. The aroma is somewhat musty, but it’s got a nutty malt aroma with brown sugar and juicy dark fruits. The flavor is a sweet, nutty malt with a surprising rush of chocolate overlaying the fruity tastes. The finish is mildly bitter and tart. Good drink.

Bottle. Red-brown with a solid beige head and nice lace. Dark fruits, berries, yeast, dry, little dusty, medium-full, soft mouthfeel. Good! Thanks Jbrus.

33cL bottle, chalice. Deep murky brown hue with red highlights. Giant, creamy/frothy, off-white head doesn’t last as long as I had hoped. Huge chocolate and candi sugar malt presence. Slightly nutty. Nice floral hop profile. Sweet dough yeast aroma. Plums, raisins, somewhat vinous, maderia. Pleasant and rounded aroma...the chocolate is to die for. Moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly sweet flavor becomes a lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter finish. Somewhat sour finish. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation. The bottom line is: Great aroma, nice looking...an odd sourness in the finish (think grapefruit) and a too-slick palate that results in the taste washing away quickly are what hold this beer back. Like most of the ’t IJ beers I’ve had, I would recommend being very cautious with the yeast near the end of the pour. It’s a potent strain!

large pour out of a bottle this time at the windmill brewery. one of the darker ones i had at the brewery. sweet choc malt flavors with dark fruit and mollasses brown sugar spice piched in there somewhere.

A dark brown appearance with a large head. This one was bent a little more sour than most dubbles Ive had. The main flavor going on here is chocolate followed by some raisins and nutmeg. There is some citrus detectable in the aftertaste. It looks like I enjoyed this more than most.

Bottle - deep fruity aroma. Medium dark brown body. Beige head atop. It dissipated rather quickly in spite of a rather overzealous pour on my behalf. Flavor is very nice with it bouncing all over the mouth. Malty, dark fruits, lingering. Kind of a fizzy mouthfeel. Another good one from a brewery whose name I cannot pronounce!