t IJ Natte

Dark swamp water brown body. The head is a dense light tan affair that has lasting power. Thearoma is not much to my liking, sweet malts and hints of garbage, not rank garbage but fresh garbage, if there is such a thing. The flavor also possess the garbage thing, up front at least, afterwards there is some sweet malt that all leads into a rather thin finish. Not very good, Belgian beer say hello to the Fairfax, VA sewers.

33 cl bottle, purchased at The Foodery in Philadelphia. Dark maple, "dubbel" type appearance, largish lasting head. Aromatic brown sugar, molasses, orangepeel and tulip in the nose, wonderful. Flavor alas a huge disappointment: old wet cardboard, sour, vinegary malt, no sweetness or fruit whatsoever, really unpleasant...could be a bad bottle I suppose? At any rate, I can’t give it good marks on this initial try...if the other t IJ beers I have are fine, I’ll chalk it up to poor storage or age. Close to undrinkable as is.

Bottle best before 6/04: Pours a rich garnet brown with a dense light tan head. Sweet malty and bready Belgian aroma. Body starts very light and thin with some spices and earthy, musty off-flavors before settling into a smooth, lightly dry finish. Not really much of a Belgian strong. Needs more body and to get rid of those off-flavors.

Brown in color with a slightly cloudy appearance, huge creamy off-white head, malt & yeast in the nose, lots of yeasty flavors that imparted quite a spicy flavor, sweet malt in the finish along with more spiciness, decent beer

hazy brown, small head. toasty, raisin, alco, sweet dark malt aroma. flavour is tart and peppery with a bit of sweet malt and raisin. thins out a little at the end.

(Bottled, too cold) Very hazy darkish amber with a small head and big yeast clumps. Sourish aroma of cloves and green apple with light dried fruitiness. Anise-spicy, sourish-malty, yeasty and flowery flavor with some fermented strawberries and a dry, mildly bitter finish. Medium-bodied palate with smooth carbonation. A pleasant, light and flowery, somewhat Orvaly (although not as strong) brew. (Bottled, was 6-4-7-4-13=3.4) Dark brown color, small head. Sour, yeasty aroma. Malty, nutty, sourish flavor. Medium-bodied, somewhat carbonated, sour palate. Strange as a dubbel, but quite ok as a beer.

Russet brown hue with initial large frothy head which faded into a nice ring, some lacing. The aroma hints of caramel and toffee notes, floral, berry and lemon, earthy yeast esters and some phenols. The taste starts twangy and sweet combination with a woody finish. Undertones of flowers, hay, and pepper. The finish is a muddled mix of malts and yeast and seems to not display much complexity. The mouthfeel is lively and crisp and not as thin as the Zatte. While not a strong as some of its stable mates, the alcohol seems more pronounced in this beer. Has a double style, it lacks the complexity I hoped for, still is quaffable enough for a try.

Nat in Dutch means wet. I believe the addition of "te" at the end makes it mean wetty which, leads me to believe that there is a play on words here alluding to Natte meaning naughty. I have great admiration for the Brouwerij t'IJ and their ability to vary their styles with only the subtlest changes in alcohol and malts. Natte is 6.5% alcohol, amber in color, and very dinkable. I can see where this beer might make someone naughty or get them wet. The aroma is mild and earthy just as the aroma of the sea outside the brewery. The predominate flavor is of roasted malts, which also lends the wonderful amber color. Good clean crisp finish. Way too easy to drink for a beer that is 6.5%