t IJ Paasij

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

2002 bottle, ‘t Arendsnest. Cloudy copper. Lasting sheet of white foam tops it. Highly malty, cerealic and yeasty (cloves) nose in which light honeyed Madeira tones have started to develop. The carbonation remains most satisfying though. Uniform small bubbles with a bite. An interesting fruitiness ranging as much from apples to pears or pomegranates make the whole figure rather complex. Interesting phase of its evolution, but certainly will not improve anymore.

NR. 8, BBE March 2008. Cloudy golden body, long lasting head and good lacing. Sweet and bready aroma, malty with honey and (indeed) straw/raspberries, some other dark fruits, brown sugar, caramel, overall really sweet with nice bready malt in the background and very slight hops buried beneath. The taste was fruity, floral and citric with some spices, sweet & sour, very rounded and lush. The typical musky infected IJ thing shines through slightly but fades rapidly, leaving a nice long bready and sweet & sour finish with strawberries and lemon. Mouthfeel was medium, not much carbonation. I expected another infected bottle since that’s all I’m getting from ’t IJ lately, but this one was surprisingly good, sweet and fruity. Nice.

(Bottled) Hazy golden (opaque orange with yeast) with a smallish, but lasting head. Very tart aroma of raspberries and toffee-sourish malt. Sourish-malty flavor with dried fruit and hints of genever. With yeast there’s some more fruit, but the change is not very noticeable. Medium-bodied, dryish and tart palate with foamy but quite low carbonation. A drinkable, tart and pleasant, but not very complex easter brew.

Golden, hazy with a nice, white head. The aroma is slightly unpleasant with musty, earthy notes and yeast. The flavour luckily only has a bit of the same, and it has notes of yeast, fruit, coriander and a clear grapefruit note in the finish. Complex - and special.

Tap at T´Ij, march 07. Earthy, spicy, fruity aroma. Profound coriander flavor and an earthy, minerally, salty ending, which blends very well with the spice. MF is medium, full spice, salty mineral feeling and a strange mineral/dry aftertaste. Hazy orange-golden color with a dense, creamy and lasting white head. A nice, quaffing, delectable spiced strong pale ale.

The final beer of my Low Countries vacation. Sour fruit and citrus in the aroma. A cloudy yellow beer. Flavor has some malt, but this is more sour than anything else. Acidic finish. Like everything from this brewery, it is kind of weird but I like it.

Bottle at home. Very nice ale. Orange colour, foamy head. Buttery, sweet taste. Hint of chocolate. Perfumey finish. Enjoyable, especially in April...

Bottle. Clear golden coloured with a creamy off white head. Aroma of fruits, yeast, leather and spices. Flavour of fruits, yeast, leather and spices.