t IJ Struis

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

Dark brown colour, with a garnet tinge. Malty, with some spice, stewed fruit and chocolate accents, but rather sweet. A bit too sweet for me, but still flavoursome and reasonably palatable. Bottled at St Albans Beer Festival.

Very intense fruity/spicy aroma, that lingers for days. Dark, mahogany, nice head that disappears rather quickly. Sweet and intense, warm, yeasty and fruity, pretty odd but very pleasant in every way. For me, this is one, especially suitable for cold, dark evenings, just sippin’ this beauty watching the snow fall in the light of the lantern.

Brown sugar, raisins, dates, plums, toffee, yeast in the aroma. Almost smells like a Belgian Bock. Opaque mahogany brown with tan head that recedes to cover with minor lace. Very sweet, sugary dark fruits with minor roastiness in the finish. Full bodied and somewhat sticky in the mouth. Probably would have faired much better if sampled by itself rather than in the middle of a tasting session. Bottle enjoyed with MartinT and Rastacouere at Spuyten Duyvil (Brooklyn, New York).

Dates and cherries riding the frothy, sweet and yeasty body...Marzipan and maple syrup distribution makes for a very sweet number on the junction of dessert-smacking goodness and issueless sugar...Still a teenager in the world of greatness...

Bottle at Spuyten Duyvil. Deep brownish burgundy. Lasting off-white head. Hugely phenolic aroma, extremely sweet. Big toffee and buttery malt aroma, cream hints. Banana-like yeast in the nose, leathery like on the tongue. It somewhat dries out in the finish, but it’s just not enough, this is indeed a dessert brew, but this banana split/chocolate milk, berry pudding sweetness going on is a little too filling for me. Body is huge, very creamy, round. I’d love it under other circumstances, but here it makes the beer too heavy. My least favorite of the columbus, zatte and struis. Unbalanced.

Bottled - St Albans Beer Festival. A muddy brown coloured beer with a sour blackberry aroma. The taste is fruity but a bit tired and stale. Not bad but T ij is better than this.

Sampled at Gollem in Amsterdam, Holland. Ruddy Brown. The nose is odd. Chocolate, banana and clove are present cinnamon, ripe fruits and a slight hint of peppers. Light and fluffy but still full bodied and complex. Notes of chocolate, caramel, cherries and plums. The hops are flowery and dominant, especially on the finish.

Bottled @ the Saturday session, St Albans Beer Festival 2004. Beer #34. Darker than the Wit. This is sweet, malty and yeasty.