t IJ Struis

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

Dark brown color. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is dark malts, chocolate and raisins. A medium bodied Belgian strong ale. Malts are chocolate, brown sugar, a touch of cherry and molasses. Nice smooth taste. Lots of fruit flavors mostly cherry and blackberries (?). Hides the 9% alcohol very well. A little warming with a touch of alcohol bite at the finish. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly sweet, touch of alcohol.

This bottled brew marked best before 9/05 poured a extremely large sized head of foamy light brown colored long lasting finely sized bubbles that left behind a hazy dark brown colored nearly opaque body with no visible carbonation. The aroma was bready with brown malty notes. The mouth feel was tingly and mildly vinous with a mellowing in the finish. It had a mild malty burnt malt bready flavor. After drinking the concoction I found lots of thick stuff in the bottom of my mug.

Bottle at home. Unclear red/brown - light beige head. Fruity, berries, wine-like notes. yeasty, spicey, caramel, berries, light earthy, medium complexity. OK !!

(Bottled) Murky, very dark brown color with a smallish, lacy head. Sourish, caramel-malty aroma with tiny hints of coffee. Sweet-sour-malty flavor with spices, licorice and coffee beans. Medium to full-bodied, oily and smooth palate. A nice, dubbel-like brew with a high but well-hidden ABV.

33cl bottle. Pours muddy amber with a fine red hew & large fluffy head. Aroma is sweet & vinous of malts & fruits (berries) Heavy yeasty nose as well! Sticky & full palate. Sugary, earthy & dusty taste. My third beer from the brewery & I havent freaked out about any of the beers yet. I guess its their yeast I slightly dislike!

Bottle. Dark orange colour with a beige head. Aroma is fruit, yeast, dried fruits. Flavour is fruit, yeast, apple,spices, hop, berries, malt, dried fruit. Nice body and a nice beer.

Dark red color with a thin head. Aroma of grapes. Tastes of bread and heavy malt. Texture is on the syrupy side. Slightly spicy.

4/2004 bottle. Pour reveals a medium amber-caramel colored body, with light oranges, coppers and golds all noticeable. Large, well-retained head, per usual for the brewery, with plenty of sediment remaining in the bottle. Aroma has notes of strong belgian yeast, light candi sugar and plenty of caramel malt. Light raisins and berries. Flavor parallels the aroma quite well, with lightly sweet caramel and raisins, figs and dates on the finish. A low amount of residual sugar does not give it too sweet a flavor. Lately I’ve been turned off by high abv BSAs, due to the powerfully sweet and warming nature of them, but this one hid the 9% abv nicely and was more restrained in flavor. Giving the beer time to breath creates a soft mouthfeel. A bit of oxidation from the age loosens up the body, but it makes it surprisingly drinkable for a 9% BSA. So far, T’Ij is 2 for 2 in my book. Excited to try more.