t IJ Struis

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

Bottle. Brown with a large off-white head. Aromas are yeast and berries with chocolate and bubblegum. Some liquorice herbal notes with sweet toffee. Flavours are chocolate and molasses. Bready yeast and berries with citrus and some liquorice. Good.

A red beer with a fine collapsing beige head. The aroma is sweet spicy with notes of coriander, grapes, and prunes. The flavor is sweet and very spicy with a dry woody end.

Hazy dark amber colored, creamy off-white head. Rosted malt and spices dominates the aroma with fruity and citrusy tones underneath. Flavor is extremely sweet fruity and orangy. Notes of plum, yeast and hay. Strange and different and a little cloying in the long run, still tasty.

Bottled (BB 03/2006)
Dark hazy nut brown, small creamy expresso head. Roasted nose with some sweet berries. Roasted - dry flavor. Chocolaty, a bit sugar in the finish. Quite carbonated.

Pours lovely... bronze from the bottle to mahogany in the glass, with a mild fizz before a small, cream colored head which reduces to a Christo-esque island surrounded by film. Yeast and malt dominate the aroma with yellow cheeses and taffy and mustiness. Over time, she reveals more defined cheesish yeasts, Parmesan, cheddar, feta. Mid-bodied with a sticky note to the palate. Flavor finds a berry-touched maltiness alongside tart, mildly funked-out yeastiness, finishing with a sugary kicker that proves to be one of this beer’s few flaws. Overall, tasty & satisfying. ~~~~~~~ Purchased June 2007 (Oliver’s Beverage, Albany, NY)... consumed March, 2009.

A Mes rate: Bottle from god knows where. Salty malty nose. Lovely amber colour with a very well behaved off white head. Tangy malty flavour. Fairly one dimensional but decent enough. Slightly milky. Alcohol is hidden well apart from a slight spirit like burn at the back of the throat in the finish. Not bad.

A hazy red/brown colored beer with a big foamy beige head. The aroma is fruity like apple and prune, there is yeast. And caramel in the back. The taste is a little sour with dark fruits like cherry and raisins. Also caramel sweet tones in the back.

Bottle @ home. Murky brown appearance with lots of particles, big caramel coloured head. Smell is of IJ yeast, brown sugar, dark fruits and alcohol. Taste is brown sugar, caramel, toffee, dark fruits, dark fruits, finish is a bit sour and dry. On tap @ IJ brouwerij: Mouthfeel is much softer and more creamy, taste is sweeter. Prefer the tap for this one.