t IJ Struis

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

bottle from brickskeller (02/02 brewed, 05/05 drank). pours a dark cloudy brown with slight head that barely laces. nose is malt, booze, bread, coffee? flavor is excellent: medium-bodied, malty, raisins, hops, with the presence of a 9% beer, but without the unpleasant alcohol flavors associated with that. a barleywine with a belgian twist, indeed. it has a brief note of harshness at the finish, which is the only thing that keeps this from being amazing. finish is dry in the mouth...the hops survived at least in bitterness. this beer is to barleywines as the de dolle export stout is to stouts. re-tasted on tap at brewery. dark amber. aroma of caramel, port, figs. heavy. lots of rich malty fruit up front. some evidence of the high abv, but well hidden. delicious.

This beer was hearty, thick and fresh, but it should have been fresh because I was drinking it in the same town as it is brewed. I had no idea of its strength at the time but it sure explains why the rest of the night is kind of hazy after a full day of drinking. I would definitely appreciate another sampling of this with fresh tastebuds.

Bottle sampled with Beerded_one. Pours bronze\brown with a large fluffy lasting off-white head. Aroma is floral, citrus, fruit, yeast, and belgian style spices. Flavor is smooth, sweet, floral, citrusy, fruit, spices are present, carbonated. Good body, excellent brew.

Pours a hazy mahogany brown color with a tan head. Aroma is raisins, malty, brown sugar, and a hint of honey. Flavor is malty, apricot, honey, and raisins.

Head goes quickly. Dark copper no sediment. Smell is bananas and metal. Banana malt chocolate that expands and tingles as far the effervesense. In the middle of the palate the bitterness hits. Ends on a slightly bitter note TIJ does a great of making all of it’s offerings very unique from each other.

11.2 oz bottle. Pours a murkey brown with a large light brown head. This one loses a point on appearance due to the excessively chunky floaties in there even though it looked like I did a good job decanting. I don’t mind cloudy, but these are a little distracting. Aroma is deep with plum, dates, yeast, alcohol, and a little of that funk that’s typical of darker belgian styles. Mouthfeel is a little carbonated at first but quickly transitions into a creamy mouth-coating treat. Flavor is very complex, a lot going on in this one. Plums, yeast, and malt. Finish reminds me of caramels with a warming alcohol. Overall I liked this one very much. Doesn’t seem to fit either style mentioned very well, very unique.

Bottle, 33cl. It pours a hazy dark orange body with a diminishing, foamy beige head. Yeasty, sourish, barnyeardish and fruity aroma with a little spicy touch and some weak dried fruits. Fruity, sourish, barnyardish aroma with yeast, spices and some malt in the background. A little touch of caramel and some chocolate as well. Full-bodied, effervescent and a bit tongue-twisting from the brett. Long, sourish, bretty finish with a balancing bitterness and sweetness. Yet another beauty from ’t IJ. (080426)

Dark Brown color, medium head. Aroma: Malt, tost, prunes, banana, chocolate. Palate: Malt, chocolate, spice, alcohol well-balanced, coriander. Good beer.