Rio Reserva (St Emilion Wine + Kentucky Bourbon B.A.)
De Struise Brouwers

Copenhagen 9/8-2017. 33 cl bottle from Den Belgiske Ølbutik, Jyllingevej, Vanløse. Label with a double R, the logo of De Struise and quite detailed information on the maturing process.

Pours hazy amber with small white head. Settles as thin patchy layer of foam. No lacing.

Aroma is rich. Humid basement, cognac, brown sugar, woody and with solid whiff of boozy alcohol and some sourish notes.

Soft carbonation and thick oily texture.

Flavor is immensely sweet. Modest bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet caramel with strong notes of alcohol. light burning from the alcohol.

Good, strong, muscular yet elegant, barrel aged motherfucker.

 

This one knocked my socks of at how good it was. Very little if any oxidation present that I could tell or if there were notes of sherry it was hidden by the double-barrel aging and richness of the body. Great notes of caramel & toffee with loads of brown sugar notes and vanillin, followed by dark fruits like raisins, figs, dates with a little black cherry and red grapes. Classic esters from the yeast with notes of clove and earthy wood on the nose. Very smooth, very rich, excellent all-around. (2012 vintage)

Bottle at Echarle Huevos, served at home in a trappist glass.
Pours copper colour, almost no head, no retention nor lacing.
Aroma of oak, wine, toffee, vanilla.
Medium to full body, viscous texture, flat carbonation. Sweeet finish.
Taste of chocolate, wine, bourbon, vanilla, toffee, raisins, brown sugar, grapes.
Delicious.

A 750ml bottle, 2012 vintage, limited edition cask strength, bottled on 14th November 2016. Poured into a De Struise tulip glass.

Appearance: A brownish orange rusty colour with a big two finger beige head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin cap while leaving nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malt, dark fruit, plum, prunes, caramel, with light notes of bourbon, oak, vanilla and vinous.

Taste: Moderate sweetness, brown sugar, dark fruit, prunes, plum, caramel, toffee, bourbon, oak.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: An excellent sipper, with good complexity from the wine and bourbon barrels.

Pours a clear, deep mahogany coloration with a reddish tint and a small, frothy head. Smells quite intoxicating of bready, caramel malt, toffee, brown sugar and red/dark fruit with notes of cherry, raisin, plum and fig, as well as some tannic oak and hints of vanilla and honey. Taste is an excellent balance of bready, caramel malt , toffee brown sugar, wildflower honey and red, dark and estery fruit, with notes of cherry, raisin, plum, fig, red apple and gooseberry, as well as some estery spice with notes of clove and black pepper and tannic and earthy barrel accents, with just a hint of vanilla coming through as well. Finishes with a light sweetness and tannic bitterness, with some red, dark and estery fruit and barrel accents lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth, full mouthfeel with a rich body and low carbonation.

This is a marvellous, quite rich and complex brew that is incredibly well-balanced, never feeling too sweet or boozy while displaying an impressive array of red, dark and estery fruit and barrel notes. An incredible beer that first enchants you with its intoxicating, sweet and fruity aroma and then envelops you in its intricate flavour complexity of sweet, fruity, slightly spicy and bitter, tannic and earthy notes that all intermingle quite harmoniously without anything standing out too much or taking away from each other. I mean, god damn, I'm not even a huge fan of the style, but this really blew me away with its fantastic complexity and balance. I just wish that I had a fireplace to sip this by to be able to truly do justice to it.

Pours mostly clear amber maroon ruby red with a creamy frothy khaki colored foam head. Smells like super rich raisins, dates, dried fruit, figs, prune, plum, black grape, apple, apricot, hint of banana, bubblegum, clove spice, dark caramel, toffee, molasses, hint of chocolate, toasted bready malts, dark fruit, berries, some cherry, red wine, bourbon, oak barrel, with earthy herbal hops. Tastes roasty and a bit charred, with rich raisins, dates, dried fruit medley, figs, prunes, plum, apricot, apple, pear, grapes, slight banana, peppery clove spice, hint of bubblegum, cherry, dark red fruit, berries, dry red Bordeaux wine, sweet bourbon, oak, dark caramel, toffee, molasses, hint of chocolate, vanilla, toasted bready malts, and herbal earthy hops. Feels lighter medium bodied, slick and creamy with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall a really nice and interesting Belgian quadrupel aged in St. Emilion wine barrels and bourbon barrels.

 

 

Bottle from the Craft Beer Cellar Belmont.
Dark chestnut in color with a thin off white head that dissipates quickly. Rich dark and burnt brown sugary fruity with bits of jam and oaken vanilla. Very complex and tasty sipper.

330 ml bottle into a goblet. 2012 vintage. Bottled 12/7/16, had 12/6/18.

Pours kind of a pinkish medium amber, somewhat cloudy, with a half inch foamy head and some fleeting foamy lacing. Aromas of bourbon, plums, malt, dates, cherries, brown sugar, figs, grapes, raisins, some toffee, light oak. The flavor mostly follows along- bourbon, figs, dates, malt, wine as it warms, raisins, plums, oak, caramel, some cherries, a light sweetness overall. Smooth, solid medium to full body, well carbonated.

Very complex and layered, lots of flavors and aromas, lots of fruit. The bourbon barrels star. Well balanced, it just really pulls together. Need to have this again.

From the 330 ml bottle label dated 12/07/2016. Sampled on Jan , 2020 just over four years later.

Gorgeous appearance with a ruby-red hued amber color underneath a short-lived off-white head. Good clarity.

The aroma is entirely inviting with its characteristics of fruit like grapes, Belgian yeast, toasted bread, wood, with a low alcohol note. That is always good for a 10+ Quad as far as I am concerned.

The mouthfeel is big and smooth.

The taste brings out a wine-like grape fruitiness before anything else with a slight butterscotch sensation and a warming, floral finish. A tad boozy bit a definite sipper. Wow, this is a good one.

I'm going off the reservation yet again, but I can't help it. This is something special! Vintage 2012, poured from 11.2-ounce bottle into a tulip glass. Color is dark amber maple syrup, with pale ruby highlights and a thick off-white head that settled without a trace. Is it a quad or a strong dark ale? Brewer says strong dark, but it certainly fits the description of a quad to a tee. Malty, a little spicy, sweet, and quite alcoholic as it warms. Caramel, dried fruit (fig, raisin), tart cherry, and dark bread, with notes of bourbon, oak, vanilla, maple syrup, and molasses. Lightly tannic, full bodied, with fruity tartness lingering on the palate at the back end. Not too much to complain about here. Highly recommended if you can get it. Santé!

2012 vintage.

This one pours a clear light amber-ish color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like spicy barrel, oak, red wine, dark fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and leafy aromas.

This is really quite complex, due to the double barrel activity here. It's quite spicy, with both a twinge of booze and the charred oak contributing to that character. There's a touch of roast and tobacco, too, along with wine soaked grapes and raisins and sherry. These guys are exceptional at barrel aging, and it really shows here.

This is medium bodied and surprisingly well-carbonated for this brewery. It's a slow sipper due to the intensity of flavors and slight hint of booziness.

This has held up exceptionally well - there's no oxidation to be found here at all. Struise is still a low key favorite of mine.

Picked up this 11.2 oz. bottle at Beertopia in Omaha, NE, which has become my go-to supplier while I’ve been in Children of the Corn country.

Rio Reserva reminds me: I need more quads in my life. And biceps. We have a body-builder friend…never mind. That lovely dried, dark fruit is prominent, along with light herbs, wailing Belgian yeast, candi sugar, with mild earthy hops. The barrel comes on wearing pasties; strong bite of bourbon with only a soft echo of the wine, which blends into the base beer with such camouflage as to be indistinguishable. Finish is after-dinner booze & sharp oak, with a bit of char as it warms. Drinks bigger than it’s already beefy ABV, but the sweetness helps it go down like a PBR on a warm day (though that usually comes back up, eventually).

Been a while since I’ve had a drop or two of De Struise Brouwers, a brewery I used to trade for with moderate enthusiasm, since the dastardly Shelton Brothers have virtually abandoned MN. Wish they’d come back, & bring all this Belgian goodness with them. Very nice beer.

 

330ml bottle, cap inked 1042012. Label says "vintage 2012, double barrel aged, First maturation took place in our tanks, second in St. Emillion wine barrels, third stage too place in bourbon barrels from Kentucky, or four years of barrel patience". Pours a medium dark ruby with orange tones, head is a creamy film. Smell is winy boozy and sweet. Taste is like the smell, winy dark fruits with ample esters, sweet with a little bitterness. Feel is smooth, a bit of ABV burn with slight carbonation. Overall, pretty good but I guess the wine notes turned out to be not a plus for me.

330 ml bottle into chalice; 2012 vintage, bottled on 12/07/2016. Pours lightly hazy deep orange/copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, cherry, pear, apricot, red apple, red grape, red/white wine, bourbon, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and brown bread; with lighter notes of oaken vanilla, molasses, pepper, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/light spicy yeast, wine/bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, cherry, pear, apricot, red apple, red/white wine, bourbon, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and brown bread; with lighter notes of oaken vanilla, molasses, pepper, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light yeast/wine/oak tannin spiciness and herbal/grassy hop bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruit, cherry, pear, apricot, red apple, red grape, red/white wine, bourbon, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, oaken vanilla, molasses, pepper, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/light spicy yeast, wine/bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly slick/sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 10.5%. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged quadrupel! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/light spicy yeast, wine/bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Extremely rich and complex; with amazing fruity yeast, malts, and candi sugar flavor balance. Outstanding barrel presence and integration with no booze. Not overly sweet/heavy feeling. The four year long barrel aging did great things for this. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

Slightly hazy copper color with a bit of off-white foam. Aroma is malty, sugary with dried fruits and some boozy and woody notes. Taste is sweet at first, fruity, a bit resiny, woody, quite bitter on the finish. Medium body and carbonation. Fairly complex and well balanced but the barrels are not very prominent.