Pannepot Special Reserva - Bordeaux
De Struise Brouwers

330 mL bottle. Pours deep brown with a medium khaki collar. Smells of sharp red wine and some strong earthy notes. A little dark fruit behind it, but very earthy. Tastes less wine forward, but still the wine is all over. Earthy brown malts, dark fruit, red wine, brown bread in the back end. Medium heavy. Low carbonation. Heavy handed wine, but Pannepot's profile holds up well to it.

Brewed 12/3/19, bottled 4/12/22

After enjoying the OG Pannepot last week and being somewhat confused by the Reserva (bourbon barrel variant) last night, I figured it was time to try the last variant I have tonight. This one already sounds more promising, as I think this is the kind of beer that fairs better aging in wine barrels as opposed to bourbon. Let’s crack it open and see what it’s all about

Pours an opaque medium brown with a finger of creamy light tan head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing. The first one of these that actually looks pretty good

The nose is really cool on this one, sweet with a funky tart edge. I’m picking up on aromas of molasses, red wine vinegar, sour cherry, honey, brown sugar, raisin, dark bread, roasted peanuts, burnt caramel, toasted oak, and old leather

In taste it’s a bit more dull but still pretty good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting brown sugar, port wine, burnt caramel, baked apple, raisin, smooth oak, and light vanilla bean. The swallow brings notes of baked apple, port wine, toasted oak, brown sugar, molasses, burnt caramel, maraschino cherry, and light almond

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes mostly dry and lightly boozy

I think this is the best of the three I’ve had. It’s an odd take on an odd base beer, but it works well

 

On tap. Caramel brown color.

A lot of tannins, grape notes. Wine forward with dark chocolate and cherries. Wet oak. Brown sugar, toffee, molasses all linger.

Smooth and complex, but you gotta be into a beer like this to really enjoy it. I can see how some people would really hate it as it has a slight tartness to it.

 

 

Bottle at Ebenezers. Dark brown pour, layer of beige foamy head. Aroma is malty, sweet, red wine. Taste is sweet and mellow, woody, caramel, grapes. Age has enhanced this beer. Wonderful stuff.

 

Brown colour, small head, not a thick body, with some sediments on the bottom.
Extraordinary smell, with lots of nourbon, cognac and cask notes.
Acid taste at first, with strong coffee, balanced by the dried fruits, toffee and caramel. Again barrel and cognac feel if you let it open. Complex developing after a while with long woody aftertaste.
Highly recommended.

2014 vintage, bottled 2018, four years in barrels.

This one pours a dark-ish brown color, with a small head, and not much lacing at all.

This smells like raisins, toffee, caramel, red wine, blackberry, toasted brown bread, oak, vanilla, and chocolate.

The barrel is all over this one, as expected with four years in barrels on this one. There's a ton of dried dark fruit - raisin and blackberry mostly, maybe some black cherry, with oak, spice, vanilla, and some chocolate as well. There's also loads of caramel and toffee here.

This is medium bodied, with a soft lower level of carbonation, and no real booziness here.

This is a special beer, one that requires slow sipping and letting it warm up to fully appreciate all the little complexities.

 

330mL bottled 24/04/2018 (nearly 3 years ago) after aging for 4 years in Bordeaux wine barrels 10% ABV 27 IBU. The beer pours mostly bright medium brown in color with sparce khaki colored head. The head settles to a thin ring constantly fed by the nucleation point on the glass. The aroma is akin to a very oaky red wine. The taste is very tart red wine with residual brown sugar and faint malt. Negligible bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin bodied with above average carbonation and a very dry finish. No trace of the 10% ABV. Overall, ok. So I'm sure this was not intended to be tart and dry. It really tastes like an oud bruin at this point. The label contained a wealth of information, I just missed it. Now that I'm reading, it's also unfiltered, unpasteurized and bottle conditioned. Go figure. This was a one time release, so hard pass if you're not into sours. I will add mine was on the unrefridgerated store shelf for quite some time before purchase.

2014 vintage. Poured into a Chimay chalice.

A: Vinous appearing dark brown with no head and no lacing.

S: Grapey, red wine aroma with prunes and raisins

T: Vinous, heavy grape and dark fruit with spicy yeast esters and slightly sweet but not cloying in the finish due to the oak, wood character drying things out.

M: Smooth and easy to drink, medium bodied with low carbonation.

O: Interesting but heavily dominated by the red wine aroma and flavor but with some oak/tannin flourishes and dark fruit flavors.

 

A - Pours a very deep dark Mahogany colour a bit like a stout, with a beige head that reduces quickly. No light visibility needed as this is not a stout. This is unique.
S - Massive complex notes, Dark fruits spice, molasses, wood and red wine. Basically a bourbon barrel aged coca cola with dark fruits in the form of red wine
T – This beer is so rich. Jeez H Christ. Very robust wood flavours with the red wine infusion that provides some tartness. The acidity and dark fruits are masterful with the molasses and acidity. This is so very complex and almost a wine.
M – Light to medium carbonation, with a medium body, so beautiful.
O – Not often I’m left speechless from a beer but all I have to say is that for all true beer lovers you must have this beer. It is intense like you have never had before.

330 ml bottle, 2014 vintage. unclear if that is the bottling date, or the brewing date prior to the 4 years of wine barrel aging.

pours a dark brown in color, tan colored fizzy bubbles immediately fade to no head. aroma of dark malt and dry red wine, slightly tart. definitely there in the taste too. dry oaky finish. thin to medium bodied.

 

375ml bottle, marked "No 4, 2014".

Pours dark mahogany with a short-lived head of off-white. Minimal retention or lacing. Vineous and a bit spicy in the nose with raisins and faint ethanol. Medium bodied at best with a tacky, almost slickish mouthfeel. Sweet malt with raisins, red wine, and clovey phenolics on the palate. Finishes fairly dry with shades of nutmeg and cocoa.

Poured into a 12oz. Taxman tulip glass. Very dark brown and does not show light at all thru the glass. Minimal head or lacing. Smell is wine, grapes, and dark fruit mostly. Taste is candy sugar, wine, grapes, yeast, plum but taste is evenly blended. Beer is complex, there are several flavors that come out in the mouthful. Beer is average carbonation, not overly dry. Alcohol is very well hidden but comes out at the end just a little.

Very good Belgian Ale. I will get more of these.

A - Dark body pour, minimal light tan head, quick to fade. No lacing.

S - Pungent nose of red wine and a hint of vinegar acidity, alcohol, and oak woodiness.

T - Strong hit of the wine and barrel, acidity and like the nose a bit of vinegar, over a more standard Belgian Dark base. The close is subtly quiet, a bit of dark bread and wine fruitiness coupling nicely to bright acid close.

M - So light, so easy, and not taxing. A bit slick, and a slightly dry finish.

O - This is so interesting, with layers of flavors that bring both pungent sharpness and softness in one beer. Exciting.