Tora Tora
De Struise Brouwers

 

Copenhagen 15/3 2024. 33 cl bottle from Den Belgiske Ølbutik, Jyllingevej, Vanløse. A studded globe on the dark label with some Asian signe in front.

Pours opaque, murky brown with a small off-white head. Stable. Settles as thin patch of foam unable of covering the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is intense with a strong sweet, sugary odor mingling with sharp alcohol. Brown sugar, toffee. Sweet bourbon and boozy juniper in abundance.

Low carbonation. Slightly thick, oil soft, greasy, flat texture.

Flavor is intense with a heavy, boozy sweetness followed by a medium strong bitterness. Aftertaste is sugary with a strong, prominent presence of alcohol. A bit searing. Lingering. Finish is fairly dry.

Potent and overly sweet with an overpowering presence of alcohol.

2021 bottle poured at fridge temp. Pours a semi-transparent brown with minimal head. Appears to lack much carbonation. The nose is full of toffee, apple, gin, pine, oak, whisky, and grapes. Very nice. Not overly boozy on the nose.

The taste is not nearly as smooth as I was expecting from the nose. I actually let out a little "holy crap" after a sip. This is all over the place. Harsh is the first word that comes to mind. Very alcoholic with a pine tree influence. Bitter oak, leather, and a very harsh floral note. The gin-like influence is there and I don't love it. Wow - what a difference from the nose!

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, with a harsh alcoholic aftertaste.

 

 

 

From an 11.2oz bottle gifted to me last September by my great friend Thijs.... Vintage 2019, aged 2 years in Genever barrels and bottled on 15JUL21. Enjoying out in The 'Zebo...

Poured into a sniftah, it's an opaque, flat, dark mahogany color. Has some light, fine carbo, and a thin, off-white head. Most of the foam is clinging to the edge, with light lacing. Actually has an aroma of caramel malts, similar to an English Barleywine. Also has light notes of gin. It feels quite smooth on the tongue, and has a medium body.

Taste has more of the Barleywine-like caramel and toffee action. Hopping is rather mild, in general, with light piney, resinous action. Has some woody notes, and more hints of gin. Definitely feels warm going down, but to be expected at 18% ABV! Thnx Thijs and Prosit!!

4/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2355

De Labirratorium. En copa Mahou Barrica.
. Estudiando. Temía probarla pero sus 18 grados están tremendamente bien ocultos, aportando únicamente algo de calor reconfortante. Presenta un delicioso perfil dulzón a lo barleywine que anima incluso a beberla más rápido de lo aconsejable dado su elevadísimo abv