Macadame
De Struise Brouwers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beer immediate foams out on opening. Near gusher. Luckily I'm ready with a glass and near the sink. Save all of it, but I've found this brewery over carbs our has some issue with control. That said they generally make delicious beers.

Eventually the glass full of foam settles out to a quarter inch mocha colored cap. The dark cola colored beer is nearly opaque.

Scent is of wood, dark sugar, chocolate and a bit of coffee. Slight hint of boozy alcohol and a touch of vanilla. The oak is not overwhelming, which is a nice change of pace compared to some that come off over the top.

Taste is very pleasantly balanced. Begins with a touch of bitter dark chocolate and smooths out to a complex mix of vanilla, oak, and anise. Off dry finish.

Mouthfeel is full bodied and very active carbonation. Really too much carbonation that detracts and distracts from the beer. Someone needs to sort out the level of carbonation in their beers to really take them to the next level. I imagine this to be an easy fix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big thank you to Jeffo for this and all of the other killer beers!!

Appearance. Pours a deep chestnut brown with some red coming through at the edges. Topped with a massive 3+ fingers of thick tan head.

Smell. Woody white wine and chocolate, green apples, and a bit of a spicy funk going on. Interesting for sure.

Taste. Sweet white wine, very woody, cocoa, some sweet dark fruits, a bit of well roasted malt in the finish. Again, very interesting.

Mouthfeel. Full body, medium-low carbonation.

Overall. A very interesting beer (did I mention that yet??). I've tried a couple beers that have attempted a decent outcome like this with a stout in wine barrels, but this is the first that I've enjoyed one. Thanks again Jeff!

 

500ml bottle into a matching 33cl struise cervoise. The brew is a very dark cola brown with 3 fingers light brown froth for a head that fades back to a finger. Rising bubbles maintain a finger seemingly throughout the duration. A swirl effortlessly revives the cap.

The aroma is chocolate fudge and roast with a hint of coffee that takes an immediate turn towards wild and tangy. As it warms up and is swirled, some vinous and stronger alcohol notes emerge along with some sulfur and minerals.

The flavor doesnt really come together as enjoyable as the aroma started off. Instead of having a blend of roast and barrel, the tongue is met with sulfur/cheese as well as minerals and more sulfur. If you can get by that initial shock, there is some raison-like dark fruity alcohol and roast faintly like coffee. Herbal hops are also present towards the back. It displays a warmth across the back that draws a bit more focus towards the barrel aging.

This is a medium to lighter bodied brew that is slightly over-carbonated. Right out the fridge, I popped the cap and the bubbles started to rise up through the neck of the bottle. Had it not been chilled, it could have been interesting. Not my favorite struise offering by any stretch but worth a try. It certainly displays the advertised wine component but I am not sold on this really coming together as well as it could have.