Struis | Brouwerij 't IJ

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.46/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.4/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

4/5  rDev +2.3%

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A-a dark caramel color with two fingers worth of khaki head

S-sweet caramel malt and dark fruits

T-dark fruit sweetness with caramel malt, light milk chocolate, rum, and a yeast finish

M-medium body, light to medium carbonation

Overall very easy to drink, well hidden alcohol, and has a nice sweetness to it

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3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

4/5  rDev +2.3%

4/5  rDev +2.3%

4/5  rDev +2.3%

3.47/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A: dark brown colour, hazy, rather small off-white head

S: lots of fruits: grapes, apple, some maltiness in the back

T: some strange mix of caramel, red fruits, yeast, that doesn't really work for me

M: medium body, little carbonation, not too dry

O: not a bad beer, but not my cup of tea

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4.09/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

looks good with fine persisting off-white head and very dark brown clear body and lots of fine carbonation. head leaves lacing, never dies completely and leaves lacing
malts are prominent in the aroma, but not sweet more sourdough bread, earthy, dark fruits and booze.
malty sweetness of course but not cloying sweetness and a prominent balancing bitterness, dark fruits as plums, ends rather dry.
lots of fine smooth carbonation with only some bite to it, medium body, not sirupy in my opinion, warming alcohol as well.
This is a very nice and moderately complex beer that borders between the English Barleywine and a Belgian Quadruppel, but is less sweet than both. It is my favorite beer of the brewery.

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4/5  rDev +2.3%

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

4/5  rDev +2.3%

4.02/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Best by 6/2013. Purchase last year in July in Amsterdam. Opening to remember our fantastic vacation from last year. :)

A bit of a gusher. Poured into small Westvleteren XII chalice (splitting it with sweetie). Dark tawny with an off white head. Minor notes up front of malt, fruit, and spice.

Smooth, tingling spice notes play delicate amongst rich fruit flavors. Raisins, rum, mingling with fruit salad. Gentle spice and yeast notes, highlighting a touch of bread in the malt profile. Finish is fairly dry but yet retains the tasty sweetness. Really nice medium-bodied dark belgian-style ale. The alcohol is well-hidden, so tread lightly.

Reminds me a touch of Maudite, one of my favorites. This is better than I remember the bottle I had at the brewery. In short, if you catch a bottle or two, lay one down for a bit and reap the reward. Very sensual and soft, would work well with a nice cheese plate.

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3.38/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a single someplace not far from our houseboat...is Amsterdam the hardest transit system in the world two understand? 12 oz. bottle.

Pour is iron rust red with a 10,000 foot head. Nose is very sweet, malts layered with bananas. About it, though.

Struis is a sugary bomb. Enough cavity causing material to make me wish I'd have put off my Friday dentist appt. for a bit to help with the damage done here. Sweet, sweet malts overwhelm. Bit of banana. sweet raisin, honey. Nice in the mouth, and despite the ABV, this is going down like Glass Joe...remember him?

Overall a decent if underwhelming beer. If you don't love sugar, cavities, and dentists, look elsewhere. Pretty good beer.

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3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

4/5  rDev +2.3%

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Brouwerij 't Ij, Amsterdam, Netherlands

A: The beer is very hazy dark amber brown in color. It poured with a half finger high off white head that gradually died down, leaving a thin head covering the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of dark fruits-prunes seem to stand out in particular-are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and is a little sweet with flavors of dark fruits and very slight hints of toffee and caramel.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied and a little smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very pleasant and easy to drink. Any traces of alcohol are completely hidden from the taste.

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3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

4.43/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This isn't exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, because the beer I had was aged seven years. This is a great beer to age. Really brings out malt floralness and tamps down the sweetness. Beautiful and flavorful, but much patience needed to get it to perfection.

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4.42/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brouwerij 't IJ is one of the better breweries in the Netherlands, imo. It has brews like they should be: unflitered and unpasteurizedMurky brown with huge beige head.
Smell of apple pie. cinnamon. some fresh lemongrass too.
Taste similar. It's a good balance of bitter and sweetness. A hint of chocolate. Full flavoured, lingering in the mouth. It stays long as well.
Good brew. It's a dark brew, but allthough there's some roasty character in the malts, the spice and fruit esters dominate this, making it very easy going.

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