Category Archives: Belgium

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers

De Struise Pannepot Reserva Cask Strength Makers Mark BA

Leave a comment

Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 10.1%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: 27 IBUs. Cask strength limited edition with low carbonation

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our barrel room is housing more barrels each year. As our team does not grow as quick as our barrel total, it is needless to say our barrel aged beers are also aging longer. This batch has already 4 years of bourbon barrel aging, and we’re very happy with the outcome. Enjoy!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.84
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2012 vintage, bottled on 25th February 2016. Poured into a De Struise tulip glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet-ish dried fruit, dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisin, bourbon, brown sugar, red wine grape, slightly vinous, oak, with notes of chocolate and toffee.
Taste: Sweet dark fruit, very lightly tart, plum, prunes, raisin, light bourbon, oak, with chocolate and caramel notes and a very slight char like bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with extremely low to no carbonation.
Overall: For 4 years in a bourbon barrel, I was hoping for stronger barrel character. I also prefer having some carbonation, and I know the bottle says it has ‘low carbonation’ but actually my feeling is that it’s pretty much next to no carbonation.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers

De Struise Pannepot Reserva Bourbon BA

Leave a comment

Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 10%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: 27 IBUs. A Dark Strong Ale from Flanders

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dark strong ale, bourbon barrel aged Pannepot Reserva.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.21
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle, 2018 vintage, bottled on 22nd July 2020, with a best before date of 21st July 2025. Poured into a De Struise tulip glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a thin beige head that disappeared quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malt, doughy, clove, fig, candied plum, prunes, candi sugar, toffee, bourbon.
Taste: Sweet, bourbon, dark fruit, fig, plum, raisin, prunes, candi sugar, with maybe slight notes of chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper. I think the Bourbon BA helped it a bit and was not overly done.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Black Albert

Leave a comment

Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2020 vintage. 72 IBUs. A Belgian Royal Stout from Flanders

Brewer Description: (from website) Black Albert, referring to our smiling King Albert, is one of our biggest flagship beers at De Struise Brouwers. Is a Belgian Royal Stout with untold complex flavours. Saw the light of day for the first time in 2007 and has been in the Top 100 of the best beers in the world ever since. Initially brewed in homage to Christopher & Jennifer Lively’s best American bar “Ebenezer’s Pub“.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle, 2020 vintage, bottled on 18th March 2021, with a best before date of bottled date +5 years. Poured into a De Struise tulip glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a nice big three finger brown head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, cola, with notes of licorice, berries, and caramel.
Taste: Lightly bitter, roasty coffee, dark chocolate, candi sugar sweetness, dark stone fruit, plum, prunes, with notes of berries and maybe licorice.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: An excellent sipper with alcohol well hidden. Good bitter and sweet balance.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Geuzestekerij De Cam, Lambic - Fruit

De Cam Malus Domestica Lambicus

Leave a comment

Brewery: Geuzestekerij De Cam
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2018 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) In Gooikse velden rijpen de mooiste appels die samen met lambiek vergisten tot deze Pajotse cider. Deze variëteit van appels levert intense extra smaak aan de lambiek die vergist op houten vaten. 45kg op 100 liter jonge lambiek.

(translated to English) The most beautiful apples ripen in Gooikse fields and ferment together with lambic into this Pajotse cider. This variety of apples provides intense extra flavor to the lambic fermented in wooden barrels. 45 kg on 100 liters of young lambic.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2018 vintage, with a best before date of August 2041. Poured into a De Cam stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slow gusher upon popping the cork, but it poured a nice hazy golden straw yellow colour with a slightly more than one finger pillowy fluffy white head that had good retention, while leaving only some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, green apple, apple skin, oak, lemon zest, peach, hay and funk.
Taste: Moderately sour, tart, green apple, apple skin, oak, lemon, citrus sherbet, funk, with light stone fruit notes.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Very enjoyable and easy to drink with a good balance of fruit, sour and funk.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Geuzestekerij De Cam, Lambic - Fruit

De Cam Mirabel Lambiek

Leave a comment

Brewery: Geuzestekerij De Cam
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2020 vintage. Spontaneous fermentation purely natural. Artisan family, consciously small company (1 man only: Karel)

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Deze lambiek schuimt niet om de fruitaroma’s 100% te kunnen proeven. 1000 kilogram Mirabellen worden in z’n geheel gedurende een jaar vergist met 1500 liter jonge lambiek. Met verdere maturatie op de eiken vaten.

(Translated to English) This lambic does not foam in order to taste the fruit aromas 100%. 1000 kilograms of Mirabelle are fermented whole over a year with 1500 liters of young lambic. With further maturation in the oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2020 vintage, with a best before date of November 2040. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a nice thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet plum, funky, dusty, yellow stone fruit, apricot, floral, perfumy, lemon.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, perfumy, floral, lemon peel, stone fruit, apricot, plum, and a touch of oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: I don’t know what a Mirabelle plum is supposed to smell or taste like. But after researching it a bit, it seems that the perfumy and floral character that I’m getting quite strongly could be from these Mirabelle plums. I’m usually not a fan of these characteristics, but it actually works well in this case, complementing the stone fruit apricot and plum flavours. I’m getting nice funk in the aroma, but not much in the flavour, which might have made it more interesting with the perfumy notes if there was. But still, it drinks easy and I enjoyed it.