Pannepot - De Struise Brouwers

4thoseabout2bock

Illinois

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a much darker color than expected for a Belgian Ale.
Sweet smell.
Flavors of molasses, candy sugar and a little yeast and spice reminiscent of Belgian christmas ales. (some of my favorite beers). Affligem Noel or Delerium Noel on steroids. Yet still deceptively drinkable.

Shelton Bros lists this as a Gruit, and the label says spiced ale, but a Quad is a much better descriptor of the style.

Very strong and sweet, but also has some complexity with the spices.
If you have the chance to try this and you are a quad fan, don't pass it up!

Purchased at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago on 5/18/07 for 4.99 for 330ml.
Haven't seen it at Sam's.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2007 23:12:06 | More by 4thoseabout2bock

jdhilt

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a five-finger+ light tan pillowy head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Black color. Sweet spicy nose. Light-medium carbonation and very heavy bodied. Flavor is sweet, spicy and complex; high ABV is hidden. Clean finish. I don't see anything wrong with it. $5.20 for a 330ml bottle from Tully's Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2007 22:51:17 | More by jdhilt

mvcramer

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a spectacular chocolate brown with a thin cream-colored head. I got a very complex aroma of spices and some fruity sweetness. The taste made my mouth as pleased as my nose had been. A wonderful blend of flavors rolled across my palate, starting with delicious malty sweetness. I also got some raisin-like flavors that balanced out the malt, as well as a handful of other spicy flavors blended deliciously into the brew. I love the Belgian beers and this one is at the top of the list of beers I would order at every chance I get. Simply spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2007 03:15:49 | More by mvcramer

corby112

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a dark reddish amber/light brown color with a nice foamy brown head that settles into a lasting lace. Has a pleasant aromas of spices, malt and dark fruit. Has a beautiful balnace of malt and spice. Tastes of malt, cinnamin, and peppermint. Yummy!

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2008 06:10:11 | More by corby112

SirSketch

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The first perfect score I've ever given, and it absolutely deserves it! Definitely the best beer I've ever had.

'06 vintage

A -Brown leather color, slightly cloudy, and a beige, thinly laced head that leaves a decorative, sticky pattern of foam on the glass. Really a beauty of a beer.

S - Complex, slightly sour aroma made up of grape, candied sugars, a Merlot wine character and port wine alcohol presence, and peppery spice notes. The age adds a 'cellar' aroma that is amazing. Just one sniff of this beer lets you know it is world class!

T - Upon first sip I was delighted and confused at the same time. All sorts of delicious malt qualities come through on the palate that didn't come through at all in the nose, making it that much more complex. Earthy notes help make this beer a relaxing 'sipper.' Sweet and sour grape notes come later. A truly awesome sensory experience!

M/D - Unlike newer vintages I've had, this beer had a perfect amount of carbonation that helped to appreciate all the flavors. As soon as I finished, I wanted more... much more! And I took a trip to Cincinnati to do just that: get MORE!

Really??!! A perfect score? ... Absolutely!

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2009 22:01:30 | More by SirSketch

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

330ml bottle served in a chalice.

A: Pours a deep amber to brown color forming a small to medium beige head. Medium retention and it nevers disappears completely. A small bubbled layer remains. Only few lacings are left in the glass

S: Very fruity and liquorous. Sweet and spicy too. Strong notes of candy sugar, caramel malts, roasted malts, coriander, oak, grapes, brown bread and earthy yeasts

T: Very spicy and tasty beer. Sweet upfront. Strong notes of candy sugar, caramel and roasted malts, liquor, dark dried fruits, brown bread, coriander, chocolate and coffee. Belgian yeasts. Mild bitterness

M: Extremely creamy and molasses. Low carbonation. Sweet and malty aftertaste

O: Perfect drinkability. Perfect Quad

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2009 16:46:29 | More by eduardolinhalis

choyhosoi

California

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

App-Pours a cola-brown ale with a nice white/brown head that looks so inviting. The head is thick and there looks to be little carbonation.

S-Getting scents of grape,raisins,plums, and just a sugary scent overall.

T-Wow!This has got to be one of the best I have ever had! There aren't words. I'm going to enjoy this. If you ever get more than one consider yourself lucky.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2010 01:58:45 | More by choyhosoi

redleaves

Maine

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wowie wow wow! Looks great, dark nice creamy head. Good lookin quad. The smell is great, rich caramel, butterscotch and vanilla. Not cloying but medium sweet. Nice mouthfeel, not thick at all like most quads, but not thin. Perfect. The taste is amazingly complex but not overwhelming. Roasty, caramel, butterscotch, coffee maybe, and spices. Raisins, and dark fruit. White chocolate and maybe light banana? Vanilla and oak. The light hop comes in just in time to prevent cloyness and dry out to make it refreshing. This beer is better than I could have imagined. Truly world class and elegant. I feel like I never have to try another quad because nothing can be this amazing. I feel like it's kind of stoutish as well. Worth every penny. They could charge $15 for this and I would pay it.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 01:57:00 | More by redleaves

mentor

Colorado

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle shared by crosling. Thanks for the opportunity. 2006 edition.

Wowzers! Holy Westy 8 Batman! This beer is absolutely stunning.

Light brown one finger head over a dark brown liquid. Smells chocolate. Springtime. Belgian candi-sugar. Pear and cinamon. Fig and other dark fruits. Incredibly complex and inviting.

Tastes chocolate, cherry, potent fruit and full of flavor. Incredible. This beer is wonderful. Raspberry, chocolate...toffee that is mostly chocolate. Chocolate chip. Cookie dough. Cinamon aftertaste. Drying finish cleans the mouth, leaving a hint of soured caramel aftertaste and dry chocolate as a memory.

Overall, light and dark fruits dancing on a complex malt placemat. Incredibly complex and amazingly well balanced. This beer passed into my belly way too quickly. Soon to be one of the most sought-after beers by traders on BA.

Mouthfeel is smooth and thick, yet the alcohol cleans things up. Amazingly well done. Carbonation is mild and a contributing factor to the whole experience. I feel so insufficient. This beer was way more than the words in my vocabulary can describe. If you see if, buy it.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2007 07:14:37 | More by mentor

gotbeer

Massachusetts

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The appearance of this one is a deep dark brown, almost black with reddish highlights around the very edges where the light attempts to pass through.

The smell is slightly estery with molasses and honey.

The taste is incrediible. This one compares with the benchmarks of the style and then some. What a quad can and should be. Molasses, honey, and overly ripe fruit. The taste is intoxicating, and warming. It hides it's ABV well. Chocolate like malt backbone holds up well.

The mouthfeel is overly smooth, and satisfying. The drinkability is high despite the ABV.

This is a quad that came out of the blue like a sucker punch. Incredible. It is up there with St. Bernardus Abt. 12, and Rochefort, and maybe even better. Find this one, and enjoy it. I will go out on a limb, and say this may be the best beer in the world by it's review's some day.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2007 00:17:52 | More by gotbeer

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer pours a dark, nearly opaque, brown color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes slowly into nice lacing. The aroma is of caramel, milk chocolate, anise, ginger, and other sharp spices. This is the best smelling Quadrupel I have had the pleasure of drinking. The taste is just as phenomenal as the aroma. It is full of dancin spices with a solid malty, caramely backbone, and a long tasteful finish. The mouthfeel is full bodied, dry, silky in texture, and has perfecty moderate carbonation. Overall, this is the best Quadrupel I have had up to this point. I will certainly search this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2007 20:46:59 | More by KarlHungus

brdc

Wisconsin

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2006, small bottle poured into a goblet.

I had the Dannish version yesterday, which is good, but not as much as I expected, so my expectations for this one were a bit lower.
What a surprise!.
Murky dark brown, amber highlights, topped by a dark tan fluffy, albeit small head. However, it clings to the sides, and keeps a nice collar all the way to the end.
The ever changing aroma starts with a bourbon like alcholic nose, changes into caramelized malts, evolves into multiple spices, then dark fruits, more sugary maltiness, more spices.
Full bodied, creamy and wonderful on the tongue, it opens warmingly bourbon-like, turning sweet and caramelized, quickly balanced by a peppery spiciness, evolving into multiple dark fruits, back into malty sweetness. Despite some warming feeling and hints of bourbon, the alcohol is actually quite well "disguised", and the drinkability is very high for such a powerful brew.
An amazing masterpiece!

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2007 03:16:31 | More by brdc

GruvisHops

Indiana

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Vintage 2006

A: 11.2 oz. (330 ml) brown bottle. My Chimay glass is just big enough to hold the dark brown body and it's 1/2" tan head. No light passes through as heavy particulate sits buoyantly suspended throughout.

S: Old ale is what comes to mind on the first whiff. Bittersweet chocolate comes through nicely behind a bed of dark fruits; cherries and raisins, in particular. The wonderful aroma is making me salivate. I can't hold back any longer.

T: WHOA! There's the spices the label mentioned; fresh ground pepper at first, followed by cinnamon and nutmeg... delicious! The spices take a back seat after the first couple of sips as the flavor begins to fall more in line with the aroma. I'm not picking up on raisins as much as I thought I would, but cherries and chocolate are definitely there. I haven't been blown away by the flavor of a beer like this in a while.

M: Quite full and creamy at every corner of the mouth. I'm not normally a fan of the mouthfeel of Belgian ales, but this is the best mouthfeel I've had from any beer style in recent memory.

D: It really gives Bud Light a run for its money!!! OK, maybe that's an inappropriate joke at the moment, but one of those God Damn commercials just came on with that douchebag drawing shit in thin air with his finger, and I felt it necessary to mock the piece of shit... TERRIBLE!!!!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2009 02:26:48 | More by GruvisHops

cosmicevan

New York

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

scored this one locally...poured into my la trappe chalice. 2010 vintage.

a - poured a deep plum, almost brown. perfect creaminess with the perfect belgian yeasty head. filled the chalice perfectly.

s - as soon as the liquid started to flow from the bottle, the smell filled the air. sweet dark fruit with a touch of booze. de struise really makes the best smelling quad.

t - much like the nose, the flavor is spot on. dark fruit creaminess with the perfect amount of booze.

m - mouth is immaculate. you don't get any more 'to style' than you do with a de struise quad. rich, thick, tasty, and perfect mouth.

o - overall, world class. for my money, you really can't top de struise in the quad dept.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 03:41:13 | More by cosmicevan

Samichlaus82

4.95/5  rDev +13%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Deep brown colour, a little auburn shine. Small head. Aroma is sweet and spicey, brown sugar, dark fruits, sweet malts. Taste is wow. Some sweet cherries in the beginning. Sweet liquorice. Finish is the least sweet, perhaps some bitterness. Quite heavy carbonation, no alcohol flavour. Sticky, but smooth mouthfeel. Heavy body. What a beer! So much flavour going on in there, although I think the liquorice is a bit to predominant.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 10:10:51 | More by Samichlaus82

poopchalupa

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I have been waiting a while for a brew to sweep me off my feet again. Pannepot has done just that. I'm usually not a huge fan of Quads, but this particular brew went down with the quickness.

The pour looked great, there was a nice fluffy tan head against a chocolate colored bubbly brew. I instantly noticed the sweet fruit notes and a hint of cinnamon spiciness. The smell alone made my mouth water. I let it breathe for a minute before I took the first mouthful.

It was love at first sip. This is truely a complex brew. There are a plethora of flavors that all marry so well. It's sweet, it's also roasty and not a far cry from an espresso flavor, it's even nutty at times. The fact that this quad is 10% alcohol is very well hidden as it goes down so easily.

Do yourself a favor and hunt this one down. You won't be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2007 15:58:30 | More by poopchalupa

jobyone

North Carolina

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer was a revelation. I have had lots of beers (over 1000 and counting) but this is probably the best I have had. It poured dark (almost black) with a thick tan head. The smell had wondeful spices that just warmed the nose. The taste again had the spices but also sweetness of fruit along with hints of rum. This was special. The one I had was a 2006.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2007 14:28:53 | More by jobyone

ASymon13

Colorado

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I had been looking forward to trying this beer for a while and finally got a 2006 bottle.

It pours a deep, dark brown with a resonable very lightly tan head to it. The head receded fairly fast and left no lacing. The aroma is very rich and full of dark fruits, mainly plum and cherry, as well as some esters along with some nice spiciness to it. Some sweet sugars are noticable and there are some light phenolic tones underneath. The fruitiness settles out after a few minutes and the sweet brown sugar comes out nicely. Oh yeah, and the alcohol is extremely well masked.

The first thing I said after my first sip was "wow!" this is a rich, complex and wonderful beer. It has a wonderful fruitiness to it, light esters and cherry being the basis, and the sugar and spiciness are in perfect balance. I haven't had such a pleasant sipper in a long time. All the flavors come through right from the start, and the sugars give way a bit and what's left is a fantastic spicy and fruity finish. The alcohol is completely masked (until you start finishing the bottle, then it is only felt). It has a medium body, and the carbonation is a bit underwhelming, but that hardly detracts at all. This is a wonderful beer, which has left me scanning potential trades, 'cause I want more!

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2008 08:13:17 | More by ASymon13

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Dark cola brown with a very deep and dark chestnut and ruby hue on the edge. Very large frothy, bubbly sandy almond beige color. Good retention that settles into a nice sticky, foamy layer of lace.

S - Initial aroma has a strong licorice aroma along with plenty of tart dark fruit consisting of plum, prune, fig, and raisin. Some grape aroma is also present. Strong spiced aroma comes out as well with nutmeg and cinnamon being two of the stronger ones. Also has a fairly strong oaky/wine like aroma in the background, and some dark candi sugar comes out too. Interesting and complex aroma with a large variety of aromas.

T - Similar to the nose. Starts off with some licorice, dark candi sugar/molasses. Then some dark fruit with a mix of plum, prune, and fig along with some grape and cherry. These start off somewhat sweet, and then becomes a bit more tart. Fair amount of spiced flavor comes out too. Hints of chocolate come out mid sip. Finishes with a bit more of the oaky/vinous type of taste, and some more sweetness. Like the nose, this is very complex.

M - Medium to full body (a bit closer to full body) with about average carbonation for the style. Pretty smooth and creamy and is a touch drying on the finish.

D - Very drinkable beer. ABV is well hidden and the flavors are very complex which makes me want to drink some more to pick up more flavors.

Notes: Vintage 2007. Very enjoyable and very complex tasting beer. So many different flavors come out while drinking this, and it has an ever changing taste. ABV is very well hidden as well. Definitely recommend trying this.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 00:38:57 | More by FreshHawk

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a brown-ish color with a big light brown head. In the aroma, white grape, fruity, and a small roast. In the taste, fruity, rich malt, roasty, complex maltiness, and small hint of alcohol in the end. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry and fruity aftertaste. Quite complex, rich and flavorful, and hides the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 15:15:50 | More by OWSLEY069

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2010 bottle, poured into an Ommegang flute. Pours a very dark red brown with ruby tints at the edges. Thin, fine light tan head with great retention. Intense aroma of dark and light fruit and fruit esters, sweet malt; slight mineral component. Nicely integrated dark fruit, sweet and caramel malt, cherry juice. Flavors a beautifully melded. Nice dark fruit finish with a hint of hops and a slight alcohol bite. Great carbonation and a creamy heavy body. An excellent quad. Almost too tempting, I just wanted to keep tasting it but had to pace myself because of the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 04:30:28 | More by LiquidAmber

warrenout330

Ohio

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle poured into a chimay goblet, bottle stated with the year 2011

A- pours deep dark brown color, thick 2in finger of khaki color head... diminishes to a thin layer just resting over the beer. Pleasant sticky lacing all the way down my beer

S- smells of dark ripe fruit, a ting of chocolate and a kick of spicey booze in back

T- raspberry tart foward is what I get. Like a raspberry jelly, sweet and tart. Followed by a spicey ting all the way to a nice bitter end... but at that bitter end is a never ending raspberry tartness that really sets this Belgium off

M- sweet, nicely carbonated with a nice bitter end

O- I love belgium's, and that means Belgium's anything. This ale has definitely opened a new door way for me and the path I shall judge every Belgium I come across... this beer is really a piece of art

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 06:18:57 | More by warrenout330

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.9/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle (vintage 2005): Poured opaque dark brown ale with a super huge foamy dirty brown head with perfect retention. Aroma of liquorice and sweet malt is incredibly well balance. Taste is an almost perfect balance between strong sweet malt with caramel and liquorice with some candi sugar (I would say a bit too much though) with a slightly funky ending from the yeast. Body is full and alcohol is very well masked. This beer is almost like a sweeter version of Rochefort 10 and there is not much more praise I can give to this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2007 18:17:54 | More by Phyl21ca

techdiver

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep, dense, opaque black with a massive four finger head that takes forever to recede.

Sweet caramel malt nose with alcohol mildly evident.

Complex taste; anise, fig, caramel, molasses, malt, and a whole lot more.

Great mouthfeel, well carbonated.

ABV is well hidden. Damn drinkable stuff. This is one it took a while to find. Now I know I should have gotten more.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2007 03:45:21 | More by techdiver

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.9/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I got this one as an extra thrown in by joe1510. Thanks Joe!!
Btw, I have another bottle of this and the Danish version coming soon from leftmindedrighty in another great trade!

This beer pours from 11.2oz bottle(2006 lot E 5 BB) (whoa, it started almost literally foaming out of the bottle as soon as the cap came off but...I was ready with my glass. ;^) a very cloudy, very dark brown with lots of bubbles, a huge expanding head of tannish foam and it has lots of sticky lacing. It's a very attractive looking brew.

The smell has notes of yeast, dark fruit, some citrus, and a slight medicinal nose.

The taste ...oh, wow. I'm getting a lot of caramel malt, dark fruit like raisins & plums and figs and just a slight hop bitterness in the background but man, this is one malty delicious concoction. The alcohol is there but it just shows up as a bit of warming after the swallow and that puts it in the "dangerously drinkable" category for me.

Yummy...the mouthfeel is pretty thick and chewy(that's a plus for the style) and though I mentioned there were a lot of bubbles when I poured this puppy, the carbonation level is no more than medium light. Absolutely delicious. A fantastic example of the style and I can see why it is so highly regarded. I wonder if I can get this in Colorado?? Seriously, for me, this ranks right up there with the best Quad I've ever had. Would I seek it out again? What do you think? lol

Bottom line: A malty and spicy and very tasty Quadrupel that my taste buds just can't get enough of. Thanks again with the deepest of appreciation, Joe!!!

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2007 20:51:09 | More by Bitterbill