Pannepot Reserva - De Struise Brouwers

drewba

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark, muddy brown and red peeking out when it moves around. Pours a finger tan head which produces some nice bubbles, but mostly a tight, tiny bubbled film on top with a healthy ring.

S - Lots-o-spice; orange peel, coriander, nutmeg. Some plum, raisin, sweet molasses and bread with a slight meaty & smokey quality, and a little booze heat. The spices aren't really my thing, so while this doesn't smell great to me, the nose is fairly pungent.

T - Lots of dark fruit, but isn't overstated and mixes in fairly well with the spices. Dry raisin, sweet plum, fig, leather, tobacco, nutty bread, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, molasses, mostly in that order. The oak is well done, lending a soft dryness, but it's very subtle. The interesting blend of spice is dominating here, going long into the aftertaste.

M - Comes out oh-so-creamy with a perfect amount of carbonation, but once that fades I'm left with an unusual grittyness in the mouthfeel.

D - I happen to not enjoy the spice cabinet things going on in this beer, so it severely hampers its drinkability for me. I do keep coming back for the wonderful mouthfeel, it's so damn creamy.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 06:07:58 | More by drewba

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reserva - 2008 vintage

Poured into duck rabbit snifter.

Pours 1/2 finger of khaki tan head. Color is a dark brown with a copper hue.Decent retention with some lace rings.

Aroma: Sweet and malty. Lots of raisins and licorice. Some plum notes. Toffee malts. A bit of spice shows with the slightest oak.

Taste: It really just tastes like a regular quad. Not a lot of oak at all. It has toffee malts, raisins, dried fruits, and licorice. Not a ton going on here, but it is good.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy. Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Not boozy which I like. Ends fairly clean.

Overall, a decent quad but nothing what I was expecting. Didn't taste too much oak in this one. It was good, but a little overrated imo.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 10-09-2010 20:08:24

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 01:37:45 | More by mothman

nataku00

California

3.58/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A 2007 bottle poured into a tulip glass. Beer poured a murky brown, hazy and cloudy. Half a finger of tan colored soapy head leaves a little lacing as it dissipates to a decent small bubble collar and a film of head. Looking right at the surface of the glass, good amount of carbonation, small bubbles streaming up from the bottom.

Nose is boozy sweet and sticky dark fruits, rum soaked raisins and prunes, clove, and molasses.

Taste is dark fruit, molasses, dark fruit, and dark bread malt. There was some clove and cinnamon as well. Flavors were a bit muted though. Some lingering sweetness on the tongue with a bit of alcohol.

Thin and light body with some decent soft carbonation, but a little too thin for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 03:08:10 | More by nataku00

ptykozoon

California

3.55/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark woody, textured brown. Spotty islands, not too much of anything in the foamage dept.

Apple, belgian yeast, raisin, prune. Toned down however. I always feel like De Struise's beers should be more impressive in the nose dept.

Nutty, caramilzed sugar, light oak.

Alcohol very well handled.

Good quad, but lacks the umph. I think my bottle was an '06 or '08 or something. I'm gonna need one of these fresh as I doubt they get that much better with age. The ABV is perfect, but the flavors are DYING.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 00:11:18 | More by ptykozoon

vandemonian

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -18%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

De Struise Pannepot Reserva is a decent quad but I didn't love it. I had the 2009 version.

A: Dark red/brown colour and a 5 mm head that lasts pretty well. 4.5

S: Malty with a hint of alcohol. 3.5

T: Malty with strong dried fruit flavour and some acidity. A little alcohol noticable at the end.3.5

M: A little thin. 3.5

O: 3.5

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 02:47:22 | More by vandemonian

Agold

Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

2009

Perfectly dark with a half inch of off white head. Very nice retention and some nice spots of lacing. Aroma is light cocoa and prune. Flavor is a kinda hot with a lot of quad pruney notes with a touch of sherry. The roasty cocoa is a nice counterpoint to the quad character. I don't get a ton of oak, perhaps a touch of vanilla in the aftertaste but not a huge barrel character from the oak. Mid level carbonation with a bit of a bite. Maybe could up the body a bit.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 01:04:59 | More by Agold

hardy008

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2008 Vintage

Chestnut brown with a one finger tan head which vanishes quickly and leaves no lacing. The aroma has pears, candi sugar, grapes, dates, oak, and a heavy amount of alcohol.

The taste is just like the aroma. Pears, candi sugar, grapes, dates, oak, and alcohol. It is also sweet and boozy. A lot of alcohol heat in this beer.

Medium to full bodied. Sweet, smooth, decent carbonation, and a lot of alcohol heat. A nice tasting Quadrupel, but far from my favorite of the style. There is too much alcohol heat for my liking.

I suspect I would like the traditional Old Fisherman's Ale better.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 03:38:28 | More by hardy008

dasenebler

Maine

3.4/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

33cl, 2008 Vintage.

Cap comes off with an uneventful fizzle, and the pour seems to lack carbonation. The color, however, is a beautiful and surprisingly clear ruby brown, with a small but adequate light tan layer of foam. All of the yeast and sediment sticks to the bottom of the bottle in an opaque layer. Lacing is nice.

The aroma is at first very oxidized and metallic smelling: not good. Somehow this disappears after a while, and a pleasant dark fruit character is revealed. Nice oaky notes.

The flavor is rich and malty, yet not as complex as I expected. The metallic, oxidized character is present, though not as pungent as in the aroma. Lots of caramel and dulce de leche. Oaky, woody flavors are present as well as some prune and fig. Kind of sweet, but with a dry, yeasty finish. Mouthfeel is thick and oily, though could use a bit more carb. I think the flavor would benefit from a livelier mouthfeel, too.

A lot of the Struise beers I've been getting lately have had an unpleasant metallic character. Whatever it is--cap contamination, premature oxidation--it must stop. Struise is better than this.

UPDATE 6/6/11: Second bottle was better. More carbonation, but still lacking pizazz in the mouthfeel department. The metallic, oxidized character is again there in aroma and flavor. I edited a few things in the review above, in addition to upping my numerical score (3 to 3.4). Still not as good as this beer could or should be.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 01:43:26 | More by dasenebler

jwinship83

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

11.2oz bottle from 2008 picked up for $9 and drank from my chimay chalice.

A- this one pours out a dirty looking murky dark brown. there is also a thin beige head on top. the head quickly fizzes away into little more than a crown. small spots of lacing are left behind.

S- the smell is pretty subdued. the first thing i pick up on is a brown sugar like sweetness. after that comes some spice and a heavy blast of alcohol. the evidence that it was once in a barrel comes through very faintly with some oak/vanilla.

T- the alcohol i could smell is the first thing that comes to mind as i take my first sip. after that comes the sugary sweetness and some faint cherries, figs, and plums. the oak and vanilla are more pronounced in the taste than the nose. some spices are mixed in here as well.

M- light bodied with a high level of carbonation that is common with this style. moderate to high level of warming from the booze.

D- i was very excited to try this one, but after i did i was left with a feeling of disappointment. the original version is better and cheaper. ill stick with that one from now on.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 03:57:23 | More by jwinship83

jsh420

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2008

pours muddy amber brown with one finger head that faded to a film and left some spotted lacing

smells of sweet brown sugar and dark fruit (not very strong or complex)

taste is a little better - you get the oak - the brown sugar tastes a little burnt - nutty dark fruit malts - and a nice spicy yeast bite on the finish

mouthfeel - medium body with very little carbonation

drinkability was so so - i had high expectations for this beer after trying the regular pannepot but that was an 2007 - i still have one to age so if it gets better after a year or 2 i will change my ratings

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 18:27:57 | More by jsh420

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Deep dark murky brown with a thin and bubbly tan head. Aroma is boozy and figgy with some liquorish. Cinnamon and candied sweetness follow. Flavor is sweet and bready with raison liquor and sugary booze. Touches of chocolate. Unbalanced towards booze and sweetness. Off-putting. Slick, boozy feel. Full bodied. Not very pleasing.

This is worlds apart from the Belgian version I love so much. This beer lacks the wonderful spice found in the first version. It's booze, equally pronounced, lacks the depth of flavor required to make it pleasant and its sugars do not add complex raison or fig character but rather detract making this beer too sweet to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2008 15:59:07 | More by DaPeculierDane

Trilogy31

California

2.33/5  rDev -46.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

2008 riserva pours an oddly quick carbonated head that disappearsquicker than it came. The color is a cola brown, the color along with the head was very reminiscient of pouring a can of soda in a glass - a fleeting foamy head that leaves no trace. Nose brings fishermans friend cough drops, smoky caramel, and i am beginning to be concerned i have an off bottle very disappointing so far. A slight prune taste with simple caramel, oak and a hint of vanilla. There is literally no carbonation and everything is muted and muddled. I really hope this bottle is just off and will rereview when i open a new one.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 04:03:53 | More by Trilogy31

shbobdb

Indiana

1.8/5  rDev -58.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

My initial impression of this beer is old pennies. I'll wait and see if it improves. There is something interesting going on underneath those old pennies, but diggin' through a pile of shit for a dollar bill ain't my bag.

As it warms, the old penny remains but is married with cinnamon. Now, I really like cinnamon as a spice, I cook a lot of savory dishes with it, so I'm not the sort of dude who thinks cinnamon is a monodimensional spice, but I really don't think it belongs in beer. This is a good case in point. Underneath the cinnamon there is a nice fig presence. Not undrinkable, but skirting the edge.

The more I drink it, the more "chocolate" starts to come through the mess that is this beer. About the only thing it has going for it right now is the booze factor. The old penny flavor is still dominating, despite my best efforts to scry through it.

Yeah, there is a lot going on with this beer, but much of what is going on isn't good and that which is, is obscured by all the nastiness. I guess if one is inclined to like quads (I'm not) it isn't bad, but really. I mean, I can appreciate a style I do not like, but I cannot appreciate this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2008 05:45:09 | More by shbobdb