Struise / Mikkeller (Elliot Brew) - De Struise Brouwers

cosmicevan

New York

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a - popped open and filled a capt lawrence taster tulip. nice dark deep mahogany, almost plum with a pretty hefty yeasty like head. semi transparent. definitely dark and ominous for the style. the head really hung out...really creamy. different for sure.

s - citrus, mellon, lemon, almost a bit of red apple or cherry flavored candy. malty freshness with a pinch of pepper spiciness. very nicely balanced candy like alcohol mentholish smell. brisk baby!

t - yum. very strong malt presence, but also strong hop presence. someone turned my beer up to 11. interesting and tasty...but as a IIPA, i dunno...not what you'd expect.

m - medium to heavy bodied. alcohol tingle.

o - overall, this is a different and interesting IIPA. strong malt...alcohol briskness...kind of like if struise made a IIPA with mikkeller...oh, wait. they did and this is it. sort of what one would expect from the combo. wish i had this one fresher....this is Lot A 3 09, but enjoyable as a fan of both brewers. more american barleywine like than IIPA in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 03:44:10 | More by cosmicevan

jm1229

California

4.33/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage poured into a pint glass. Lot 16/13/2011 on M/FF. What this means, I doubt I'll ever know.

A- Golden/copper liquid with lots of creamy, fluffy head. Slowly recedes and leaves lots of sediment. Looks awesome.

S- Lots of citrus, mainly pineapple and grapefruit. Really hoppy. It really does smell sweet. Looks like the candi sugar went to good use.

T- Wow. Not entirely what I was expecting (being used to west coast IPA hop bombs). Citrus up the wazoo, yet it's balanced incredibly well with the malt/malt aftertaste. Virtually no alcohol taste. My first reaction was "that's not 9%...".

M- Perfect carbonation. Medium bodied.

O- What an amazing beer. Totally blew away my expectations. Worth the money? Definitely.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 05:11:19 | More by jm1229

russwbeck

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Elliot Brew Lot A 4 15

A: Deep golden brown pour with a billowing off-white head, beautiful lacing. Bubbly, creamy, impressive. I can tell I poured a bit of sediment into the glass, rookie mistake.

S: Sweet fruity hops, booze, malty backbone, candi sugar all come to mind. Wow it smells so sweet, certainly doesn't smell like a hop bomb.

T: I believe this is relatively old, so I expected the hops to have faded a bit. Still, this tastes a bit strange. A ton of booze, malts, piney hops hit you in a big way in the middle and carry throughout the finish. Grapefruits all over the place. Not greatly balanced, but it also isn't terribly so.

MF: A bit watery, medium carbonation, alcohol is definitely noted.

O: A bit underwhelming, forgettable. Wish I had it fresh!

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 03:00:19 | More by russwbeck

silentjay

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

an impressive head forms to take up half of the tulip and seems to have come from nowhere, as it didn't form until I had poured a good amount of the beer into the glass. a hazy copper color with the head being almost tan and the lacing being extreme.

a good amount of hop bitterness sits just behind the belgian yeasty aromas that bring bubblegum and banana aromas to the nose. grass, fresh cut hay, lemongrass are also there, as well as some candy sweetness.

lots of grass and hay and herbs with a good dose of bitterness and grapefruit with some peppery spice and a syrupy sweetness to balance that out. odd combination of flavors, but it works pretty nicely.

medium bodied with light, fluffy carbonation and a syrupy feel after the swallow.

nice, but not wonderrful. I'd drink it again, but not frequently.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 03:18:48 | More by silentjay

flannelman808

California

4.45/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

lot: 16/13/2011 bottled on M/FF/2011 vintage ...

A: Semi Hazy copper with light orange around the edges. Massive head forms (don't go for the whole thing at once). It's offwhite and sticks everywhere. Seafoam.

S: When I cracked the bottle I smelled grapefruit but it has since ran away. More orange peel now with tart tangerine.

T: Tangerine for sure! wow this is great! Dried apricot and a bite taken from the outside in of a tangerine. This is very very good. Perhaps very fresh, I'm not sure I fully understand the bottle date info. Just the same this is a outstanding Dipa. Very expressive of its hops and dry finishing overall. What more can you ask for out of a double IPA. WHAT!

M: Keeps you high and dry

O: Outstanding beer this is one of the best Dipa's I have tried of recent. It is every bit worth the cost.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 05:27:50 | More by flannelman808

Squelch

United Kingdom (England)

2.98/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: hazy. Lacing. Dark brown color. doesn't look appetizing.

Smell: can't tell of anything here at all. ever so slight malt aroma. no hops.

Taste: nice flavour of hops here. good balance with the malt.

Mouthfeel: heavy. Not doesn't match the style.

Overall: Might order again but doesn't match the style very well.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 20:55:54 | More by Squelch

rvdoorn

Netherlands

3.43/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought this beer some time ago from the struise brewery.
Look: pours an amber color with a long lasting, white head
Smell: caramel, earthy hops, clear citrus and passionfruit
Taste: bitterness, caramel, earthy hops with a bitter-spicy finish that is somewhat too alcoholic
Mouthfeel: High carbonation, medium mouthfeelOverall: decent brew, but not one I will drink more often

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 09:38:29 | More by rvdoorn

thedoubler55

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a hazy brownish color, and off white head that fills almost half the glass, the lacing is also all over the glass as you sip.

S - Some malts of caramel and toffee, and some strong notes of grassy hops, very wild!

T - Strong bitterness up front that smooths out with the malts at the tail end, taste of caramel and hops with hints of caramel and brown sugar.

M - High carbonation and Medium Bodied

D - Very interesting brew, do not think I will try again, one time was enough but not to bad, wild DIPA

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 21:37:03 | More by thedoubler55

Bung

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Amber pour, giant rocky off white head. Lasted forever.

Aroma is nearly non-existant. Non descript yeast, citrus. Some fruity esters.

Taste is quite malty, some herbal hops, tea, leather. Brown sugar and a toasted character really come through, almost roast. Bakers chocolate. Very little pine. Finishes some citrus and almost ashy dry.

It is sticky, but lighter mid bodied. Drank fairly easily. Alcohol hidden enough. Would consider this more of a strong ale. This was interesting though, worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 00:15:24 | More by Bung

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from two different versions of this brew doing a side-by-side comparison into a tulip glass. Pours rusty with hazy ruby/orange highlights and a large off-white head that never goes away. Aroma is lackuster yet slightly hoppy; there’s something else to it. Plenty of grapefruit, pine, and lime, as well as dust, earth, buttered toast, and slightly spicy yeast. Flavors starts with a tangy citrus hop flavor immediately followed by caramel, toast, brown sugar, rye, and a distinct "Belgian" quality, something vinous I suppose. Finishes with toast, lime, grapefruit, and vinous yeast interplay and the earthy bitterness sticks around a while without ever tasting ashy. High carbonation, creamy mouthfeel, thick body. I was rather disappointed with this brew as I expected more.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 16:59:36 | More by CuriousMonk

jera1350

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Deep amber in color with a massive head from what seems to be over-carbonation. The head is both creamy on top and soapy suds on the bottom. Plenty of lacing.

A blend of rich earthy hops with very sweet caramel and toffee malt.

Starts out extremely sweet and then moves straight into toasty and extreme bitterness which lingers as grapefruit peel into the aftertaste. The flavor kind of falls off, but the sharp bitterness carries on. A bit boozy and messy tasting.

Pretty smooth, medium-full body, earthy dryness.

A nice attempt here, but bigger is not always better, especially in the hop department. Did not do much for me and does not drink very well either.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 01:17:23 | More by jera1350

JamnesCameron

Illinois

2.6/5  rDev -34.2%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Poured into a MJ tasting glass. Pours a slightly hazy copper with a huge, big bubbled, very light tan head of about three fingers. Head slowly drops.

Aromas of feet, yeah, feet, musky, earthy, tobacco, wet dog. What the hell is in this beer?

Flavors of earthy hop bitterness, some big malt backbone. Grassy and herbal. Finish is long and bitter.

Mouthfeel is puckering bitterness, mouthcoating bitterness. Dry. Body is medium.

Overall, flavors are better than the aroma. But to me, it's just a mess. Must be the spicing. Glad I got to try it, but won't be coming back.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 01:52:02 | More by JamnesCameron

Jparkanzky

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle into a stemless wine glass.

A) Pours brown, and resembles apple cider in color/consistency. Thick off-white head which sticks to the glass, and remains a 1/4 inch thick after 5 minutes.

S) Spice and orange zest. Pleasant and not overpowering.

T) Strong burnt sugar and alcohol flavors... very heavy alcohol leads me to believe I didn't give this beer enough time on the shelf.

M) Slightly dry, slightly bitter, but not overly powerful in either sense.

O) Very enjoyable dark belgian brew. I will certainly pick up a few more and try to re-taste and re-review them in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 02:32:08 | More by Jparkanzky

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Using the most earthy of earthy hops, but also with a sharp citrus flavor; Elliot Brew wants to push hop bitterness to the forefront... if not for the carmel malty attempt to balance.

As advertised, the beer pours with a rich hazy medium amber hue and builds a very sturdy yellowish head that very reluctantly suceeds into the beer leaving a demonstrative memory of lace behind. This is how imperial IPA's are supposed to look!

Aromas share a blend of earthy, spicy, citusy, grassy, vegetal, and herbal notes. Most notably are those that are reminescent of onion/garlic, marajuana, and catty characteristics. Still, there's the backbone of sun kissed barley and deep caramels. A challenging aroma but inviting nonetheless.

Where hops dominate the nose, the malty richness governs the early taste with carmel, bread crust, and biscuity sweetess. But the malty start is short lived as the earthy and herbal flavors of hops set in along with white grapefuit, orange zest, and lemon grass. The blend of hop flavor and fleeting malt sweetness soon give way to the hop bitterness and a non-descript malty richness that usher in a resiny bitter finish that leaves with the impressions of grass or pine... all with that unmistakable marajuana undertone.

Medium-full in body, the beer has a heafy, bready feel that hold on to its malty base deep into the mid palate before reliquishing and fading towards a malty-dry, hoppy-bitter finish. Never astringent, the beer finishes just shy of complete dryness and showcases the fade of malt and the late dominance of hop bitterness.

While constructing an extremely solid and formitably malty yet balanced imperial IPA, the rogue brewers at Mikkeller and Struise are intent to showcase the hop varieties that give the largest display of marajuana flavor possible. Their audience is obvious- however those folks will spend their hard earned cash on Doritos and Cheetos, and likely not high end beers- sorry guys!

Thanks bbehr!

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 03:34:20 | More by BEERchitect

Trilogy31

California

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a duvel tulip, color is a dark brown amber with reddish tint. Not much in the way of head but leaves nice lacing, also a low carbonation level. Nice nose of caramel, burnt sugar and citrus, bitter orange and grapefruit. Rich warming mouthfeel with sweet spices and more citrus, to go along with the sweet caramel malt, tastes somewhat aged as i dont get really much in the way of hops. Nice finish and all together one of the better mikkeller brews i have had.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 03:14:47 | More by Trilogy31

Thanby

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy drab amber with a huge off-white head that sticks like glue.

Smells like a big sticky sweet hop nugget. Burnt brown sugar, caramel, molasses, maple syrup, everything sticky and sweet like that. The hops are a huge blend of a little floral, some citrus and a nice blanket of bittering hops sitting on top of everything.

First taste is a load of sweetness, the candi sugar is very noticeable. The hops are again in one big thick cloud, but they are blended and mellow enough (seems this brew was aged quite well before even being bottled) that they even lend a little to the sweetness. There's some earthiness to the malt, which is toasted and sweet as well.

Medium body, a little thick in the finish with lingering sweetness, quite smooth, very easy to drink. This pretty much typifies a Belgian-made IPA without the normal acidity issues suffered by many brews of this style, and is a pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 00:32:47 | More by Thanby

rye726

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Up for review is a bottle of Elliot brew from Mikkeler and Struise. 33cl bottle poured into a pint glass. Bottle was about $10. Pours a nice brown with good lace. Nice floral bitterness well balanced by malts. Medium body well carbonated. Great IPA..

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 03:55:02 | More by rye726

brew3crew

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-hazy and deep amber with huge white lace that sticks around for a while.
S-not as hoppy as I expected but the presence is still there. Perhaps an old bottle
T-very mellow. Some malt and caramel hit my palate. Hops are there but not very strong. Nice balance
M-medium bodied and almost creamy
D-very nice. Espcially for the abv.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 00:06:27 | More by brew3crew

TheHoppiest

Ohio

4.7/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle into an oversized snifter glass. Even though poured gently, it produced a good 2" frothy head that slowly and unevenly reduced, leaving all sorts of lacing down the sides. The beer itself is a muddy, silty even, presenting the color of iced-tea.

Yeasty and hoppy, with floral notes, orange peel, sugar cane, and alcohol. Strong, yet pleasant in aroma.

Whoa! The bottle claims 130 IBU's, and they're not kidding. Mouthpuckeringly bitter, the taste underneath is still complex; honey, orange blossom, and oak, this is a bit boozy and a bit yeasty. Buttery, this beer is highly astringent, with a hop-bomb of bitter just annihilating your taste buds and gently fading away, with the honey sweet salving your tongue.

Full bodied and bitter, this leaves your mouth knowing it has experienced a very bitter beer.

While I find this highly enjoyable, I also feel that one of these is about all you'd want in one evening. While it was a it pricy, I will definitely pick this one up again.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 22:45:36 | More by TheHoppiest

dciBA

Maine

4.53/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy amber into my tulip. Tons of foamy white head with plenty of lacing. Smell is hops, and lots of them. Mostly citrus, but some pine and earthy hops as well.

Taste has plenty of hop flavor of course, but also a nice malt backbone. Very complex, with different flavors hitting your palate at different times. Initial blast of hops, with some yeasty esters, and spiciness in the middle. Finishes with some sweet malt and healthy dose of bitterness. Hop resins coat the mouth for a few minutes, making this one a nice sipper.

Lots of carbonation in this one but not too much. Smooth mouthfeel and very drinkable considering the %ABV. The bitterness may hurt drinkability for some but is exactly what I expect and want from a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 21:32:04 | More by dciBA

ratedz

Kansas

3.83/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle ordered from the Struise webshop in late November and arrived about a week ago.

Pours a hazy amber color with about a two-finger tall off-white head. The head is extremely slow to dissipate and it leaves a lot of lacing on the glass as it does fade.

One quick sniff and the nose is assaulted by a blast of sweet citrusy hops and a strong malty backbone.

A sharp spiciness molests the tongue on the first sip. Grapefruit and some variety of spices are mixed in there, but this is unlike any DIPA I've ever had and I'm having a hard time deciphering the plethora of flavors. The dry, hoppy bitterness is noticeable on the back end.

Medium body with a relatively high level of carbonation. The 9% ABV doesn't seem too noticeable to me, so this is one that could sneak up on you if you're not careful.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2010 03:02:34 | More by ratedz

DPFRD

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Rate Beer Edition bottle labeled A3 09.
Served in a Chimay Chalice

A- Deep Amber with a reasonable head that dissipates rather quickly with some mild lacing.

S- Nose is blasting... Spicy, Hoppy and very Malty. Smells like a very aggressive dipa should.

T- 1st sip- Bitter and dry... almost mutes your palette with so much hop bitterness. Kind of like something very spicy, the hops just keep coming like the creeper. Also has a leathery note to it... incredibly complex and hard to take in 1st sip.

2nd sip- Hops and spice hit you right on midway through I'm starting to get a little of that bready/yeasty character I love in Belgian beers.

3rd sip- Now I can wrap my head around this. Overtly bitter with a very supporting and aggressive malt profile. Definitely a dipa, but an incredibly hoppy one. The beer is so complex that it is hard to detect the alcohol in it, but it's there if you look for it. 9%? it could be 11% or 12% and you still wouldn't know.

M- Intimidatingly spicy and carbonated... feels so hot on the tounge. Takes a moment to really adjust, but even then this thing lets it dangle all the way to the end.

D- Very good, so intense. This isn't one to sesh on for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 06:01:45 | More by DPFRD

mulder1010

Australia

3.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ML poured into a globe glass. Thanks to Jeffo for the beer!

A-- Poured a golden honey brown color. Moderate pour got a two finger head that hung around a good amount of time, off white in color. Solid thick soapy like lacing on the sides of the glass. Good head retention and construction of the head.

S-- Candied and earthy at the same time. Interesting but a bit weak on the nose. The candied grapefruit and orange stand out. Very Belgian smelling.

T-- Hearty grapefruit that is pretty earthy. Not a bad taste at all. No pine and some carmel in the taste.

M-- Very hearty mouth feel to this. Grapefruit start and finish with orange in the middle. Orange is more candied than anything else. Low carbonation and heavy feel. The IBU's do kick in and stick around a while. Reminds me of a more the of the Midwest US DIPA's I had in the US with the earthy taste and feel with all the grapefruit and orange.

D-- ABV is well hidden until the end. Becomes evident in the end of the beer as you work your way through it. Sipper with the high amount of bitterness in this. Very tasty though. Well done with the grapefruit and orange flavors. Like the candied sugar touch as well. Not as good as the best Western US DIPA's but very solid.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 12:25:07 | More by mulder1010

kkipple

South Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Another one From the kkipple Vaults. (See my Oerbier review, previously.) I found this one in equally bad shape in a dingy cardboard box in my garage, buried under other boxes likewise filled with beer. The bottle label is faded, the contents for a fact 2 years old. The sides of the bottle are all Dagobah and fuzzy with dark grey, uh mold. Yeah, I know. Here's hoping.

A. Hazy, peaty old gold, nicely done up with a dense, small bubbled and highly sticky head that stands around, looking nonchalant and whistling. The head has pink hints innit. Huh. (The head eventually decides to stick around for the duration of the beer, over 30 minutes. Impressive)

S. Unusual spicy-golden here. Honeyed malt sweetness with a nice shock of earthy-grapefruit hops, but also... coriander? Pepper? Has most of the hallmarks of a sweeter Belgian Pale, but takes a weird twist with the spice additions and high, but welcome, hops. Reminds me of Terrapin's Monk's Revenge, but more refined and less bitter and more "Belgian". Then again, this is older and the hops have undoubtedly grown old and fat. There is booze to be found, but it's equally lazy.

T. A large Belgian Pale with sugars to spare gets stuffed in a sack full of coriander, earthy grapefruit hops, and who knows what else and Struise Mikkeller is the result. While I can't claim to have had another beer quite like it, it does bring to mind certain flavors and tastes that are not totally alien... I would very much like to know what spices are in here, as by now they are quite well integrated into this odd, sweet, creamy brew. It works well, is harmonious, characterful, and delicious.

M / D. Speaking of, this is quite full and creamy, with a fine heavy malt body and a finish comprised of sweet (Pils?) malt and extra-sugar, kept interesting by the hop bitters and phenols.

Verdict: I like it. Surely one of Mikkeller's more balanced beers to date; the even, experienced hand of Struise is at work here and it shows. This isn't a wild experiment or kitchen-sink brew, rather, it shows some real skill at taking a style (B. Pale), upping it, adding an American twist (copious hops) and a departure (the spice) while still not blowing away the base beer or going overboard on any one aspect of it. I hope they brew Struise Mikkeller again.

It still doesn't make up for Ris A La M'ale, though.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 03:03:32 | More by kkipple

Samp01

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy orange/amber with a huge beige long lasting creamy head. Aroma of spicy citrusy hops, with a bit of caramel. Taste is spicy bitter hops, with some sweetness and citrus flavor. Palate is nice med to full body, good carbonation. FInish is spicy bitter hops but not overwhelming so, some sweetness from malt help to tame the bitterness to add some balance, ending in a long kind of bitter vanilla sweetness. Overall an interesting and descent brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 16:04:02 | More by Samp01