Svea IPA - De Struise Brouwers

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

330ml bottle, bottled december 2011

A- Foam immediately starts to gush out of the bottle and it doesn't stop to slowly flow out for a long couple of minutes. Final pour is a deep murky copper colour with a huge fluffy white head that shows decent retention and nice amounts of lacing on the glass

S- Pungent/spicy herbal hop notes, expecially pine, among an actually quite sweet grainy malts base, with a bit of yeast earthyness

T- Crisp grainy/crackery malts, with yeast and sugar in the mix bringing a persistent, sweet background feel. Hop notes are on the herbal side, with pine and maybe a slight touch of tobacco. Some background citric notes may be noticed on the tongue. Some bitterness in the aftertaste, but still overall sweeter than i expected

M- Medium to light body with quite high carbonation, as the appearance suggested. Overall i feel like mouthfeel is not very clean: i realize that this is belgian but yeast gets a bit too much in the way for the style in my opinion. High carbonation brings a lively feel and partially hides the yeast issue

O- Has great drinkabilty for it's ABV. A thirstquenching and somehow highly satisfying beer, despite not so high complexity. Perfect balance between it's bitter hoppy character and it's residual sugary sweetness, unless you are looking for a hop bomb

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 21:38:09 | More by Cozzatoad

pknyc

New York

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

05-14-2013 16:08:39 | More by pknyc

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Svea IPA.
330 mL bottle with no freshness date. Poured into a tulip glass. Produced a nice rocky tan white head, with quite good retention. Colour is a ruby brown, a rather dark shade with strong carbonation and good lasting film and lacing. 3.75

S – lemon citrus, also a lot of malty barley notes present, granary, fresh yeast notes, light florals, brown sugar, some of the sour rye character coming through. 4

T – not what I expected, a sour rye citrus candy character, a prominent floral character, a caramel maltiness, soft graininess and bitter grainy malt toast, crisp biscuit on the finish with a mild hoppy bitterness. Some firm yeast, with dry barnyard and some hay. Finishes with more lingering malt caramel and florally hops. 3.75

M – highly drinkable with an underlying sweetness, moderate body and carbonation, a slick hop bitterness on the finish. 3.75

The intriguing part of this is that it draws on so many divergent aspects, somewhat assertive pilsner hopiness, Belgian yeast, some rye sourness, and a lot of malt backbone. Altogether not sure how well this works or where to class it, definitely a unique offering. The flavor and balance are pretty good but complexity here is pretty limited, and I can’t really foresee returning soon. More of a unique experience than a well-crafted beer. 3.75

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 22:16:13 | More by mick303

TallSaint

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

05-05-2013 09:18:51 | More by TallSaint

JohnQVD

New York

3/5  rDev -17.8%

04-15-2013 22:23:31 | More by JohnQVD

beerpirates

Belgium

3.51/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

33 cl bottle poured into ly the bruery snifter

Head is almost white and settles quickly.
The beer is a dark, slightly hazy amber color.
Aroma is yeasty and sweet. Tastes a bit malty, sweet (sugar) and some hops. Carbonation is medium, overall a pretty smooth mouthfeel.
Finish has hints of sugar, smooth bitterness and a bit dry. All in all, this is a nice beer. However, not what I expect from and IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 19:26:10 | More by beerpirates

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.93/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle. Wide Stem glass. Enjoyed on mar´13. Deep brass in color, orange to the light. Beige foam, wide creamy crown. Copious lacing rings. Amazing ripe fruit, caramel & toasted malt aromas. Toasted slightly sweet malt upfront is shaked by increasing citric/floral bitterness. Medium & flavorful body. Soft carbonation. Oily to watery mouthfeel. Citric astringency. Sweet malt finish. Orange zest & ripe fruit on the aftertaste. Well balance between sweet malts & sharp hops.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 17:07:56 | More by GONZALOYANNA

JavierGC

Spain

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

02-28-2013 17:53:23 | More by JavierGC

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

02-06-2013 21:49:03 | More by CwrwAmByth

JTex

3.25/5  rDev -11%

02-05-2013 00:44:16 | More by JTex

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A-chestnut brown with a thin cream colored head

S-smells like an aged IPA. very herbal with sweet gum and honey

T-well this doesn't taste like much of an IPA. comes in with a flavor of herbs, caramel, and a nuttiness. it's a faint flavor with a weak matching after-taste

M-thick medium carbonation with a watery finish

O-it's not a terrible beer, but it's not a good IPA. all of the flavors are muted, not very bitter, not hint of hops. i wonder what this tastes like very fresh though.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 00:19:26 | More by AdamBear

westcoastbeerlvr

California

2.75/5  rDev -24.7%

01-08-2013 21:50:21 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

GreenMountainBoy

Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

12-30-2012 21:32:59 | More by GreenMountainBoy

sloelco

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

12-25-2012 22:57:17 | More by sloelco

dante23x

New York

3/5  rDev -17.8%

12-21-2012 11:06:14 | More by dante23x

BartMcStout

Belgium

3/5  rDev -17.8%

12-17-2012 20:13:26 | More by BartMcStout

od_sf

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

12-11-2012 02:38:50 | More by od_sf

jchlan109

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.6%

12-10-2012 16:18:12 | More by jchlan109

brureview

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

In a tulip, the beer poured a golden honey color with no head.

The aroma from the head was weak for an IPA, a light honey--fruit.

The mouth feel is very tart.

The beer has a very unusual taste. Not very hop forward for an IPA, some fruit, but the alcohol masks the fruitiness especially as the beer warms.

Overall, unusual, interesting, but I prefer American IPAs, with strong fruit, strong hops, and more IBUs. There was too much alcohol presence in this beer. I won't try it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 01:20:43 | More by brureview

His_Royal_Hoppiness

United Kingdom (England)

4.5/5  rDev +23.3%

11-22-2012 20:26:17 | More by His_Royal_Hoppiness

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Jan 2014. Purchased from a Belgian webshop a while back and stored in my garage. Hopefully it hasn't aged too badly. The label mentions a ton of grains and hopping with noble hops (?).

Poured into a Delirium chalice. Bottle conditioned. A darkish orange-amber hue with good clarity and plentiful carbonation. Yields a vast head of creamy off-white foam with good retention; this slowly subsides to a thick surface layer. Aroma of sweet, fruity Belgian yeast with notes of grass, mild citrus, earthy yeast esters, caramel and stewed hops. A warming whiff of booze in the background.

Tastes of fruity Belgian yeast with a restrained hoppy character and a dry finish. Notes of grassy hops, mild citrus, caramel, banana, a hint of clove and stewed hops. Quite sweet and distinctly boozy. A subtle dry bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, with a faint spicy quality. Nice body. Somewhat astringent, with an aftertaste of fruity yeast, sweet caramel and mild hop notes.

Interesting and rather nice. Pretty subtle for an IPA - the hop notes don't exactly break down the door. Although if noble varieties were used I suppose their flavour would be more delicate than a typical American IPA. Plenty of yeast character in evidence and the malt shines through well; a beer with good balance. The booze does come on a bit strong though, giving it a distinctly solventy twang. Worth sampling if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 23:03:56 | More by jazzyjeff13

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

09-28-2012 00:22:46 | More by donkeyrunner

t0rin0

California

2.75/5  rDev -24.7%

09-18-2012 23:49:10 | More by t0rin0

WynnO

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

09-08-2012 05:36:31 | More by WynnO

ccrida

Oregon

3/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into my large Gulden Draak tulip, Svea IPA is a murky, dark orangish brown. Small off-white color and no lace.

Smell is herbal, fruity, earthy. Complex. A bit sweet, some orange candy, but mostly herbal. Fresh cut grass.

Taste is malty, earthy, sweet, bitter. Pretty complex english style IPA, nothing distinctly Belgian about it (some of the Brittish ale esters are as fruity as the Belgian's). The malt here is too dominant for my taste. Complex, but not really that tasty to me. A little uncured tobacco leaf.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, a touch slick.

Drinkability is ok, not offensive by any stretch, and fairly complicated, but also not that enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 03:45:06 | More by ccrida