Shark Pants - De Struise Brouwers

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

a deep amber almost purple in color with 3 fingers of creme colored fluffy head which left tons of sticky lacing on the glass. the smell is of alcohol, belgian yeast, banana, grassy hops. the flavor is still super hoppy for its age, lots of caramel, definitely an alcohol bite, sweet tripel-like flavor.. maybe from candi sugar? a resinouse lingering bitterness.
a heavier medium body beer with moderate carbonation, rich and creamy.

a very nice sipper. i can't fathom what this was like when it was fresh, 300 ibu??!! it definitely balanced out nicely over time, though the alcohol is very present.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 01:40:21 | More by facundoCNB

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to dfclav for this one, thanks Mike. Shared with rudzud.

Huge fluffy pillowy 1+ finger head, fades slowly with tons of lacing, murky dark mahogany copper thing-like color.

Nose is very Belgian like, funky yeast, De sruisse yeast typical, fruity and nutty, caramel and candy molasses-y aromas, light bready biscuit, etc. Then hops but not as hoppy as I expected for a supposed 300IBU beer, with earthy chewy syrupy hops, candy syrup light nutty thing going on.

Taste fluffy malt, candy sweet flavor, nutty, caramel, toffee, syrupy biscuit toffee like flavor. Then Belgian yeast flavors, Light spices, biscuit, esters, light phenols, candi syrup, etc. Then booze, some warming booze but plenty of phenols and esters, some sweetness. Nutty flavors, stone fruits, toffee, burnt brown sugar. Bitterness is there but not anything like I expected, more like dry bready earthy chewy spicy candy hop flavor with a decent bit not huge bitterness. Eventually, bitterness ramps like crazy, eventually almost ridiculously bitter, spicy earthy chewy hops, but not palate destroying crazy bitter.

Mouth is med to fuller bodied, syrupy sticky, decent carb, some warming booze.

Overall ok but nothing like I expected, nothing too special, but cool to try.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 13:21:13 | More by jlindros

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.71/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to JLindros for sharing this bottle.

A - Poured into a palm tulip a dark hazy chestnut hue with a massive two finger off white head that fades to leave super thick blankets and side lacing.

S - Aromas of de struisse yeast, caramel, slight citrus, not much hops.

T - Taste is tons of toffee! Soooo much burnt sugar and toffee with a bitter hop finish. Uhh....this is 300 IBU?! Bullshit. Also....this is a Belgian ipa....uhhh OK.

M - Mouthfeel is decent enough with solid carbonation

O - Overall I was slightly let down by this beer. Not much bitterness with Ltd of toffee and caramel.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 22:23:04 | More by rudzud

haz77

United Kingdom (England)

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a cloudy red-tinted copper, with a beautiful thick, towering light tan head. This takes some time to recede. There is no visible carbonation. A powerful start.

S - Resinous and citrus hops, plasticky phenols, green apple, some breadiness. Disappointingly restrained.

T - Initial flavour is grapefruit and lemon, before bready malt takes hold. Molasses and some fresh dark fruit are present in the middle. A phenolic note runs throughout, sometimes platicky and other times more medicinal and slightly boozy. The aftertaste lingers with resinous hop and caramel.

M - Medium mouthfeel becomes richer once the soft tingle of carbonation disappears by the middle of the drink. Not as outrageously good as many De Struise beers, but certainly better than most.

D - Hoppy, but in a restrained manner. Belgian flourishes throughout, with the alcohol masked well enough to catch you out. Certainly interesting and one of the better interpretations I've had of a Belgian-style IPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 11:54:36 | More by haz77

oline73

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a goblet.

Appearance: I knew this wasn't a standard IPA as soon as I poured it. The color is a dark reddish amber and it's quite cloudy. There is a finger of off white head that sticks around pretty well.

Smell: This one smells like a Belgian Dark Strong ale than an IPA. Very sweet with caramel and some dark fruit. I am getting some hop notes, but there is also a hint of port or another sweet desert wine.

Taste: The hops show up here a bit more, but this is still more like a highly hopped strong ale. Brown sugar and dark fruit sweetness along with some bitter hops. There is some warm alcohol along with the sugar and bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: The body is a bit syrupy with aggressive carbonation and a slick finish.

Overall: This beer was nothing like what I expected. Very sweet yet highly hopped. Quite complex and unlike anything else I can remember. I'd have another.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 01:03:51 | More by oline73

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.63/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deeply resiny with restrained "Belgian" character, this battle between malt and hops shine with the best of strong ales done the American crafted way.

Pouring with a muddled yeasty haze, rust coloration, and a well headed cap of creamy yellowish foam, the beer carries a good deal of visual weight despite the heightened carbonation that reminds me of its Belgian roots. The sticky foam both retains and laces remarkably, resembling a mousse more than beer foam.

Strongly aromatic with a depth of malt complexity and certainly enough hop character to rival. Malt richness of toffee, bread crust, and medium kilned barley provide a strong underpinning while the strong hop character of grapefruit and pine do much more than balance the beer- very barley-wine in character, except for the complementary notes of fruit and spice that sing the praises of Belgian ales.

Flavors continue the dialogue of hops and malt with every bit the intensity of American-style barley wines. Tasting somewhat salty and metallic at times with the back and fourth action of malt sweetness and richness with the sharp resiny bitterness of hops. Toffee, sorghum, bread, and yeast buffer against the strong onslaught of white grapefruit pulp and pith, spruce tips, and pine sap for ultimate balance and intrigue. Decorated with the spicy and fruity interplay from yeast continue to complement the flavor spread with accents of aniseed, fennel, pepper, dried cherries, dates, and pineapple. As the beer opens up it seems to deliver wave after wave of flavor that varies with each sip. The descriptor words seem endless.

Very richly textured, the embedded carbonation holds its structure throughout and releases only late in finish with the help of resin dryness from hops and strong alcohol dryness as well.

To find comparable beers, you'll have to turn to Stone's Old Guardian Belgo. But the flavors of malt remind me of imperialistic amber or red ales with the punch of American barley wines and a dash of Belgian carbonation, fruit and spice.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 17:18:23 | More by BEERchitect

nrbw23

Ohio

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

A- Pours a slightly murky hazy orangish copper color with a huge foamy white head. Head has great retention, becomes a thin cap and leaves some nice spotty lacing.

S- Smell is pretty solid. Picking up some pale malts, tropical fruits and grassy/floral hops. A good amount of Beligan yeast in spice here too.

T- A great balance to this one. Nothing really takes over. A good mix of sweetness and bitterness. Follows the nose well.

M- Medium in body and carbonation.

O- I really enjoyed this one. Really glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 15:21:49 | More by nrbw23

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

33cl bottle into a Duvel tulip. Thanks to JAHMUR for sharing.

A: Clear pale amber body with some dense tan foam on top. Good retention, spotty lace. Just fine.

S: Sweet fruitiness, with vanilla on top of strawberry, grapes, tangerines, and pineapple. Like some powerful fruit roll-up. I like it.

T: Opens with hoppiness, then quickly transitions into sweet fruitiness. Heavy bitterness on the finish. Ok.

M: Frothy, lively medium body. Nice.

O: This one was way over the top, but in a pretty good way. Awesome label.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 15:33:19 | More by woosterbill

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a murky orangey color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of deep Belgian malt with some caramelized notes and light floral hoppy notes. Taste is also a mix between some deep caramelized notes with more residual sugar then I had expected with some floral and light piney hoppy notes. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation with no apparent alcohol. Overall, this was enjoyable though a bit too sweet for my taste and lacking some floral hoppy notes.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 19:30:46 | More by Phyl21ca

Beerenauslese

California

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

Obtained form the De Struise bottle shop. Freshness date 30/11/2014.

Poured into a Tripel Karmeleit chalice, has a massive sudsy head over an opaque light brown body. Very good head retention and lacing.

Nose is wet hay, pale malts, very citrusy, with grapefruit, a little brown sugar and butterscotch.

Taste is quite malty with a big citrus hop profile. Sweet upfront from the malts, with an underlying note of milk chocolate, then citrus-orange peel notes. Mid-palate is really hoppy with grapefruit rind, and bitterness, balanced by the malt/candi sugar sweetness. There is a bit of spiciness in the finish, and a long, lingering bitterness. Overall, a good complex taste that reverberates between sweet and bitter.

Body is medium as is carbonation, producing a lightly creamy mouthfeel.

A very hoppy bitter ale, on the dark side for an IPA. Has some elements of Dreadnaught, but sort of on steroids.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 04:11:32 | More by Beerenauslese

DARIVA

Netherlands

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer is a beautiful light yellow color with a beautiful head.
Beautiful full beer with a slight carbonation.
Beer is fairly sour with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Furthermore, I taste raisins, almonds and some fruit tones.
Taste remains long in the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 09:08:39 | More by DARIVA

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Recently got my four bottles of this at Geers in Gent. They had crates of this stuff, but bottle limits are becoming more of a reality around here. This is an alarming trend...

From a bottle into a snifter
300 IBUS
Collaboration with FFF. All bottles were done at Struise.

APPEARANCE: Pours a huge, massive four finger, medium looking, off white head that grows out of the glass initially. Dark rust orange in color, hazy, with lots of carbonation evident. Head takes forever to settle down but eventually forms a foamy froth and coats the sides of the glass. A foam cap remains and leaves some chunky lacing down the glass. Out of control head on this one.

SMELL: Nice nose of pale malts, melon, lemon, some grapefruit and floral notes. Very hoppy, with some Belgian yeast notes as well. Big stuff.

TASTE: Pale malts, caramel and butterscotch sweetness and some flowery notes up front, then moves into a bitter, grapefruit and floral finish. A big, bold and relentless aftertaste with lots of bitterness and a touch of melon and lemony sweetness fighting to balance things out. Light yeast notes add a spicy element into the mix. A little too bitter perhaps, but certainly enough flavor in there.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation, which is surprising given the look. Expected it to be thin and over carbonated. Silky smooth on the palate, creamy as well, goes down fine and finishes with a bit of a bite. Slightly mouth-coating.

OVERALL: The look was a little disappointing, but we can forget that here. This is an extreme beer and the 300 IBUS were definitely there. Very, very bitter, thought there is still plenty of flavor to contemplate as well. I’m not quite sure we need to have such extreme IBUS to be honest, and I would have preferred this one to be toned down slightly, but if you’re into bitterness and more bitterness, this won’t disappoint. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 20:44:16 | More by Jeffo

MasterSki

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from the Struise webshop. Served in a Surly Darkness tulip. Best before November 30th, 2014.

A - Giant creamy off-white foam with excellent retention. Body is very dark for the style, verging on caramel brown with a bit of amber as well. Even when pouring carefully it was impossible not to rouse some of the yeast - as a result this is pretty hazy. Once the foam settles down there's only a bit of splotchy lacework.

S - Tons of lemon and pine, a touch of cat pee and herbs, and some peppery and lightly medicinal Belgian yeast. Perhaps a touch of alcohol as well. It definitely seems more European than the 3 Floyds version.

T - I like the taste better actually, as it's more successful in marrying American-style hops with Belgian yeast. The alcohol is also better disguised. There's a hint of herbal astringency in the finish, but this is mostly grapefruit zest and pine, with fairly minimal malt in the periphery. Considering the retarded amount of IBUs the bitterness is quite manageable.

M - Active, zesty carbonation supports a medium-full body. Extremely dry finish, with tons of enamel-stripping hop resins and oils. No alcohol warmth whatsoever.

D - Based on the reviews for this version I was expecting it to weaker than the 3 Floyds version. However, I think I ended up finding it more enjoyable as it tasted a bit better. I'm also amazed this held up so well, as it's precisely three months old at this point. I'm a bit sad I didn't order a second bottle of this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 06:45:12 | More by MasterSki

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

33 cl bottle, Best by 30/11/14. Amber in color. Clear sticky lacing. Off-white head. Great retention. Biting bitter taste balanced by lovely Belgian yeasty taste and aroma. Great refreshing, citrussy and juicy. Excellent.  What else could you expect when these two rediculous breweries join forces?

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 01:53:48 | More by KickbacksSteve

warnerry

Michigan

3.85/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a cloudy orange-brown with a ridiculous four fingers of frothy off-white head. Head lasts forever and completely coats the glass in lacing.

S - Smell is a combination of sweet caramel malt and bitter hops, with a bit of mustiness thrown in. Some citrus and pine hops with a bit of alcohol.

T - While it is definitely bitter, it doesn't scream 300 IBU to me. Up front there is actually quite a bit of sweetness, mostly caramel malt. Orange zest and a touch of pulp, along with some grassy hops and a strong herbal character. Bitterness really starts to come in just before the finish, which is quite dry. Definitely has a barleywine taste to it.

M - Medium, resiny mouthfeel that finishes with a long lingering bitterness.

O - Can't say I've had anything quite like this before. Surprisingly well-balanced for a beer that seems to want to appeal to the bitter-azi. And the label is so great I may need to keep the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 03:22:26 | More by warnerry

cosmicevan

New York

3.85/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

i couldn't resist adding a bottle of this to a recent de struise order. a collaboration with FFF? 300 IBU? HELL YEAH!!!

a - opened the bottle and filled my blue point snifter. beer poured a murky orange brown that settled in the glass as a deep crimson red. there was a pretty generous two fingers plus of frothy off white, almost beige IPA head. puffy and chunky...like milkshake. this one looks like a beast. visible carbonation could be seen racing up the side of the glass to the surface upon closer inspection. to the light almost pink.

s - smells really nice. very barleywine like. caramel vanilla with chunky sweaty bittered hops. some big belgian sweetness. not classic ipa, but wonderful for what i like.

t - BAM. that's what i'm talking about. BITTER hop explosion. nice belgian sweetness. but BAM that's bitter baby.

m - bitter, but palatable...but BITTER! finishes nice and sweet after the bitter slap.

o - overall interesting. smells like a picture perfect barleywine, but then knocks you out with bitter. the belgian twist of the sweetness saves this and makes it pretty good. glad i got a taste...oh, and KICKASS label.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 02:06:28 | More by cosmicevan

beerdrifter

Germany

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked this up at my favorite beer store in Belgium, Dranken Geers. Cloudy dark copper-amber pour with huge three finger off white head with great retention and crazy lacing. The nose is very complex, especially as it warms and opens up. Initial huge citrusy, resiny, piney hop notes, very reminiscent of a West Coast barley wine. Lots of bitter orange peel balanced out nicely by a sweet caramel malt backbone. The taste follows suit and is surprisingly well balanced for a 300 IBU hop bomb. Lots of resiny pine and bitter orange peel, complemented nicely by toasty toffee and sweet caramel maltiness. The mouthfeel is moderately thick and chewy with perfect carbonation and a great tangy, bitter, slightly nutty, oily finish. The alcohol gently warms throughout, but doesn't hurt the drinkability at all. De Struise just seems to keep cranking out awesome beers! Can't wait to see what they bring to ACBF in two weeks!

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 18:11:48 | More by beerdrifter

Brabander

Netherlands

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had the pleasure to buy this beer at the old schoolhouse of Struise about a month ago. Normally this is not my style but now and then you have to try it!

Poured in my Struise glass this beer looks perfect with its enormous broken white to beige head and dark tealike colour. Very nice lacing in the glass.

Smell? You can smell the bitterness of this beer. Very special taste with the bitter all over the place. It feels like an aged Pliny of one year old. (I have had one that old....)

Great collaboration Urbain, congrats.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 20:38:01 | More by Brabander

Mar02x

Netherlands

4.33/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A brown/yellow beer with an amazing head! A very strong beige foam is laying on top and slowly turns into fluffy. The webbing against the glass is amazing too.

S - Mango, pine, grass and pinnacle it is all there.

T - A superb mango, grass taste. A bit sweet too.

M - A good carbonation that fits the style, the creamy bitter aftertaste is a delight.

O - Good solid imperial IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 20:41:37 | More by Mar02x

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Nov 2014. Acquired from a Belgian webshop. I've been looking forward to trying this ever since I first heard about it. Great pic on the label!

Poured into a Duvel tulip. A deep, hazy reddish-amber colour with medium carbonation. Produces a humongous head of creamy off-white foam that fills the entire glass and subsides slowly. Aroma of aromatic hops and fruity Belgian yeast; notes of oranges, tangy citrus and yeast esters. Less hoppy than might be expected.

Tastes of sweet malt, overlayed with intense aromatic hops and a bitter finish. Notes of citrus and orange peel, followed by dry, fruity yeast esters. A tangy, spicy quality. Mouthfeel is smooth, thick and tingly. Highly astringent; dries the palate. Aftertaste of bitter aromatic hops.

Pretty good - plenty of aromatic hops. Rich and intense, probably the hoppiest Belgian IPA I've tried (which isn't many). The aroma seems subdued; yeast esters dominate and the hop notes don't come across that strongly. However, the flavour is solid. An impressive beer that is well worth your time.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 02:41:00 | More by jazzyjeff13

spdyfire83

Ireland

3.73/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

118th Review
Bottle to Fuller's half-pint tulip
Best before: 30/11/2014

A: Deep copper; hazy. 5+ frothy (khaki) fingernail head on medium pour. I think it' carbonated.

S: Floral/earthy hops, orange peel/lemon zest, pine, and caramel. Smells very sweet.

T: Pronounced malt sweetness upfront with a very nice balance of citrus, pine, cloves, and lemon zest. Hint of vanilla and oak towards the back-end. Hop profile is over-shadowed by the bitterness that is very bold all throughout.

M: Full bodied with loads and loads of carbonation. Very thick.

O: This beer is well put together, but you can definitely tell there are a boat-load of hops (I think it was 300 IBUs) in it. This is not in a bad way, but it is just bitter and in your face all throughout. Drinks more like a barleywine in my opinion because of the sweetness, but a decent beer for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 16:43:04 | More by spdyfire83

dgilks

Australia

3.53/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear dark amber colour with a moderate sized, creamy tan head. Nice head retention.

Syrupy malt with plenty of sweetness. Lots of resinous piney hop with some Kiwi hop varieties adding nice mango and passionfruit notes.

Not all that bitter with all the residual sugar thickening it. Plenty of hop character though with grapefruit and tropical fruits dominating. A touch too much sugar but still nice.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Good.

A decent little beer and an interesting idea. I find it a touch too sweet but there is certainly a lot of hop character here. These guys manage to make a lot of their other beers dry enough so I don't know what's going on here.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 10:09:22 | More by dgilks

Fux

France

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a orange color with glints of ruby. Thick, quite creamy white head with very high retention.

S: As hoppy as announced, fruited (citruses, orange peels, tangerine, slight red fruits), resinous also, and eventually a bit herbal, earthy. The bitterness is - a bit -hidden behind a malty, resinous sweetness. Quite boozy too.

T: Bitter, so bitter ! But also yeasty, with some boozy tartness and malty sweetness. But overall, an overwhelming bitterness that last for long, so long !

M: Medium to full bodied, with high carbonation and a sharp attack. Powerful, lingering aftertaste.

O: An extreme bier. Probably a bit too much alcoholized, a bit too much bitter, a bit too sweet. But this is a very original brew and to this extent, it would be a pity to be on your way from it !

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 22:15:45 | More by Fux

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz bottle poured into a cervoise. The brew appears a clouded amber orange with 3 fingers worth of fluffy tan head. As the cap slowly fades, it leaves a complete wall of lace coating the entire glass. Around the edges some orange coloration is noted and more of an amber brown towards the middle of the body.

The smell of this brew is not hiding the hops at all. Fruity rinds, citrus, orange, mango, herbs and a bit of resinous pine linger towards the back. All of the hops sit atop a sweetness that is somewhat floral and caramel-like from the grain backing. As more smells are taken, it comes across quite herbal with almost a minty tinge to it mixed with some veggy hop aspects.

The taste very herbal and bitter. The hops take on a bit of green veggy flavoring mixed with herbs and young yeasty notes. Despite the forward flavor and bitterness of the hops, the toasty biscuit grain flavor is still present that provides a minor sweetness almost caramel to toffee-like to offset the bitterness of the brew. The aftertaste is oily with hops, resinous like pine and herbs to the fullest extent. As the brew warms, a bit of solvent alcohol comes out of the woodwork and more of a fruity focus becomes evident.

This is a medium bodied brew with a moderate to high level of carbonation. I see some previous draft reviews call this out as being undercarbonated, I can attest that in the bottle this might be a bit over-done if anything. The 9% alcohol hits with the expected warmth and flavor inclusion throughout this brew. Not the best DIPA I have had, but interesting and worth a try if you get the chance. As advertised, this is probably the most bitter belgian made IPA I have had.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 04:11:09 | More by stakem

richmof

Belgium

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark but clear orangey-brown colour. Two finger creamy head (not sure what was wrong with the other reviewers beers).

On the nose I get citrus (predominantly orange plus peel), as well as biscuity malt.

This is a pretty intense beer. One of the more bitter imperial IPAs I have tried, with a quinine quality to the hops, as well as orange rind. It is not just bitter hop though: I also get a nice nuttyness from the malt. This is my kind of thing. The closest comparison I would make is to Troubadour Magma but I find this beer better balanced (the alcohol doesn't overdominate).

As I mentioned above, I am not sure what the other posters were referring to with the carbonation. Mine has a nice mouthfeel and is perfectly carbonated.

This beer is a one-off collaboration by Struise with the 3 Floyds brewery from Indiana I think (have never heard of 3 Floyds). I like it. It makes me want to try one of 3 Floyds but I have zero chance of finding it here in Brussels.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 21:28:24 | More by richmof