Good evening all. I received a rather nice package today from Hawkshead Brewery containing all three of their recent "Well Hopped" beers, and have been gradually reviewing them in front of the camera over the last few hours. As a result you lucky guys can expect a three-video post in the next couple of days, but to fill the void between that post coming up on the blog I'm going to be maintaining usual service and reviewing plenty of interesting beers, such as this one from De Struise Brouwers. It's Pannepot Reserva, a Quadrupel from a fantastic Belgian brewery, and the review is after the pic....
Pannepot Reserva (10.0% ABV) pours a dark brown colour with a short-lived head that dissipates to a thick halo around the inside of the glass. Probably one of the first beers I've had from De Struise that doesn't have an epic ballooning mound of foam after pouring, despite the bottle conditioning. Oh well, onto the important stuff now. The aroma is quite phenolic, with candy sugar, dark fruits, caramel and a sweet hoppy quality reminiscent of barley wines. The predominant spice is offset by the sweetness, and the hops add an interesting dimension to this beer style that cuts through the darker fruit flavours. The taste is just as spicy and phenolic, with dates, blackcurrants, raisins, yeast extract and licorice flavours coming through during drinking and in the finish, which brings along a slight alcoholic burn and a final burst of spice before settling down to reveal a decent amount of yeast extract in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is slightly thinner than I was expecting, and the beer is moderately carbonated. I would've preferred the mouthfeel to be slightly thicker if I'm honest as borderline-excessive carbonation compliments Belgian beers impeccably, so as it is it's a slight disappointment but certainly doesn't render the beer undrinkable. Overall, a very interesting Quad with plenty of phenolic Belgian character, sticky dark fruits and an unusual yet pleasing roasted malt flavour in the finish. If I could get this again I probably would, although I'd rather take a St Bernardus Abt 12 or a Trappistes Rochefort 10 as they are better examples of the Quad beer style. And if anyone has a spare bottle of Westvleteren 12 lying around the place, I'd be happy to take that off their hands as well! Seriously though- definitely recommended, get a couple of bottles if you have the opportunity and you shouldn't be disappointed.
Until next time....
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