De Struise Brouwers is a brewery that is barely 5 years old but has the familiar and intense feelings of a well established Belgian Brewer that has existed for hundreds of years. The influence of Belgian beers and their inspirational qualities, which range from a thin and sour Lambic to a heavy, burnt bananabombs of the Trappists, cannot be overstated. Continuing this grand tradition in a serious way, De Struise Brouwers (”The Sturdy Brewers”) has released a range of beers which pay homage in various ways to classical Belgian styles.
The brewers of De Struise are an intense bunch, as is evidenced by their marathon appearance on The Brewing Network’s “Sunday Session,” a highly recommended piece of Beer Radio that once saved my life on a hectic drive through the Itallian mountains in the middle of the night. I should state for the record that TBN is highly recommended by this blog, and once you get to “know” the guys on the station, you’ll be going back for more. Regardless, Carlo and Urbain explained the story behind Pannepot, which was a sort of non-carbonated, thick, syrupy Sailor’s drink which would help them get through the hell that is working on a boat, and the hell that is life between trips at sea. The De Struise version is a highly malty, delicious, “digestible” beer that has an enormous amount of depth in both aroma and flavor. Not strikingly dissimiliar from the German Lagers I have been enjoying lately, in fact, and the bottle that I drank which was a few years old had an aged character that lended more complexity to the deal. I’m becoming more and more fascinated with capturing that malted barley flavor and I intend on pursuing that when my brewing season continues into the Fall and Winter months. Pannepot is highly recommended and would clearly help you survive the Sailor’s journey.
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