“Amsterdam’s Special Beer,” the label says.
And I can see why.
Struis is the brewery’s take on an English Barley Wine and it’s very nice indeed.
Its aroma is a massive apple cake mix, all yeasty and warm and it wafts up from a deliciously deep amber liquid in my glass.
This is a very fruity beer, along with the toffee popcorn there’s big washes of apple cores and pear juice, linseed oil and peach.
Everything in here is round and voluptuous, sexy even.
You get freshly baked Pain Au Raisin with apricot jam and a little start anise, and then the hopscome on all sharp and bitter, lemon pip pithiness and lime zest zing.
The finish is mega dry, crisp and tongue curlingly alkaline in the most delightful way.
I like this very much indeed.

Source: Ales 4 You