De Struise Pannepot Fisherman's Ale 2006

Here we go. This bottle is around 3 years old, and I could not be more excited about that fact.

De Struise Brouwers Breakdown:

• All beers brewed at the Deca brewery, in Woesten, Belgium. The brewery is only a few short kilometers from the Westvleteren Abbey and St. Bernadus. Great neighbors.
• Founded as a partnership between Urbain Cotteau, Carlo Grootaert, Phil Driessens and Peter Braem.
• Strong relationship with Ebenezer's Pub in Lowell, Maine. One of the breweries classics, Black Albert (dubbed a Royal Belgian Stout) was first brewed just for the pub.
• Dedicated to advancing the Belgian art, their beers cover the spectrum from nearly extinct Belgian styles to forward thinking, revolutionary ales.

Any who, I'm thirsty after writing that, so it is time to crack this bottle open.

Even as the bottle cap is hissing off, the aroma is already quite forward. This is going to be a treat. Pours into my New Belgium balloon a dark ruddy brown. Nearly opaque, with only glints of ruby showing though when held to the light. The head is modest, but long lasting, and whenever I go to take a sip, there are myriad sheets of lacing left along the curve of the glass. This is the type of beer that will end up being an incredibly nerdy wallpaper...

The nose is overwhelming. Dark, ripe fruits, apples, bread, sweet malts, dark candi sugar, and layer upon layer of spice leap out of the glass. I can smell the glass in the living room from the kitchen. If it would not make me a complete alcoholic, I would like to smell like this all the time.

The taste follows in kind, with a rich vein of molasses running down the center of palate. The fruits provide their own contrast, bringing dark and luscious flavors as well as crisp notes of apples. The complex yeast notes bring spice, as well as a soft bready character. I cannot place all of the spices in this, but their effect is magical. I just want to crawl into this glass and float around for a good long while.

You cannot make a beer in this style any better. I have nothing else to say, other than that I am thoroughly excited that there is a bottle of the 2007 in the fridge upstairs.