Pannepeut - De Struise Brouwers (10% ABV)

This Belgium quad is ranked 93 on BeerAdvocate so should be impressive. The previous De Struise offerings I have tried were very good, so I'm sure that this will not disappoint.

Pours a deep, dark mahogany and kicks up a thick tan head. Tons of lacing and retention. Looks 'yeasty'.

Smells of roasted malts, candy floss, toffee and ample amounts of fruity Belgium yeast. Underlying hint of earthy hops. Despite being 10% ABV, there isn't an excessive amount of heat, but definitely enough to make it boozy

Great mixture of flavours in this. Malt up front; toffee, bread, roast and slight woody quality to it. This is all effortlessly complemented by big fruity yeast flavours: perhaps apricots, apples, prunes and peaches? It's really complex though and difficult to put my metaphorical finger on. Really slow before the hop flavours kick in and give resin hop flavour and mild bitterness. Lingers with sugary malt sweetness sticking to the palate. Really boozy throughout, but not excessively so.

Mouthfeel is smooth, slick and full bodied. Carbonation is perfect, and astringency is very low. You would never guess that this is 10%. Some 6% beers taste stronger than this.

It's definitely a top notch brew: complex with bucket loads of flavour and great construction. I love how the hop flavour almost never seems to come, but then gradually creeps up on you. This is perhaps a little too sweet for me, but in terms of flavour, it is a world class brew.