Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Svea IPA produced by De Struise Brouwers located in Oostvleteren, Belgium. 

This will be my first beer from De Struise, so I don’t really know what to expect.  Only one way to find out I guess.

I couldn’t find a brewery website, so like always, I will revert to ratebeer.com and see what they have to say.

We send you our approach for the Svea IPA. As your growing thirst is leaning towards more bitter levels, we have carefully selected a set of noble hops, for you to enjoy on every suitable occasion.

Let’s try it.

This brew has an ABV of 7.0% and it comes in an 11.2 oz. bottle.

It poured a mostly medium shade of amber with just a slight reddish tint to it.  The crown was an off white to light tan color.  It was sized well and the retention time was good.  The texture was a touch fizzy and soapy however.  The lacing looked decent too as it left some cobwebs down the sides of the snifter for me to enjoy as I consumed.

The nose released a fairly prominent amount of caramel malt and sweetness.  Slight, fruity hints of pear along with a significant amount of yeasty, dark breads and earthy goodness.  I even detected a smidgen of spicy coriander as well.  Not much on that front though.  Just a touch.

The taste was filled with caramel malt.  I received a solid dose of pear, however I also got a light shot of orange citrus.  The fruitiness couldn’t overpower the malt, but it was still strong enough to notice.  Again, very bready and yeasty with a sturdy earthy/herbal quality.  No real spice to speak of in the taste.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Smooth and chewy.  The carbonation was nice and a sound amount of warmth was felt from this 7.0% ‘er.  A discernible amount of flavor was left behind on the palate after each sip too.

This was an ok beer for sure.  It was just a little bit too malty for me to be one of my favorites, but I had no trouble enjoying or drinking it.  It’s definitely worth a try if you see it.  Don’t expect a hop bomb or anything because you will not receive that from this brew, but enough of that citrus juice is present to make for a pleasant experience.  So, if you guys happen to see the De Struise Svea IPA, pick it up and give it a go and let me know your opinion.  I’m for sure gonna try to find a few more De Struise beers to partake in.  It seems like they make a solid product.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.7 out of 5
Grade:  B