Beermas Day 2

On the second day of Beermas I poured out for me
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree

Ok, so an ostrich isn't a dove of any kind, nor is it a turtle, but they lay their eggs in a dirt nest like turtles do!  So there, a connection.  There are actually a lot of birds on beer labels, but not so many that are exactly the same as in the song.  There's certainly no ostrich, but it's just such a fun bird.  Several types of the Dutch Struis were hanging out on the shelves, but I picked up the one that was among the stouts, for obvious reasons.  I don't see it call itself a stout or porter anywhere, but I'm willing to give it a chance.

The scent of chocolate is strong, but the brown is a little lighter than is comfortable for a stout or porter, at least for me.  The head is fluffy and off-white, and resistant.  Once in the glass, the smell is closer to typical Belgian beers, being sweet and identifiably fruity.  I believe I detect some apple in there.  The taste is also Belgian, with a fermented but candied fruitiness that goes down quickly, but leaves a little bit of sourness that intensifies a few seconds later.  It doesn't seem quite right to call it an aftertaste, as it feels almost like a different taste altogether, appearing in the front of the mouth like it does.  While not the smoky or bitter stout I was hoping for in the back of my mind, there is a certain holiday cheer to the Struis flavor, not as deeply alcoholic as a glühwein, but certainly spicy sweet.  Kind of a fruitcake in a glass.

Supplier: La Tienda de la Cerveza
Price: ~€3.50 (Christmas surprises...)