So during the last Bruges beer festival I paid a visit to the Struise shop situated on the Burg and (along with a few other bottles) purchased myself a couple.
Also the name - St Amatus was a Benedictine monk and the hometown of the Struise brewery (Oostvleteren) is the only parish to patron St Amatus as a saint.
On with the beer, like many on offer from Struise what we have here is a dark beer whose ABV hits double figures (10.5%) so it pours that characteristic deep, dark mahogany (almost black) with a ruby / plum like hue topped by a huge coffee coloured head that quickly falls to a thin cap.
Powerful aroma of liquorice, a heavy dose of deep dark fruits, rich and roasted malts, black coffee and a sweet, dark muscovado sugar finish - intense and heavy stuff indead.
Taste can only follow that heady aroma.....and it does - initially you get sweet, rich, roasted malts then loads of dark dried fruits (raisins, prunes and figs) also a hint of tart cherry, lots of caramel / toffee sweetness (almost molasses like) the finish has faint touches of spice and tobacco leaf.
So yes another great beer from them self promoting bastards.