Founders Blushing Monk - Founders Brewing Company

brystmar

Texas

4.08/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Been sitting on this one for awhile. Bright red pour, turns darker in my glass plenty of white head and sticky lace.

Bright, fresh raspberries in the nose and taste. Fruity sweetness follows, balanced nicely by the tart raspberry presence. Very true to its raspberry roots, much like the New Glarus we opened the other day. This Founders offerin is more tart and sports a rich, full body though. Mild boozy warmth makes for a pleasant finish.

An enjoyable brew, but not one I'd buy again.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 02:15:44 | More by brystmar

scottyg354

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Deep reddish purple. Nice fluffy head, with decent lacing. Head last's through out.

S: Ton's of tart and sweet raspberries. Some creamy notes show up behind the raspberry. A nice whiff of funk as well.

T: Upon first tasting you definetely get the tart raspberry, followed immediatley by sweet raspberries. There is some breadiness and a little funk in the taste. This is a fine tasting beer.

M:Fluffy/Chewy. Smooth and refreshing for a 9.5 abv brew. It really finishes great.

O: For a style that is growing on me this beer is definetely tops. This should be a must try on anyone's list who enjoy's or is looking to explore fruit beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 05:44:15 | More by scottyg354

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark blood red. Modest amount of pink head. No surprise it's full on raspberries here. Slightly tart and very earthy. Flavor is loaded with raspberry puree. Very vinous. As if they threw all the branches and leaves in the slurry. Dry finish. Mild carbonation. Not even in the same class as Raspberry tart.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 15:14:40 | More by beerwolf77

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

4.47/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to N. Ketchum for tracking down a bottle for me. I've been sitting on this one for a bit, and frankly I'm running out of space for my beer. It's nearly Christmas, it was a rough day at work, so what the heck, let's take the edge off.

Poured out of a 750 ml bottle into a snifter.

A) A nice vibrant red with a big fluffy two finger head that is quite pink. The head dissipates to a dusting. There is some nice sticky lacing left behind.

S) Raspberry, sugar, fresh raspberry, hint of yeast, more raspberry, a little alcohol as it warms.

T) Raspberry, raspberry puree, a kind of leafy earthy flavor in the middle, hint of alcohol on the backend, and a tartness that makes you crave that next sweet sip.

M) Excellent... soft, smooth and creamy. perfect amount of carbonation. Nice aftertaste.

O) Enjoyed this start to finish. Obviously not for anyone who doesn't like raspberry, or fruit beer in general. This is outstanding for the style. I'd love it if Founders made this a yearly release.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 00:10:26 | More by RoamingGnome

chugalug06

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Holy pink head! The head on this brew grows very slowly and is super pink!!! Soapy-foam in texture. Brew is a vibrant purple-pink. There may be a few raspberries in this one.

S - Fruity, but not overly raspberry. Lots of subtle hops characteristics. Lots of deeps sugars on the back end. Yum!

T - WHOA! Amazing raspberry flavor. By no means overwhelming. Smooth, and delivered. Some slight belgian yeasty funk going on with this one.

M - I feel like my mouth will turn pink drinking this brew... Zero heat. Very slight (Belgian) bitterness. Slight funk.

O - I don't have the heat to give this brew a poor rating just because it misses the style so poorly... This is without a doubt a fruit brew. Please don't be deceived. Not too much belgian going on with this brew. Highly recommended! I would be interesting to see what happens to this brew with a little age...

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 05:09:53 | More by chugalug06

kzoobrew

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep garnet body is topped by a rosy , two finger raspberry stained head. The head works its way back in short order leaving a ring around the snifter. A moderate amount of lacing is left elegantly clinging to the walls of the glass.

The aroma is bright and lively, as macerated raspberries flood the nose. Brewing with fruit can present a challenge to many brewers, even when using fresh product the aroma can appear rather artificial. Founders excels with their use of fruit, pulling out every ounce of fresh berry aroma available. Buried beneath the fruit lies subtle Belgian yeast notes. Slightly peppery, soft phenols meld perfectly into the fruit.

The Flavor displays intensity and restraint. The first sip tastes like a spoonful of homemade raspberry preserves. Strong berry sweetness with an underlying tart finish. The flavor opens up more with warmth, a darker berry sweetness develops and a warming alcohol presence can be felt. While the fruit flavor is dominant the sweetness is held in check, never approaching a cloying level.

Full bodied Belgian ale is very smooth and luscious on the tongue. The carbonation is low allowing the beer to roll elegantly across the tongue. The finish is long and lingering, the succulent raspberry flavor digs deep into the tongue.

Blushing Monk is a damn good beer, I am very happy to see once again. Certainly not an every day drinker, this is one you want to keep on hand for a special occasion. The flavor is rich and decadent, certainly a sipper. Founders delivers far more than a simple fruit beer, even if you are not normally a fan of the style you owe it to yourself to try this one out.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 14:15:29 | More by kzoobrew

jonvan04

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a dark rose color with a thin white head. The aroma is very tart, like unripe rasberries. The taste is very fruity but with enough malt and carbonation that you still know that you're drinking beer. I didn't pick up much of a belgian yeast flavor or aroma. The mouthfeel was light and I definitely wouldn't have known this was a 9.2%abv beer if it didn't say so on the bottle. This was proably the most enjoyable fruit beer I've ever had, although for the price ($26 in Philly) I don't know if this is something I'd consistently purchase were it not a seasonal release.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 02:32:59 | More by jonvan04

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 750 mL bottle poured into a tulip.

Appearance: A great fluffy off-white sea foam froth rests on top of a full hazy raspberry or cherry colored beer.

Smell: The aroma is a huge blast of sweet raspberries. A bit of the tart side of raspberry makes it way across my nose as well, but it is tough to find much else.

Taste: Juicy, sweet raspberries come across my tongue right away, and wave after wave of raspberry comes throughout the whole sip. The flavor stops being entirely sweet toward the back, with a slightly acidic tartness providing a little balance. This also prevents it from becoming too cloying. Overall, a one dimensional, but delicious beer.

Mouthfeel: Overall, this is a fairly sweet beer, and it does have a light syrupy quality. The tartness on the back end creates a bit of salivation and puckering of the lips. Light vinegar acidity. The carbonation is creamy and smooth, and the beer itself is creamy but a bit grainy as well. The body is on the full side, compared to other fruit beers I have had.

Overall: I was intrigued by this beer from the moment I heard about it, so I was thrilled that they decided to remake it and bottle it. At this point, in terms of raspberry beers it only comes short of the great raspberry sours in my mind.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 07:12:55 | More by KickInTheChalice

hippityhops85

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from an awesome 750ml bottle into my Russian River -tion glass.

Pours a DEEP purple that pulls to a gradient of purples and pinks towards the bottom of the glass. Pours with a pink head that quickly dissipates to leave an oil slick-like head and a ring around the glass. Leaves some nice lacing.

The nose is fresh raspberries. That's it. Just fresh raspberries. Awesome.

Ok, so I tasted this when it initially came out and it has lost a lot of the "fresh" fruit BUT it's picked up some really nice sourness and carbonation that really brings a lot to the table. It's almost like a sweet, fresh fruited lambic.

The mouthfeel is medium to heavy with prickly carbonation. A lot more carbonation than I remember which is cool to see.

I have one more bottle that I'll open in a year just to see what happens.

Totally different than when it was fresh.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 23:44:10 | More by hippityhops85

mdvatab

Indiana

4.6/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to cosmonick for sharing at our Black Friday tasting!
Poured from 750ml bottle into red wine glass.

Aroma: Mmmm! Big, juicy, in-your-face raspberry preserves. Berry sweetness and tartness intermingle to tickle the nostrils. The sweet perfume of the raspberry causes the endorphins to skyrocket; mouth waters.

Appearance: Cloudy, reddish-purple body with a light, pink head. Foam falls to a thin, splotchy layer as expected, and leaves fine bubbles on the inside of the glass after each sip.

Flavor: Big, jammy raspberry strikes an excellent balance between sweet and tart. This BSPA understandably leans more towards the sweet side than many Belgian-style raspberry lambics, but is never cloying.

Mouthfeel: Nice, medium-full body is accompanied my high carbonation, which scrubs the palate, and makes you want to go back for more.

Overall: This one was thoroughly enjoyed by both my wife, who generally enjoys red wine and sweeter cocktails over beer, and myself. (I tend to like stronger malt bombs, as well as the IPA family). If this one were available year round, we'd ALWAYS have some on-hand. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 14:41:16 | More by mdvatab

ChugginOil

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another great brew enjoyed @ The Bavarian Lodge Founders Takeover.

This beer is red. Dark red while sitting but when held to light, you can see the ruby redness of this brew. A thin layer of off white head sits briefly.

The nose is straight raspberry fruitiness. There's is a bit of heat on the end. Sweet smelling all around.

The taste is very sweet and full of raspberries. All of the possible Belgian yeast characteristica have been covered by the fruit filled blast. Raspberry is really all I gotta say.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a short, crisp amount of carbonation. Sweet and palate coating.

Overall, this is pretty good if you're a fan of raspberries and I am. This is like drinking spiked raspberry punch. Strange beer, great flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2011 23:28:38 | More by ChugginOil

BigMike

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Lot's of different shades of red on the pour. Some lighter reds around the edge and some blood red in the middle. A nice 2 finger pink colored head tops it off. Interesting appearance and lovely at ther same time.

S: Huge raspberry notes. Smells like fresh raspberry jam. A small amount of belgian spice and a little bit of alcohol. Other then that it's all razz.

T: Like the nose its all raspberry. It's tart and sweet. In fact it's overly sweet to point of being a bit cloying. Luckily the tart tries to balance it out by making you pucker. But in the end it's a bit too much for me to enjoy.

M: Lot's of carbonation. Lot's of mouth puckering tartness. Medium bodied.

Overall: A bit of a disappointment. Looks good, smells good. But a little too much on the sweet side for me to really enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 22:35:02 | More by BigMike

zrab11

Indiana

4.78/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a Dark crimson red,Looks almost like thick red blood, produced a decent 1 finger pink head

S- Has a super pungent aroma of Raspberries, also getting some strawberry smell as well as a spice of some kind(can't put my finger on it)

T- Has a nice sweet raspberry taste upfront ,followed by some peppery spices and and more raspberry, it finishes with a creamy smooth tart raspberry flavor

M-Has a medium body with good carbonation

D-Overall this was one of my favorite beers in a long time. I;m so glad i grabbed 5 bottles of this. This goes especially well with Thanksgiving! IF you have not tried this please do try to get it. I just love the intense flavors of raspberry. This is so drinkable and complex at the same time.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 21:35:09 | More by zrab11

agomega

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle served in a Three Philosophers Goblet.

Appearance: Pours a rich blood red color with a small pink fizzy head.

Smell: The smell is of fresh raspberries, almost like a high quality jam.

Taste: A sweet raspberry flavor up front with a tart, but pleasant finish.

Mouthfeel: Light mouthfeel. Very drinkable for a 9.2% beer.

Overall: A very enjoyable beer. Perfect blend of sweet fruitiness and tart sourness.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 01:02:46 | More by agomega

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thanks to Hmph for this one received in a nice trade.

Nice looking beer, very dark red almost like concentrated raspberry juice, with a great purple head that left pretty good lacing.

Tons of raspberries in the smell, just a touch of maltiness but mostly extreme fruitiness all the way.

Amazing taste, better than I expected (and my expectations were pretty high). Raspberry heaven, moderate sweetness that perfectly balances sour and sweet flavors.

Body is pretty full, slick and very nicely carbonated. This one reminds me of various other highly fruity beers, and reminds me even more of why fruit beers remain my favorite style. Notably, I can't detect a smidge of alcohol anywhere.

I find it amazing that when it comes to fruit beers, the usual malts and hops are almost irrelevant. I just really love the fruits, but only when it's BEER, not when it's sicky-sweet wines or whatever other beverages feature fruits. Fruit beers rock!

Overall this one is tied between excellent and amazing. Nuff said.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 23:41:10 | More by AlCaponeJunior

UCLABrewN84

California

4.13/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bastu for sending me this one!

2011 vintage.

Pours a clear dark crimson with a 1 inch puffy light red head that settles to a film on the top of the beer. Random chunky streaks of lace form on the glass on the drink down. A very striking looking beer. Smell is of raspberries, raspberry juice, other berries, and some malt notes. Taste is of raspberries and other berries, berry juices, and a subtle malt flavor that ties everything together. Some tannin-like aspects in the flavors. This beer has a very wine-like mouthfeel with a coating quality in the mouth. The carbonation is nice and the beer is dry on the drink down. Overall, this is a good fruit beer with a nice raspberry/berry presence. I think the smell on this one is better than the taste though.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 04:17:35 | More by UCLABrewN84

sweemzander

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into a tulip. Had a small taste of the original bottling of this last year so I was very excited to revisit this.

(A)- Pours such a dark, blood red crimson, it is a very dark plum looking color. Produced a nice pink frothy head with good retention and lace.

(S)- Very ripe and juicy raspberries and tons of it. Almost dank and earthy there is so much fruit in this. Some subtle "green" bits at the end.

(T)- Like the smell, mountains of ripe and juicy raspberry fruit. Very jam-like with even subtle bits of tartness in there. Its like they crammed a whole raspberry bush in here: fruit, earth, and leaves, and all.

(M)- A good carbonation level and balance. Huge jammy fruit flavors and subtle earthy tartness. Very sweet; almost syrup-like.

(D)- A really solid fruit beer, though belgian strong pale ale?? It is heavy and sweet, but lots of great fruit in here. I look forward to revisiting it after a few years simply based upon how that small taste of the original bottling was like.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 17:05:03 | More by sweemzander

iadler

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle split with the girlfriend. Poured into two tulips.

A- Pours a dark red/purple with a light pink two head that dissipates into a thin cap. Some spots of lacing left behind.

S- A ton of raspberries with raspberry preserves, raspberry juice and pure raspberries with the seeds. Wine like qualities are present with some dark grapes. There is a hint of blackberries, strawberries, and peppery spice in the background.

T- Follows the aroma with sweet raspberries upfront, some peppery spice and dark grapes in the middle and a tart finish.

M- Low to medium carbonation and medium body. Syrupy mouthfeel that finishes a bit tart and dry. No alcohol at all.

O- As straight forward as this beer was, it was pretty damn tasty. Not as sweet as I was expecting, with some nice berry tartness at the end. My favorite fruit ale I've had to date.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 03:00:01 | More by iadler

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle: Poured a cloudy deep red color ale with a large foamy head with good carbonation and some good lacing. Aroma of freshly pressed raspberry with light sweet note is quite incredible and close to the New Glarus beers in terms of aroma. Taste is also a super good mix dominated by loads of pressed raspberry with light tart notes and a well balanced sweetness level. Malt backbone can be felt though doesn’t’ play a huge role. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I wasn’t expecting this much from a fruit beer and couldn’t understand the hype. I know do.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 18:55:39 | More by Phyl21ca

kbutler1

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle. Popped open a bottle by my lonesome tonight as I really wanted to try this one and it sitting in my fridge was way too much a temptation on a friday night. Pours an extremely dark rosie, red color with a deep reddish pink head. Hmm, ever so slight belgian yeast esters upfront that then gets dominated by a hard core raspberry aroma. I have a feeling on this one that the taste is going to follow the nose. Raspberry, raspberry, and a touch of additional raspberry. Head settles to form a pink collar around the glass. As with the nose, their is a slight belgian flare to this that quickly transitions to a full frontal assault of raspberry flavor. Tart and sweet. Slight bitter in the end. Leaves the mouth feeling like it just ate something really sweet. Medium mouthfeel. I need to try this next to New Glarus Raspberry Tart to see which I like better, but this is really good as a sweet fruity beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 01:08:54 | More by kbutler1

phichifiji00

California

4.6/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: Deep red with about one finger of thick pink head that fades fairly slowly. Almost no lacing.

Smell: Lots of raspberries, rasberry jelly, a hint of bellpeppers.

Taste: Raspberry syrup, tart, lots and lots of raspberries.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low carbonation, tart.

Overall: A very tasty raspberry beer. I think it could improve with time and that other flavors/aromas may come forward once the raspberry fades a bit.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 22:33:39 | More by phichifiji00

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I was happy to stumble upon this at the Hop Shop in State College, PA well after I though this was sold out everywhere.

Poured in to Duvel tulip.

A - Dark red with half a finger of raspberry coloured head that very quickly receded.

S - Raspberry juice and a very evident tartness. Not much else going on here.

T - Tartness hits the tongue up front that is almost puckering. Lots of raspberry jam and fresh picked raspberry flavours. Not a lot going on here aside from the raspberry. A one dimensional beer but still a very good one. The ABV is very well hidden.

M - Medium body. Smooth. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 16:14:29 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Rhettroactive

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From 750mL bottle to Bruges hybrid glass on 10/3/11
*From notes

A: Gorgeous bright red. It's astoundingly lovely - I can easily say that I've seen a beer quite like it. A generous pour yields a 1.5 finger flaming pink head that looks like strawberry ice cream. The retention and lacing are top notch.

S: Stodgy Belgian style yeast and off-dry ripe red vine fruit.

T: Initially it's quite sweet, with a what tastes like real raspberries right in my glass. Really, I can't begin to tell you how well Founders nailed this, as I feel like I need to pick the seeds out of my teeth. It's pretty one note, though there is a touch of that yeastiness on the finish.

M: Well done. I'd like it a bit thicker, though seeing as it's not a milkshake, I can certainly understand why they kept a bit more approachable.

O: Founders Blushing Monk is an unexpected yet fantastic way to kick off their Backstage Series. It's one of the prettiest beers I've seen, and if you're into red fruit (specifically raspberries) don't be shy in tracking this one. I'm excited to see where this goes with some time in the cellar.

Thumbs up - this easily gets my recommendation.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 23:36:29 | More by Rhettroactive

beagle75

Iowa

3.88/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Opaque, dark red color showing ruby-tinted light at the edges; with a peripheral ring of pink-tinted foam. Light lacing remains on the glass.

S: Fresh raspberry juice that smells like it was squeezed from a particularly ripe and glorious bunch. No alcohol, or anything else aside from raspberries, is detected.

T: Begins sweet, with raspberry fruit that is honest and all-encompassing. There is a whiff of pale malt buried deep in the flavor profile, but juicy and acidic raspberry is true to the smell in its dominance here. No alcohol is detected.

M: Medium viscosity, syrupy and acidic on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: Barely appearing as beer, the Blushing Monk channels REAL raspberry qualities in a deceptively strong package. Even among fruit beers it stands apart, allowing the fruit to take over instead of making a place for it amidst other beer characteristics. Still, it is compelling, drinkable, and a success.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 19:53:37 | More by beagle75

raznug

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: This beer looks just like I was guessing blood red color with 1" with pink to reddish head.
Smell: Raspberries that is all I have to say.
Taste: Raspberries but it gets more complex after the first half of a sip. Yeast and tartness not sour but a tartness that makes me want to smack my lips.
Mouthfeel: It love how this beer goes down for a belgian/lambic it isn't to tart to drink and everything about it screams freshness. This beer is just as good as its New Glarus cousins maybe better. Will do a side by side someday to see if I am right.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 14:56:19 | More by raznug