Monk's Brew (Red Wine Barrel Aged With Raspberries) - Mikkeller ApS

Dontcounttoday

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.3%

08-06-2012 01:12:18 | More by Dontcounttoday

Abrengle

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

05-23-2013 01:17:45 | More by Abrengle

Bandi

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

05-18-2013 19:46:55 | More by Bandi

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a murky brown in color with light amounts of visible carbonation, moderate amounts of visible sediment in suspension, and some reddish highlights. The beer has a half finger tall sudsy dark beige head that reduces to a thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer with a medium sized patch of medium thickness of larger bubbles and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of red wine, tart raspberries, and some lighter notes of Belgian yeast.

T: Upfront there are moderate to strong flavors of tart raspberries (like ones that had been soaked in red wine) and red wine. Lighter notes of dark fruit sweetness with a touch of plum and fig and a solid malty body. Very light notes of oak with a moderate hint of alcohol in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of acidic prickliness.

O: Easier to drink than I was expecting and the alcohol is well hidden - I thought there was going to be a fair amount of alcohol warming based on the smell and style. Nice complexity but not quite the combination of flavors that I was expecting for a Quad... Definitely interesting.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 19:34:59 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is very hazy brown in color and has some yest particles visible near the bottom of the glass. It poured with a thin beige head that died down a bit, leaving a thin head covering the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of dark malts and raspberries are present in the nose - the raspberries remind me of a linzertort.
T: The taste has flavors of sweet raspberry purée along with notes of dark malts and hints of red wine.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little tart and dry on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is rather easy to drink because it hides its alcohol very well. The raspberries and wine barrel aging make it taste unlike most other quads.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 19:34:50 | More by metter98

smithj4

New York

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

05-18-2013 19:27:53 | More by smithj4

juankzas

Mexico

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

05-06-2013 14:23:36 | More by juankzas

tuckerlikesbeer

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1.3%

04-23-2013 03:21:17 | More by tuckerlikesbeer

BeerNotes

Ohio

3.54/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: Dark, dark brown with the slightest ruby hint. Khaki head. Very light lacing.

S: Fresh raspberries and red wine mixed with champagne. Oak. Hints of black cherry. Very effervescent on the nose.

T: Holy hell, this is a difficult beer to describe. There’s so much going on. Mixes of raspberry, plum, fig, and cherry. There’s a subtle sweetness that turns a bit sour near the end.

M: Very prickly. Bubbly like a champagne. The mouthfeel reinforces the aroma. Dry at the very end.

O: The fact that this is a beer astounds me. Supersedes any lambic I’ve had. It has so many wine/champagne characteristics. The alcohol is masked almost completely until the very end, but you can feel it on the way down. The only hint of grains comes up front, but dissipates quickly. The finish is unlike almost any other beer. That being said, I wish it had just a touch more beer to it; something to really let me know what it is I’m drinking. It’s really delicious, though. An excellent dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 18:25:17 | More by BeerNotes

Resuin

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

04-12-2013 22:15:46 | More by Resuin

Wowcoolman

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

04-06-2013 01:34:56 | More by Wowcoolman

MystikCelt

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

03-28-2013 05:29:53 | More by MystikCelt

MNBeer1017

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

03-27-2013 02:26:00 | More by MNBeer1017

Poupae

Thailand

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

03-24-2013 06:56:52 | More by Poupae

Jordantb313

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

03-23-2013 04:08:53 | More by Jordantb313

jamiecoppin

North Dakota

4/5  rDev +1.3%

03-10-2013 17:08:20 | More by jamiecoppin

clevbrown2

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

02-20-2013 02:01:48 | More by clevbrown2

BibsBrewing

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -24.1%

02-19-2013 03:37:19 | More by BibsBrewing

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.01/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

this is extraordinary, but much much different than the regular monks brew, which I recall being so luxurious and rich, I think the acid of the wine barrels cuts through some of that delicacy, but its still lovely in this version. pours a red tinted brown color, syrupy looking in texture with a decent tan head that fades out relatively quickly. the nose is pucker, almost sour, wine tannins and acid, raspberry jam, Belgian yeast. the flavor hits hard, tart as hell from the berries, which are really fresh like all of mikkellers fruited beers. the yeast is robust, and its hard to tell if red or white wine barrels were used, but I kind of think maybe a blend of both, because this has some features of both. honestly, the fruit and barrel treatment almost overwhelm my favorite features of the regular monks brew, the rich chocolate malt interacting with that huge Belgian yeast. the feel here is acidic and thick, carbonation lacking just a bit, but it still feels like something fancy, which I cant really describe but I like it a lot. overall a clever beer, that's been turned totally upside down in this variation. the fruit adds a lot, good stuff. booze is invisible, look out.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 19:13:58 | More by StonedTrippin

ADTaber

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

02-06-2013 12:48:28 | More by ADTaber

Dan3279

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

02-06-2013 02:08:45 | More by Dan3279

KimenTshom

California

4.75/5  rDev +20.3%

02-01-2013 22:13:12 | More by KimenTshom

mitlinks

Switzerland

5/5  rDev +26.6%

01-31-2013 20:07:02 | More by mitlinks

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark black with a touch of brown around the edges and a finger of frothy khaki-brown head. Fades normal.

S - Sweet dark caramel malts, plums, raisins, other dark fruits, raspberries, oak, red wine, Belgian yeast, clove and other spices, candi sugars, some booze.

T - Sweet dark caramel malts, lots of raspberries, plums, raisins, dates, other dark fruits, oak, vanilla, red wine, some sourness and sour cherry, Belgian yeasts, clove, other spices, candi sugars, some booze.

M - Full bodied, moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet, spicy, lightly sour, and warming finish.

D - Really nicely balanced Quad with a great mouthfeel. Raspberries and red wine add some great complexity.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 06:16:33 | More by ngeunit1

adamette

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Live review. Poured from the 12.7 oz. bottle that I bought at Save-On in Mentor for $12.99 last week. 4401204 stamped on the top of the cap, over the gold foil which covers the cap. I am not sure what that might mean or if it is even significant. Poured into a clean, clear glass.

A Murky dark black cherry body that does not let light through but there are edges of dark black cherry. On top of that body is a significant 3 inch light brown head with only moderate pour that lingers for 3 minutes. Additionally, a LOT of sediment in the bottom of the bottle makes it even more murky as you get closer to the bottom of the bottle. Great look. 4.5

S Sweet malt with raspberries. I expected this given the style and the inclusion of raspberries. I guess it is even more sweet with a "deeper" raspberry smell than I might have guessed. The smell is magnetic! 4.0

T Wow, there is so much going on with the taste of this beer....where to start?
First is a Kriek like tartness, the middle is a very sweet malt, there is a sense of red wine also in the middle and then a finish of some heat (alcohol). The raspberry is certainly there too but not like a raspberry from, say, Lindeman's Framboise (a kind of candy or fruit punch raspberry) but more of (like mentioned already) a tart Kriek like raspberry. This might be the most dynamic tasting beer that I have ever tasted! It is nothing if not challenging and complex. 4.5

M The kriek tartness, the significant malt sweetness, the sense of red wine and the heat of the alcohol all drive up the mouthfeel for me. The beer dances across my tongue in a symphony of tastes. 4.5

D/O Drinkability is not that good. The huge ABV and "big" tastes means that I could only ever have one of these in an evening (as I will this evening). Additionally, it costs more than $1 per ounce so that drives down the drinkability for me. Overall this is a very interesting beer. I suspect, though, that only beer geeks (like me) would be interested since it is so
1. expensive and
2. complex, challenging rating: 4.0

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 03:28:35 | More by adamette