Aardmonnik - Earthmonk - De Struise Brouwers

bkilpatr

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 330 ml bottle into an Ommegang chalice. 01/10/09. Batch 7. Cool label artwork.

Pours a very dark mahogany brown with no head at all except for a ring around the edge of the glass. Aroma is very earthy, tart, and sour with wood, darker fruits, and cherry.

Taste is tart and sour with lots of dark fruit (prune, fig) and cherry. Very earthy taste with wood/oak barrel. A bit of vinegar in the finish. Pretty dry and has a red wine-like taste.

Feel is very smooth with a medium body. Very little carbonation, which works well for this beer. Definitely a sipper. Drinkability is very good. It's not too heavy or too sour.

Overall, a very good sour ale. Very tasty and a pleasure to drink. Very expensive though (~$15 for 330ml). If you like sour ales give it a shot.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2009 04:34:54 | More by bkilpatr

jkane101

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-16-2013 22:16:35 | More by jkane101

Kelp

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-13-2013 23:54:01 | More by Kelp

mdaschaf

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

05-08-2013 20:49:45 | More by mdaschaf

Cstromberg57

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-08-2013 00:08:10 | More by Cstromberg57

cadaugherty

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

04-12-2013 03:58:02 | More by cadaugherty

josephwa

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1.3%

03-13-2013 21:45:36 | More by josephwa

Jspriest

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

02-25-2013 22:13:43 | More by Jspriest

imperialking

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.3%

02-13-2013 18:49:41 | More by imperialking

CheapBeerBuzz

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

02-07-2013 05:49:32 | More by CheapBeerBuzz

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Big thanks to JLindros for sharing this at the End of the World party. Poured into a Kate the Great tulip. 2008 Vintage, reviewed from notes.

A - Pours a nice molasses clear hue with minimal wisps but very, very nice legs.

S - Dark raisins, sweet malts, light sweet and sour alcohol notes. Very light funk.

T - Taste is mellow sour and light funk. Lots of cherries, figs, raisins, prunes, light alcohol and faint chocolate.

M - Mouthfeel is smooth and watery. Nice and flemmy with no carbonation which is somewhat to be expected.

O - Overall this is tasty. Held up well to age. Very glad I got to try this vintage!

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 17:15:57 | More by rudzud

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.75

2008 bottle. Thanks Hoppypocket!!

Appearance. Pours a deep red-brown with just a skim of amber-tinted head.

Smell. Boozy raisins and vinegar,cherry and sweet over-ripe dark fruits and a little vanilla and old dank wood. Nice.

Taste. Dark cherry and old wood, some smooth booze and raisins and just a bit of malt vinegar and sherry. Fairly sweet and lightly sour.

Mouthfeel. Medium-full body with very, very little carbonation.

Overall. A nice tasting Oud Bruin but some more carbonation would be nice ...maybe a bit past it's prime.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 02:45:11 | More by Rutager

gory4d

New York

4/5  rDev +1.3%

01-22-2013 17:42:05 | More by gory4d

Gonzoillini

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.3%

01-21-2013 00:16:32 | More by Gonzoillini

AlexFields

Tennessee

3/5  rDev -24.1%

01-13-2013 20:10:57 | More by AlexFields

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Been sitting on this a while, and big thanks to weibull for it. '08 vintage.

Carbonation is all gone, no head, dark molasses brown color, little light coming through the thick hazy sediment, and some nice legs on the side of the glass.

Nose starts with sour brown malts, raisin, plum, date, fig, nutty, very little funk, little molasses and porter like dark malts even.

Taste is fairly sour but not a lot, big malty base, molasses, dark caramel, chewy, soured brown malt mash, dark fruits with raisin, fig, date, etc again. A light bitterness comes in, with a bit of brown sugar and nutty flavors. Finish is flemmy, sour brown malts and fruits lingering, a touch of oxidation comes in on the end.

Mouth is flemmy, no carbonation, slightly slimy, but the booze is hidden well.

Overall pretty nice. A nicely aged oud bruin, great flavors, although the lack of carbonation and slight oxidation take away a bit. Still a decent beer but not among the greats.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 17:04:06 | More by jlindros

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

330 mL bottle poured into a De Struise chalice. 2008 on the label, best by 4/27/2016.

Appearance - Pours with no head. A few stray bubbles. A lifeless dirty pondwater brownish red.

Smell - Huge red wine nose to it. I could smell it as I poured it. Balsamic vinegary acidity. Deep malts come through. Molasses? Definitely a chocolate presence to it as well. Oak and some faint greenish herbal notes.

Taste - A multifaceted beer for sure. Lots of brown sugar and molasses with a dose of mild vinegar acidity. Darker malts come through. Slight coffee flavor to it. Adds an interesting dimension. Vinous wine notes and oak. The vinegar sourness comes back with a sharp bite in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Yeah, it's nearly still. It has a tiny bit of carbonation. It doesn't really ruin the beer, but it would be nice to have some carbonation.

Overall - Reminds me of a BFM beer. Incredibly complex with blatant flaws. Not something I could drink regularly, but this was a nice treat this afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 22:18:53 | More by Alieniloquium

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.48/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Review no. 700 - time to pull out something special.

A 330ml bottle with a BB of April 2016. 2008 vintage. Acquired some time ago from a Belgian webshop and stored in my garage. I've been looking forward to this one. Love the strange label image...

Poured into a Duvel tulip. A deep reddish-brown hue that appears cherry black in the glass. Virtually no head; just a few flaccid tawny bubbles floating on the surface. I guess the carbonation has gone AWOL. The aroma is rich and intense - a mingling of balsamic vinegar, sherry, wine, cherries, plums, raisins, stone fruits, brown sugar, caramel/molasses and wood. Slightly sweet, with a musty, earthy sourness. There is a whiff of solvent/alcohol in the background (initially hot and reminiscent of acetone), though this mellows out after a while. A fantastically complex olfactory experience!

The taste is fervently sour and fruity, with a lingering dry finish. Notes of balsamic vinegar, sherry, wine, cherries, prunes/plums, dried fruit, brown sugar, caramel/molasses and wood. It possesses an incredible vinous, oxidised quality that puckers the tongue and stimulates the palate. Slightly sweet, with a sharp, piercing tartness. A long fruity finish as the flavours slowly release their hold on your tastebuds. Mouthfeel is smooth and rich, with good body and tingly acidity. However the beer is completely flat and lacking in texture, which spoils the taste and makes it feel thinner than it probably should. Highly astringent - dries the palate. Aftertaste of sweet 'n' sour fruitiness; vinegary and delicious.

Wow - what a beer. The complexity and range of flavours are incredible, even though I find it quite a challenging brew. The sour, vinegar character is nicely balanced by sweetness and fruity notes. The glaring flaw is the lack of carbonation, which detracts from the mouthfeel but also affects the flavour. I'm sure that the experience on the palate would be different with greater CO2 presence. Nonetheless, this is an impressive effort from de Struise and one that I'm happy to have tried. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but well worth sampling if you have the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 03:28:38 | More by jazzyjeff13

BourbonBetty

Maine

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Beautiful dark brown, burgundy color. Lovely clarity but absolutely no head or lacing.
A variety of aromas: raisins, tobacco, red wine most prominent. A little caramelized mustiness.
Bright burst of dark fruits with a tangy, acidic finish. Finish is bold but dies quickly. Stops just shy of vinegar.
Could be more carbonated but the acidity lends the needed tingle.
Overall, while lacking the mouthfeel and head retention that would bump this one up a few notches, really very satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 00:32:21 | More by BourbonBetty

ElGallo

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

11-19-2012 17:38:50 | More by ElGallo

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +1.3%

11-19-2012 00:28:25 | More by t0rin0

haz77

United Kingdom (England)

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 vintage

A - A hard pour yields a dark brown liquid with a handful of bubbles in place of a head. This is as expected given the brewing process, but isn't the most handsome beer I've seen.

S - Aroma fills the air as soon as the bottle is opened. Getting the nose into the glass gives red wine vinegar, nail polish remover, chocolate, warm Christmas spices, bubblegum, stewed stone fruit. Interesting and unlike any beer I can recall.

T - The first mouthful is a slap of rounded vinegar flavours that pushes everything else in there to one side. Knowing what to expect the second time, there are plasticky phenols run the length of the drink. There is a transition of solvent flavours into red wine vinegar, into balsamic vinegar along with the tannic grip of red wine. Bubblegum lingers through the middle along with some red berries and stone fruit. The aftertaste is unsurprisingly tart and mouthwatering.

M - Medium body with soft carbonation that fades halfway through the drink. Solid, if unremarkable.

D - Plenty of punch and interest here, although I think I would prefer it with some years on it to smooth the currently aggressive edges.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 11:58:37 | More by haz77

bauermj

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

10-19-2012 19:45:19 | More by bauermj

s1ckboy

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

09-29-2012 02:44:00 | More by s1ckboy

bigedct

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +1.3%

09-23-2012 02:23:24 | More by bigedct