Boaks Two Blind Monks Ale - Boak Beverage

dsa7783

New Jersey

4.72/5  rDev +33.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz single bottle purchased from Buy Rite on Oak Tree in South Plainfield...
From what I understand, this beer was created by an independent brewer in New Jersey, who also realeased Boak's Monster Mash Stout...
"A Rich, Malty, Dark Amber Beer Belgian Style Dubbel" on the front logo sticker...
Initially, I was pretty skeptical about this one, but the owner, Dan, assured me that this was a top-notch brew... He was right...
Pours a deep, dark, purple colored-hue with a giant-sized foamy and frothy head which exhibited adequate staying power and left a nice amount of lacing around the glass...
Great smell on this one... smokey, with a nice suggestion of roasted malts, candied sugars, and caramel...
Excellent smokey taste, replete with dehydrated fruits, malts, figs, prunes, toffee, and vanilla... I really loved the taste... didn't taste like a traditional Dubbel... more smokey and flavorful than most samples I've tried...
Alcohol was not listed on the bottle, but it wasn't too apparent, and well-masked behind a rich conglomeration of flavors...
Definitely recommended...

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2008 01:43:46 | More by dsa7783

Dvarneckas

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The Two Blind Monks Ale was Medium Amber in color, a Little Malty at 7.0% abv, a Little Tart from the Yeast, a Little Residual Sweetness from the Belgian Candy Sugar ... very interesting. This is a good beer for any season and any time of the day or night.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 19:21:47 | More by Dvarneckas

tone77

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a pretty, hazy amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of fruits, banana, yeast. Taste is good, lots of fruits, some spice, a bit malty. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall this is a high quality beer worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 16:06:35 | More by tone77

mentor

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle provided by VFerg. Thanks for the opportunity. Pours a half finger of light brown head over a cloudy red-brown liquid. Smells dark fruits, dry chocolate, clean alcohol sting, and lighter esters that I'd expect to find in a Trippel. Wet malty.

Tastes wet malty sweet on the pull that dries with chocolatey in the mouth. Nutty, toffee, sweetened toast, raisin, with some light-fruited esters and mild belgian phenolic character. Finish dries out leaving dry chocolate and a trace of ginger rising on light alcohol vapors. Md-full when in the mouth, but comes across lighter due to the fine carb that forms on the tongue. Well balanced flavors in intensities of comparable levels. Some time in the cellar could likely do this beer well to meld the flavors into a cohesive rolling experience. Enjoyable, but the sweet start begins to wear a bit by the end of the glass. Hits the style description very well.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2008 07:18:52 | More by mentor

kirok1999

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A really beautiful thing in the glass; a dark garnet when seen through the light and a nice rising off white head caps it off nicely.
Smell is very mild, some spice and candy notes, corriander, chocolate.
Taste is very nice, perfectly carbonated to release the rich yeasty notes, mild chocolate, dark fruit, candi sugar. This is absolutely my favorite dubbel so far as I'm not too fond of the style.
Darned if I didn't find myself wanting more of this. Really well done and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2008 00:53:34 | More by kirok1999

marcpal

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Purchased at Oak Tree, So Plainfield courtesy of recommendation from Dan. Thanks Dan, liked this one.

12oz poured into goblet.

A: Pour produced mahogany/dark brown color with an enormous head that was dusty white. Lacy was thick and sticky. Impressed.

S: Tons of malt and true Belgian aroma. More you smell, the more dried fruits and raisiny aroma and tons of malt again. Caramel and smoke made a good combo.

T: First thing that hit was a figgy flavor followed by strong smoke in the forefront and aftertaste. If any fault, a bit puckeringly sweet from the fruity lively malts. The sweetness mellowed out as it warmed and more of the chocolate and smoke was pleasant.

M: Chewy texture from the malt, almost cakelike in its sweetness. Paired well with dessert foods, this time on a warm spring day with chocolate ice cream

D: I definitely noticed the alcohol and I would have guessed it would have been more than the 7-8% the website had it listed. Not hot but noticeable. Still a drinkable worthwhile beer.

This was my first boak's and I look forward to getting back to Oak Tree and trying some of their other offerings.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2008 00:43:17 | More by marcpal

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a single from Abe's Six-pack in Bethlehem. Pours a mostly clear dark red with a short off-white head.

There are a lot of overly-sweet and unbalanced American-made Belgians in this world, but this hits pretty close to the mark. It's a touch sweeter than the likes of a Chimay Rouge, but still holds enough balanced complexity to make it a fine beer. The aroma holds a mixture of perfume and floral phenols with a dash of pepper. The flavor expands with a mild roasted barley flavor, akin to a nut brown, but backed up by sour cherries and blackberries. My only complaint is that to be truer to style, it should be naturally carbonated. Otherwise this is a very tasty, and apparently undiscovered, dubbel. Go buy one.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2008 03:51:32 | More by tempest

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got this compliments of thaichile in my first beer trade. 12 oz bottle poured into my Chimay Chalice

A- Body is a very cloudy nut brown color. Pours with a small white head that quickly fades to a thin collar around the glass. No lacing is left behind. Cloudiness is thick and uniform.

S- Nose is very rich with caramel, nuts and toffee. Nose is robust and sweet.

T- Sweet caramel and toffee come through upfront with a nutty overtone. Some yeast is noticeable in the background. A hint of roasted malt bitterness comes through for the finish. A hint of alcohol warmth lingers with all the other mentioned flavors.

M- Low carbonation and thick body. Smooth and rich with yeast. Very well done.

D- I would believe this beer were a dopplebock or even a Scottish ale before I would guess dubbel. The only resemblance it has to a classic dubbel is the yeast presence. But hey just because ti doesn't fit in doesn't mean it isn't a good beer. This one is rich and malty with a superb mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2008 02:38:47 | More by PittBeerGirl

guinness33

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep, dark ruby colour with a big-at-first frothy head that is fairly quick to dissolve to a thin lace and leaves minimal residue on the glass.

The aroma blends a good amount of somewhat earthy malt with Belgian candy sweetness. Dark berries and a bit of smoke also come into play for a well balanced effort.

Flavour is also well balanced with candy sweetness hitting you up front before quickly blending with rugged, earthy malt and smokey notes. Fruit flavour is most apparent at the middle of each sip before it kicks back to a more earth-like, dry finish that almost has some bread/dough flavour to it. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, lightly carbonated and a bit slick at times.

This was a nice first offering for me from Boak's. Definitely worth a try and definitely something I'd drink again.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2008 03:58:24 | More by guinness33

ATPete

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

capped 12oz bottle

*Yes the current label is quite crappy and plain, but i have seen the labels Mr. Boak has in store for the next batch of Two Blind Monks and Monster Mash and they are awesome!

A- Two Blind Monks pours a deep mahogany color with beautiful red highlights. A small tan head rises but dissipates very quickly. Good cola-like carbonation and no signs of sediment.

S- A very well defined nose, chocolate and sweet roasted malts are mostly dominant. Some real classic Belgian fruit and spice notes really add to its character and complexity.

T- The chocolate aroma and the malts harmonize together in this beer making this an excellent representation of a Belgian dubbel. Other tasting notes include candi sugar, coffee, subtle raison and some spice.

M- Medium body, great amount of carbonation, a tad bit sticky but yet it is a dubbel.

D- Excellent, this beer drinks wonderfully. For its retail price of only 1.99 this beer is incredible. I highly recommend picking a few up if spotted.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2008 14:30:46 | More by ATPete

Nutleybeer

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hoorah, something new from NJ...

Not a fancy bottle...but don't let that fool you...this is a nice beer. Pours with a deep, rich coppery-brown color. A nice head with some decent lacing. Mild carbonation seen. I served this in a goblet style glass.

A sweet, malty scent. Interesting...

A rich and pleasant taste...strong flavored, but goes down quite smooth. The maltiness remains throughout. Hints of dried fruits...raisins noted.

I was quite pleased. As the first offering from a new brewing company, this is different, unique and rather risky. Nice job!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2008 19:55:08 | More by Nutleybeer

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear dark, ruby hued brown. Flavor is full. Nice level of spice - quite a bit of it actually. Definitely a lot of malts there. Also the caramel tones are pretty heavy as well. A full carbonation that has a bite to it that sticks around and keeps attacking on the tongue. Liquid feels good too. Very easy to drink. A very good American interpretation of a Belgian style.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2008 14:39:49 | More by RblWthACoz

Monkeyknife

Missouri

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Many thanks to gkatsoris for this one.

Poured from the bottle a deep dark ruby red with a quickly fading tan head.

Aroma of raisins, dark cherries, toffee, malts, caramel, and alcohol.

The taste is much like the aroma. Raisins, dark ripe fruit, chocolate malts, bread, and caramel. I picked up some vanilla in the finish.

Medium bodied, rich and creamy, and lightly carbonated.

A nice dubbel to sit back with and relax.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2008 01:48:14 | More by Monkeyknife

hopdog

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle.

Poured a deeper reddish / brown color with a larger sized off white head. Aromas of raisins, fried banana chips, toffee, yeast, and plums. Tastes of raisins, plums, caramel, chocolate, and lighter yeast. Alcohol content well hidden.

Notes from 4/20/08

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2008 15:38:04 | More by hopdog

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Prohibition Taproom, Philly, PA

Poured into a stem glass, a dark mahogany color with a small off-white head. I actually inquired if I was poured the correct beer, because the appearance (and aroma) seemed very deviant from a typical dubbel. Aroma rich with caramel, molasses, and cocoa. Taste was, well, really good actually, though totally not what I expected. Rich and velvety smooth, with dark malts and chocolate up front, almost reminiscent of a sweet stout, mellowing out mid-palate to reveal more of the molasses and sweet dark sugars present in the aroma, with touches of bready yeast, cherries and plums. Surprisingly complex and very tasty. Medium-bodied and very drinkable. My friend who was with me ended up ordering 3 in a row, and I would've done the same, but I like to diversify when I'm at the bar.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2011 13:15:06 | More by Rifugium

saccro

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - copper/amber. Nice foamy head that reduces to a film. No lace. Fairly clear

S - sweet. malty. maybe a little cidery. cherry and raisins. belgian phenolics. Not too much alcohol. No hops.

T - sweet. caramel. dried fruits. belgian phenolics. Alcohol in the background. This is a pretty good beer. Not sure why people would hammer it.

M - moderate carbonation. sweet. alcohol warmth

D - a bit heavy, but a decent belgian beer for an american brewery.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 02:44:48 | More by saccro

tjd112

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation - Poured into Chimay glass

Appearance - Brown body with a bit of copper, half-finger head white head which has medium retention and a little bit of lacing

Smell - Bready and malty with some sour fruit inside

Taste - Raisins and figs come out

Mouthfeel - Very smooth, well carbonated, and tart

Drinkability - A meal in a glass

Overall - A good example of a dubbel

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2009 15:33:54 | More by tjd112

ToddT

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Hazy caramel color topped with a large khaki colored head. Head falls slowly and leaves lots of rings of lace on the glass.

S- Banana, clove, spice, caramel, and hints of yeast. Classic aroma of a Belgian styled dubble.

T- Taste follows the nose pretty closely. Banana, clove and spice right away, then some candied fruit notes and caramel. Finish has a slight sour note to it, not unpleasant just a little unexpected, and a lingering funky final note.

M- Medium in body and well carbonated, the finish is dry and clean.

O- Solid beer, a classic representation of the style, nothing too special, but not one to turn down either. The 7.0% ABV is well hidden and this is drinkable brew, just wish it stood out form the crowd a little more.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 02:49:27 | More by ToddT

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Koopa for this one. (trade)

It sure looked like a homebrew from the start. I was intrigued.

Poured a cloudy brown color that has some visible carbonation on the edges. The head was off white and about 2 fingers in thickness. It faded quickly back into the beer and didn't leave much lacing behind as the beer was consumed.

Aroma was malty sweet with dark fruits present.

Flavor was frankly, much nice than I expected. Don't judge a book by its cover??
Good. Sweet malty goodness up front that had lots of dried fruits involved. Dates, figs etc. Then I got a sense of ripe fruits like cherries or something. A little hop bitterness near the end for balance. Can detect the alcohol.

Mouth feel was fairly light and rather bright. While there was a sweetness it wasn't overly sticky.

Very drinkable and nice. Really glad I had the opportunity to try this one.

Well done.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2008 23:23:28 | More by Reagan1984

SHU06Les

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Chimay glass. Pours a dark amber, with little head. This is the first dubbel that I've had, so I'm not sure if it's consistent with the style. Smells of dark fruit and malt. The taste is the same. It's a very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 01:36:35 | More by SHU06Les

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.85/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I got this bottle in a trade with Nutbrown. Thanks Alan!

A cloudy reddish brown in colour with a 1 finger head of foam. Lacing is good.

The smell has a light nose...I get some roasted malt and maybe something on the tart side. It's very hard to draw anything out.

The taste has a roasted malt flavour up front with some nut flavour and some spiciness. There's a light tartness here which I'll call black cherries, maybe a touch of toffee. Interesting flavours with nothing really jumping out at you but I'm finding, judging from the frequent sips I'm taking, that it's pretty darned drinkable and the alcohol is well hidden.

It has a medium mouthfeel with light carbonation and it finishes lighty spicy and bitterish. A good brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2008 23:50:01 | More by Bitterbill

donniecuffs

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a weizen glass. Mahogany brown with a big off-white head, but spotty lace. The aroma included maple syrup, molasses, black cherry, and blackberry. The taste certainly featured dark fruit, but also included dark chocolate/cocoa, and dissolved into a tart/sweet finish. Overall fairly impressive flavor variety, but the feel was surprisingly thin for a dubbel. However, the thin body makes for a good 'session dubbel', if such a thing exists.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2009 05:35:16 | More by donniecuffs

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appears a semi transparent chestnut toned amber with a small white head that fades into a gentle collar. Tiny spots of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of cocoa, cola, raisins, cherries, sandalwood, vanilla, and brown sugar.
Taste is of brown sugar, dates, caramel, dried apricots, golden raisins, and ripe fruit.
Mouthfeel is full bodied, spicy, sweet, dry, and yeasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 02:07:28 | More by weeare138

LeftyEtc

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-A dark amber body topped by a thin white head that quickly recedes to a faint ring a-round you glass.

S-Smells appetizing, lightly roasted malts and a fruity cherry smell.

T-An initial malty sweetness makes way for a nutty finish. Hardly any aftertaste and no alcohol burn.

M-Thin and very little carination make this a highly drinkable beer, i wish there was more intense flavor from Belgian yeast. Good beer and well made. Happy to support a local brewery especially one that makes so many great beers.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 21:19:02 | More by LeftyEtc

erok

New York

3.73/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark amber, clear, beautiful color, actually, poured with little head that dissipated rapidly, with decent lacing.
S: Not much going on hear, some toffee and yeast
T: Very malty, toffee sweetness, some spice. A bit stronger hoppy bitterness than is usual for the style.
M: A bit too carbonated, which is strange given the lack of carbonation during the pour. Otherwise, has nice body and coats the mouth. Some alcoholic heat.
D: It encourages larger sips and rewards with a malty burst that I wish lasted a little longer.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 01:44:45 | More by erok