Gregorius - Stift Engelszell

Dennoman

Belgium

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Ah, the (in)famous eigth trappist beer. Let's see what all the fuss is about, shall we?

2012 bottle, 33 cl. Didn't as much gush when opened, but kept frothing up significantly. Took five minutes to pour.

A: Poured with the yeast, as I always do, this looks like a latté. Pours a murky, creamy brown with a massive beige head. Head disappates to a half finger in ten minutes or so. Fairly appealing, but strange color.

S: Burnt toast and yeasty aroma, something slightly acidic resembling fresh coffee bean roast, even though there's no coffee in here. Roasted malts I'm guessing. No hops to speak of.

T: Roasty onset, smooth middle and a roasty bitter finish. Not very complex, but roastier than any of the other trappists. This leans more towards the stout spectrum of things. Slight booze undercurrent.

M: Creamy, smooth, almost powdery and dry finish. This is one of those beers that MAKE you thirsty. Not great, but befitting the style I guess.

O: Definitely one of the better trappists, but so unusual it's hard to brand it as thus. Nice roastiness that's reminiscent of a decent stout, but it's mostly the muddy brown color and strange powdery mouthfeel that just don't do it for me. Would recommend and drink if given to me, but not likely buy again until it drops in price here, which is likely to happen in the next few years.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 19:29:38 | More by Dennoman

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

As the "little brother" of the Trappist brewing, Stift Engelszell steps into the Strong Dark Ale arena with a bold and majestic ale that carries a regal sense of complexity and with superb drinkability.

Gregorius pours with a deep dark russet brown hue and the expected yeasty rust haze. The beer calmly builds a creamy but short off-white head. Though the beer is restrained with its foamy lacing, it does celebrates brandy-type legging that coats the glass with malt oils with a gentle swirl of the chalice.

Creamy candied aromas and taste begin with an elegant sweetness that's reminescent of grape, hard candy, and powdered sugar. Combined with the robust tastes of grilled dark fruit, blackcurrant, cabernet, mild chocolate, light coffee grind, cola nuts and cashews- the taste is varying but savory and sweet. Added complexities arise with raisin, plumb and prune as the beer warms and the taste buds invite more delicate character. A balance of vinous woods and black pepper balance the sweetness and fruit and close the beer with a dry sweetness that's every bit as wine-like as ale.

Its firm and creamy body is rich, savory and succulent with its initial sip. But finishing warm, its evident that the malts have receded, the bitterness of wood oils rises, and the alcohols pronounce.

And with the same type of satisfaction of Koningshoeven La Trappe Quad, Gregorius has fit the Trappist Strong Dark Ale taste, complexity, and drinakability to a tee.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 07:01:41 | More by BEERchitect

NOLANDMAN

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +22%

05-21-2013 04:58:50 | More by NOLANDMAN

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.4%

05-21-2013 04:32:47 | More by Jason1337

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

From the 11.2 fl. oz. bottle that is stamped "Brewed in Year 2012/11." Sampled on May 20, 2013.

It pours dark brown with a lingering mocha head and a slight cloudy look. Decent lacing.

The honey with which it is brewed does introduce itself in a low profile sort of way after I get over the boozy hump. It evolves into something sweet. Also noted on the nose is coffee and dark fruit like cherry or currant.

The body is pretty bold.

The honey is a little difficult to find in the flavor. Instead my taste buds are teased with dark malts, cherry, licorice, coffee, and a slightly lingering bitterness at the end. There are some characteristics that I like about this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 22:05:52 | More by puboflyons

LiquidCucumber

Ohio

3.89/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle dated 11/2012

Pours very dark brown/purple with about a half finger of head. The lacing seems to cling fairly well, so I will give them that. The aroma comes off as very earthy almost chocolatey and the typical BSDA fruit flavors are muted. There is definitely a lot of fruit here compared to other beers, but for the style, I don't think I've smelled anything like it. The flavor it a bit more typical, but I think this beer is trying to do its own thing. I've got lots of cherry and bit of fig, but that dark earth also really comes through due to the dryness of this brew. It's quite a bit different than its Trappist brethren, but that is quite alright. It also is a little untamed, as in hot. After the monks perfect their brewing arts in the coming years [I assume they are getting help from the other Trappists], we will have a world-class beer here.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 00:09:05 | More by LiquidCucumber

jtladner

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

05-19-2013 17:46:51 | More by jtladner

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

05-19-2013 17:10:18 | More by RedneckBeerz

acurtis

New Jersey

2.25/5  rDev -39%

05-18-2013 20:22:28 | More by acurtis

djrn2

New Jersey

2/5  rDev -45.8%

05-18-2013 20:15:37 | More by djrn2

throwback

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

05-15-2013 18:12:06 | More by throwback

beesy

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

05-15-2013 00:56:25 | More by beesy

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

(found and consumed a bottle at Belmont Station, Portland)

A: dark brown and opaque.... leaves molasses-y legs

S: smells of latrine.... caramel/cream-infused coffee, with the roast sanded off

T: Belgian brown, immediate prejudice... kinda like the lovechild of Gouden Carolus Classic and Orval?... mellow sour/tart tinge, sweet phenols, long toffee finish - sum of the parts balance well in the aftertaste.... later, getting more of bubblegum and grapefruit cushioned by thick, velvet malt

M: smooth-ass, med-full body... not hot

O: not bad at all... a little rough around the edges... all in all, Trappist worthy?

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 04:13:46 | More by Bouleboubier

Brenden

Ohio

3.71/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

This ale from the world's most recent trappist brewery is a thick medium brown color. It develops a moderately-sized light brown head with equally moderate retention and a pretty good bit of patching on the glass.
This beer has hints of the sweetness I'd expect from the style without going full on with it. It makes for an interesting character, perhaps something a little different in the trappist arena. There is honey used in the brewing process, something that shows in a particular character without the sweetness that's lost in the brewing process. There are, however, notes of toffee and molasses along with the earthiness and bready malts. Just a hint of dark fruits are in there also. There's an earthiness from both yeast and hops that comes out more strongly on the tongue. The note of clove is subtle. While unusual, it does make for a pretty good beer.
This one doesn't have all the big but balanced richness of the greats, but it's certainly not bad. It has enough body, though I might prefer a touch more, and displays a little dryness coming into the finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 17:05:53 | More by Brenden

sneaks2210

New York

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

05-08-2013 02:39:10 | More by sneaks2210

TallSaint

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%

05-07-2013 23:38:51 | More by TallSaint

mklisz

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +8.4%

05-07-2013 20:04:31 | More by mklisz

tehzachatak

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

05-05-2013 23:14:41 | More by tehzachatak

marct

Nevada

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

05-04-2013 00:42:28 | More by marct

spycow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

05-02-2013 05:06:26 | More by spycow

tripledbrew

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

05-02-2013 01:41:44 | More by tripledbrew

bskrtz

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Served cold in glass beer challis.

A) Dense, dark milk chocolate. Suspended fine carbonation with yeasties floating about. Missing the billowy off-white head. Other than that, looks like a classic Belgian Brune

S) Deliciously sweet sour mash. Mild esthers, sour dough, baked apple pie

T) Sweet cooked caramel malts dominate. Stewed dark fruit, figs, raisons. Very complex.

M) Sticky but smooth. This bottle was lacking in carbonation, hence a bit flat. Without proper transport and storage, it may not be the beer. However its a bit flat no matter who's fault

O) A good example of the Trappist Belgian Brune

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 01:25:08 | More by bskrtz

Rohkey

Michigan

4/5  rDev +8.4%

04-26-2013 16:15:07 | More by Rohkey

UCLABrewN84

California

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Brewed in 2012.

Pours a murky brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of malt, honey, dark fruit, and some earthy hop aromas. Taste is much the same with toasted bread and fruity flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp but medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but it's much more earthy and slightly rough compared to how I thought it would be.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 03:55:43 | More by UCLABrewN84

impending

California

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

B+

33cl into a tulip. Pours a deep copper bronze, minor tan head, minor lacing.

Aroma is of sweet dark fruits, spicy and herbal. At the last moment faint mentholatum comes forth nicely.

Sweet yet dry. A foundation of mild molasses and semi sweet caramel. A nice herbal bitter long evolving aftertaste like roasted tree bark.
delicious, wonderful at room temp
these may be the first Trappists to brew a stout
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 06:11:07 | More by impending