Gregorius - Stift Engelszell

WillCarrera

Illinois

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Churchkey in DC, poured into a balloon glass.

A- Pours nearly black, held up to light it reveals some burgundy hues, produces a thin khaki head.

S- Mix of dark fruits (fig, dates, raisins), and roasted malt, maybe some coffee and dark chocolate.

T-Big sweet flavor, at first I'm getting a lot of roasted grain with coffee and chocolate, almost porter-like, but on subsequent sips the dark fruit becomes more prominent. Lots of figs, raisins, maybe some leather. There's a bit of sweet, fruity alcohol on the end with medicinal phenol flavor.

M- Medium to full-bodied, creamy, rich feel.

O- A very interesting beer, it definitely sets itself apart from its Belgian counterparts, definitely give this a try, although the fruity, rich sweetness makes it a sipper.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2012 03:22:03 | More by WillCarrera

unclekeith

Alaska

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%

06-19-2013 15:45:53 | More by unclekeith

Dave_Treat

Virginia

4/5  rDev +8.1%

06-19-2013 02:20:04 | More by Dave_Treat

DerekMorgan

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -18.9%

06-19-2013 01:00:58 | More by DerekMorgan

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.71/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bottle into a chalice glass

Appearance – The beer pours a deep mahogany color with a small cream colored head. The head fades rather fast leaving a decent level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell- The aroma is fruity and sweet with a lot of dark fruits of cherry, prune and raisin as well as a good dose of caramel. Along with these is a bit of a caramel smell as well as some lightly sour aromas.

Taste – The taste begins with a rather sweet flavor with lots of cherry and prune mixed with a bit of caramel upfront. There is a bit of yeast and a bready flavors upfront with the sweet which grow stronger as the taste advances. Notes of a little banana and spice come to the tongue as the yeast grows slightly stronger. A small amount of alcohol comes to the tongue more toward the end of the taste mixing with a lighter herbal and some more bready flavors. In the end, with the warming alcohol tastes mixed with the fruit and bready flavors, one is left with a rather warming and sweet taste to be left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel- The body of the beer is on the average side for a beer of its strength with a carbonation level that is on the slightly lower side. Both are good for the more warming characteristics of the brew, but slightly under carbonated for the very fruity flavors of the beer. Overall though it is quite alright.

Overall – A rather decent Belgian Quad that is on the sweeter side but still quite appropriate in taste in terms of its quad classification. Even though it is under most of the other Trappist beers, in my opinion, it is still rather tasty and well worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2013 00:02:26 | More by Darkmagus82

samEBC

Belgium

4/5  rDev +8.1%

06-16-2013 20:33:51 | More by samEBC

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.64/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3.5

Solid brown color and very cloudy. Strong initial head, but it settles quickly to a single layer of bubbles. Some spotty lace.

Burnt sugar and dark caramel are the first smells I detect. I also sense large pit fruit like plum and apricot.

Semi-sweet--that is to say it is less sweet than the caramel smell. It's also less burnt than the nose. The body is relatively thin. Strong darker (chocolate or dark crystal) malt flavor. Very warming from the bountiful alcohol level. The swallow enhances this and has an essence of cherry brandy. High carbonation level.

Very flavorful, but not really balanced. The mouthfeel is closer to soda than most beers.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 00:49:03 | More by smcolw

cowboy83

New York

4.5/5  rDev +21.6%

06-12-2013 14:55:06 | More by cowboy83

potownbill

New York

1.89/5  rDev -48.9%
look: 1 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

I am not sure what happened to this beer, whether it was the dregs of the batch or not, but the bottle was around 50% sediment. I poured it into a tulip glass, and it clugged like a spoiled bottle of milk. One sip was all I could handle, and the smell was musty. I don't think I am going to try this again, given that it was not cheap, and there are better beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 12:03:35 | More by potownbill

ScottyDuzntNo

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +28.4%

06-09-2013 04:38:53 | More by ScottyDuzntNo

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -12.2%

06-08-2013 15:12:23 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

ajzy

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

06-01-2013 13:33:02 | More by ajzy

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -12.2%

05-30-2013 14:01:38 | More by ShanePB

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-28-2013 22:04:41 | More by Kmat10

JeffreyJDavis

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 330ml bottle straight from the cellar at 54F into a Westy 12 mini-chalice.

A: Looks great! A rich dark chestnut / mahogany color with more head than I am accustomed to on a quad or BSDA. About 2.5 fingers of caramel head which receded slowly with pretty persistent lacing legs.

N: Not as pungent as would be expected, a pretty mellow nose to me. Vinous aroma with sweetness, dark fruits and nuttiness. Not boozy to me at all. Not a bad nose, just nowhere as big or complex as I expected.

T: A delicious desert sipper. Relatively sweet, but not cloying at all. I wouldn't tag it as honey, more like toffee and molasses. Earthy flavors of figs, raisins and noble rot grapes combined with caramel and mild nuttiness. It's not near as complex as a Westy 12 , Rochefort 10 or Pannepot Reserva, but that's not necessarily bad. Also missing most of the licorice or medicinal herbality which I am not a fan of.

MF: Great , creamy mouthfeel which feels lovely as each sip slides down. Very smooth and velvety. Carbonation is ample which helps the balance of the feel.

O: Overall, this is a very nice beer and worthy of the Trappist Product designation. It's not quite on the same level as best in class quads mentioned above, but it's well worth searching out and trying, especially if you are a Trappist Explorer!!

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 21:21:18 | More by JeffreyJDavis

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

3.81/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 330ml bottle. Pours a beautiful deep mahogany red. This beer has quite a robust nose that's redolent of red wine, cooked fruits and booze. It smells amazingly rich and fruity. The taste is similar, with a lot of sweet fruit notes, caramel malt notes, plenty of booze and a tart, dry finish. Great post-meal sipper.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 20:45:09 | More by CookstLiquor

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-26-2013 23:56:28 | More by dalepryor

jtdolla911

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +21.6%

05-23-2013 02:26:11 | More by jtdolla911

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a five+ finger light tan head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Opaque dark brown color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Dark fruit and honey nose, flavor is more molasses than honey and earthy coffee. Pricey at $6.99 for a 330ml bottle from Julio's Liquors Westborough, MA. Brewed Nov 2012.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 22:22:52 | More by jdhilt

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%
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 +21.6%

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

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.1%

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

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.8/5  rDev +2.7%
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 +5.1%
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 -5.4%

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