Gregorius - Stift Engelszell

BeerIsland

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A FaceBook alert had me out on the trail for this draft. Deep brown with a sweet head made this an attactive tulip. This is a complex, big beer but tart enough to desire a second. Although Belgian style through and through, the Austrian have provided enough of a different take to stand out. Thanks, Paul, for getting this one on.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2012 04:07:31 | More by BeerIsland

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Birch.

A - Nice head. Very dark brown/black color.

S - Bready, yeasty, substantial.

T - Spicy, peppery, raisiny, a bit of leather. Am I drinking a Belgian Strong or a Bordeau?

M - Perfect balance of flavors and booze.

O - An outstanding beer that I hope to have again. This one's good.

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2012 23:38:52 | More by Beer-A-Lot

benfons

Belgium

4.3/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I got my hand on two bottles of this new trappist ale.

A: really dark-brown hazy colour, some residue, almost no head.

S: roasted malts, coffee, hints of red fruits, something floral almost medicinal; it gives the impression of a heavy beer.

T: up front roasted malts, hints of red fruitand chocolate break the heaviness slightly. It ends fairly alcoholic with a bittersweet honey touch.

M: creamy, good carbonation, fairly alcoholic finish

O: It can proudly wear the name trappistenbier. Slightly different, but complex and balanced. Well worth the money.

PS the alcohol tends to make it more of a winterbeer

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 20:32:38 | More by benfons

avalon07

South Carolina

4.26/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Poured from a bottle to a goblet. Had a dark brown color and a cloudy texture. There was a small amount of off white, foamy head that quickly dissipated. Fair lacing.

S: A nice aroma of dark fruit, yeast, and malt.

T: Tasted of Belgian yeast, cherries, caramel, apples, and some malt. A complex, focused, enjoyable flavor. Very easy to like this one.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth (bordering on slick) finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A solidly made, drinkable beer. I'm surprised this one has as low a rating as it does. Still, a tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 23:45:13 | More by avalon07

acevenom

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a snifter glass. Pours dark brown to black with a two-finger length of light tan head. The beer appears to be well carbonated and the head dissipates at a moderate pace. The aroma is fruit forward, smelling a little like cherries and bananas. There are dark roasted malts and caramel. The flavor is much like the nose, which is fruit and malt forward. I get those cherry and banana notes from the yeast as well as dark fruit notes and some mild caramel with the roasted malts. The body is medium to full with strong carbonation. The finish is a little dry and there isn't much of an aftertaste. It's fairly easy drinking despite the high alcohol content. This is an excellent beer, but just so. I would recommend trying this beer if you're a completist for the Trappist breweries or you just like this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 23:54:06 | More by acevenom

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

dgilks

Australia

4.08/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A big thank you to Brabander for this bottle.

A dark, somewhat cloudy mahogany brown colour with a small, but tight, tan head. Nice.

Intense fruity aroma. They are fermenting this high. Nice nutty malt notes and a solid toffee note. Very good.

Malt and fruit dominate. Well balanced like the Belgian Trappists. Nice raisin and date flavour. Some cherry and banana. A little like some of my homebrew with its high sweetness.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Nice and dry.

A lovely Trappist Ale. This is from an early batch and given that is very good. The ester profile is a little excited but I do like it.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 08:21:52 | More by dgilks

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.06/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

new trappist brew, cool! pours super dark brown, pushing black, no glow at all, with a few inches of bubbly khaki head with fine retention. the nose is quite understated, with some smoked malt and Belgian yeast being the only real obvious notes. the flavor is very opposite, extremely robust and aggressive. its malt heavy, but not sweet, its moderately smoky, but not heavy, its really roasty, but not bitter, just chock full of contradictions. complex and will all the fine mouthfeel characteristics we now expect in trappist brews. its brightly carbonated and its fuller body is made light in this way. texture is a little runny, but it doesn't hurt the outcome. kind of a hard beer to classify, but the alcohol is extraordinarily well hidden and the yeast used is new to me, and I like it a lot. overall a tasty brew, new to shelves, and im curious to see what else they make. would not have known this was made with honey if it didn't say so on the label.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 19:44:48 | More by StonedTrippin

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.05/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gouyasse tulip glass. Pours a very dark mahogany brown with a fine two finger light tan head with great retention and lacing. Aroma of dark fruit, dark malt, winter spices (clove and cinnamon), slightly vinous. Dense flavor of concentrated dark and dried fruit, dark malt, chocolate, aged wine, hints of cinnamon and clove. Integrated and woody flavors similar to a barrel aged ale. Medium to heavy bodied with excellent creaminess. Complex, unusual and interesting, I enjoyed this new entry into the Trappist beer world very much.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 04:50:06 | More by LiquidAmber

themind

New Jersey

4.01/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Well I didn't know that this brew was a true Trappist bier. That said I feel this bier should be rated MUCH higher. I have had most of the Trappist biers out there and this is comparable. it has a unique aroma, good mouth feel and enjoyable taste. I sense a bit of sourness in this bier which is interesting. Sold in single bottles for about $6.00, I would buy again.

Bottom Line: Like Trappist bier....here you go!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 00:30:22 | More by themind

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

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

First had: on tap at Monk's, Philly, PA

Dark brown pour, seemingly opaque in the dim light of the bar, topped with a small, wispy head. Aroma of dark bready malts, fairly roasty, coffee and cocoa, yeast, leather. The taste reflected the aroma, pumpernickel, leather, coffee, unsweetened cocoa, prunes, raisins, slight notes of toffee and leafy hops, and some distant fruity phenols that didn't really seem to add or detract from the taste, they were just there. A nice beer overall, very dry, a little alcohol heat, medium body, nowhere near as full as many of the other "big" names in trappist beer, but still nice and drinkable.

I have a couple bottles of this, and I'd like to cellar at least one to see how it holds up over the years, seeing how it is the first commercially available batch from Stift.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2012 02:00:32 | More by Rifugium

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

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

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Present from Sinter Klaas a few weeks ago. Thanks Doops!

From a bottle into a snifter
Best before 08.11.2014
10 cent refund in Quebec

APPEARANCE: Pours a small, looser, fizzy, cream-white head with lousy retention for the style. Fizzes away to a faint wisp and ring rather quickly. Clear, dark ruby or chestnut red with medium levels of carbonation. A ring remains but leaves no real lacing down the glass. An unimpressive head, and actually looks like an old Rochefort 10.

SMELL: Caramel, toffee, light butterscotch, some fruit notes, like raisins and red berries, as well as some spicy yeast qualities. Milder, but definitely different and interesting, especially in the malt bill.

TASTE: Caramel, raisins, as well as some red fruits and berry notes before a boozy and spicy finish at the swallow. Quite bold in flavor. Aftertaste is very spicy and yeasty, with some sweet caramel, a touch of hop bitterness, as well as a good dose of alcohol. Lots of clove, coriander, and yeasty spices. Boozy as well. Really nice, though a touch too boozy for top marks.

PALATE: Medium-fuller body with medium levels of carbonation. Quite creamy smooth for sure, goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry. A bit of a scratch at the swallow and some heat lingers. Weighty and creamy smooth with a full body. Solid.

OVERALL: This is quite good and somewhat unique in flavor for the style. Good and interesting flavor profile and a full, creamy feel for the style. The look could use some more work, but this is still a solid, solid beer. A wonderful addition to the trappiste lineup. Cheers again Doops!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 20:49:32 | More by Jeffo

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
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

thierrynantes

France

3.96/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (33 cl.) purchased from La Cervoiserie, and tasted in 2013.

Appearance : dark red brown color, with thin beige head.
Smell : malty and burnt caramel aromas.
Taste & mouthfeel : sweet malty and yeasty flavors, alcohol presence leading to a bitter finish.
Drinkability : a good beer in the style Belgian quadruple (trappisten bier)

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 19:53:47 | More by thierrynantes

fishdoc

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Lizardville in Bedford Heights, Ohio.

Appearance: Amber, very cloudy, but the bartender said it has been clearing since it was tapped moments before I was served. Small white head, little to no lacing.

Smell: Complex, sweet yet spicy, hint of roses.

Taste: Candy sugar is first, almost to excess. Then comes bitter chocolate with a very dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Lower carbonation than an abbey style, but appropriate for a Trappist.

Overall: Quite different from the other Trappist ales I have had. It will be on the World Tour at the Winking Lizard in 2013 and I look forward to a second look.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2012 20:28:25 | More by fishdoc

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

330ml bottle. It's not every day that a new Trappist brewery hits the shelves, so a bit of fanfare is in the air, folks.

This beer pours a hazy, dark reddish mahogany hue, with three fingers of tight, densely foamy beige head, which leaves but a few instances of sea spout lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of dark, lightly toasted caramel malt, sozzled black fruit - prunes, wild cherries, and raisins - a molasses/treacle sugar-spike, mild clove and black pepper spice, a slight earthy mustiness, and faint warming alcohol. The taste is somewhat tart dark fruitcake, the essence of honey, as in the way of mead, diluted molasses, a hint of crème fraîche, packaged dates, caramel squares, toasted dark bread, subtle clove, and a further weak mustiness, equaled in its understatement by the very wallflowerish booze.

The carbonation is fairly tame, and at the same time kind of frothy, the body a hearty medium weight, and generally quite smooth, even if a pervasive sourness takes its (less than a) pound of flesh. It finishes off-dry, the fruity, malty, and sugary notes all well tempered by their corresponding sour/tart offsets.

An interesting, and tasty enough take on the entrenched Trappist BSDA - the initial delta indicated on the label - the honey - really taking a back seat to the skulking sour fruit character that comes to fill one's perception of this offering. Which I suppose is just fine, as who really wants another Rochefort/Westy/La Trappe clone (as good as those are), when there's new ground to break? Beer-speaking, of course, as the Abbey itself was founded back in 1293.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 04:54:28 | More by biboergosum

impending

California

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
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

Brabander

Netherlands

3.89/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

I got this bottle (in a sixpack) from a Dutch guy who went to the abbey in the time the first batch was sold. I gave away five of the six bottles and the sixt was saved for a special occasion.

I was in Austria last week and i decided to take back the bottle to it's country of origin. Drank the bottle in the lovely village of Neustift in the Strubai valley together with an American Facebook friend who was there @ the same time.

Poured out of the bottle into a wine glass, did not have the appropiate glassware with me. Nice head but not spectacular. The smell is normal with a bit caramellic malts in the nose. Taste is not very spectacular when you compare this one with other Trappists.

Glad i got to try this one and that's it!

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 21:06:58 | More by Brabander

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

Etan

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Roscoe Village Pub, in conjunction with WLV for Zwanze 2012.

A: Brown with purplish hues.

S: Yeasty aroma with heavy vinous notes. Grape, raisin, brown bread.

T: Grape, bread, hint of booze, candi sugar, slight hop bitterness.

M. Medium-bodied with zesty carbonation.

O. Fits the trappist mold pretty well, especially for a first try.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 05:55:57 | More by Etan

bskrtz

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
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

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

UCLABrewN84

California

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%
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