Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

Monk's Café Flemish Sour AleMonk's Café Flemish Sour Ale
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From:
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
 
Belgium
Style:
Flanders Oud Bruin
Ranked #44
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,434
Avg:
3.86 | pDev: 13.21%
Reviews:
1,191
Ratings:
3,091
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 12, 2024
Added:
Jun 19, 2003
Wants:
  98
Gots:
  486
Brewed for Monk's Café in Philadelphia, but also available for retail purchase elsewhere. Oud Bruin in style; a traditional blend of young and old beers.
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Ratings by tectactoe:
Photo of tectactoe
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the Oak Cafe. It's got a pretty solid, burnt ruby color with a mahogany base. It seems to be somewhat translucent, although the bar I'm in is pretty dimly lit and therefore the opacity is hard to judge accurately. Basically no head on top of this one - just a small, beige ring that only stays for a minute or so before floating away.

Juicy, ripe apples and cherries outline the aromatic profile, or at least the first sniff. Residual sweetness backs up the apples nicely; a very faint tartness can be detected at times, though this is still telling me that this brew will be more sweet than sour. Time grants the ability for the beer to open up a bit; berries, darker cherries, acetic acid, light vinegar, and some mild barrel/oak.

Funk in the aroma is definitely there, but in small quantities. There's a slight "wet hay" and faint must character, but it's minimal compared to some other Belgian sours. This follows through into the flavor profile, as the first sip contains almost no funk at all, rather it's pretty heavy on the fruits - cherries, grapes, red apples. Vibrant, zesty, and juicy are good words to describe the flavors.

This beer is mildly tart, but only for a brief moment. The residual-like sugary sweetness creeps in pretty steadily and washes out any hope of this beer actually being "sour", despite the name. More vinous notes come in, although the more I drink, the more it just seems like heavy grapes rather than actual wine-barrel notes. The finish is fruit juice-like with fading cherries and grape skins, and maybe a hint of oak. Still no funk, sad to say. Snappy, crisp mouth feel, wet and slick; thin bodied with medium-heavy carbonation.

Pretty good beer, drinkability is insanely high - a 5.5% ABV beer that tastes like bold fruit juice. I would have like to see a bit more tartness or funk, as this one was kind of mild all around. But hey, perhaps that's the style they were going for. Still a nice drinking sour ale as long as you're not expecting it to be too sour (or too funky).
May 24, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.38 by nelsonracite from New Jersey

Feb 12, 2024
 
Rated: 2.75 by SeanP99 from North Carolina

Jan 11, 2024
Photo of Kgoldsbe
Reviewed by Kgoldsbe from Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
The best part of this sour is that you can really taste the grain. It is sour, but in an incredibly finessed manor. The lactic sweetness comes out as berry tartness. This is delicious.
Dec 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Kiro from Russian Federation

Dec 09, 2023
 
Rated: 3.76 by mattav152 from Massachusetts

Nov 20, 2023
Photo of BJB13
Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
330ml bottle poured into a Tulip.

L: Clear, ruby hued dark brown, 2 inch off-white pink-ish head, thick persistent foam, decent lace.
S: Full nose, lactic and sour, vinous aroma, oak wine cask, brown sugar malty aroma takes over.
T: Tart, a bit of lactic (berry) sweetness and dark sugary malts but mostly dry.
F: Medium-light body, low-ish carbonation, clean feel.
O: Easy drinking for a sour (for me), not overly sour or tart, nice enjoyable sipper.
Jul 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.02 by Ananabiya

May 26, 2023
 
Rated: 3.99 by Vyvyan from Illinois

Apr 30, 2023
Photo of Iamaskier
Reviewed by Iamaskier from Idaho

4.04/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
L: Dark reddish brown body, thin head with a bit of lacing.
S: Soft, tart, fragrant. Strawberry, cherry, honey, oak, a few chocolatey notes.
T: Upfront tart cherry and raspberry, quickly settling into sweet grape jam notes, honey, a faint bit of vinegar, and finishing with hints of chocolate and roasted malt.
F: Initially a bit sharp and slightly acidic, smooths out quickly, moderate carbonation.
O: Fairly sweet, enjoyable combination of flavors, a bit like a tart jam on toast.
Mar 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.06 by HarlotBronte from District of Columbia

Dec 29, 2022
Photo of rclangk
Rated by rclangk from West Virginia

3.87/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
9/2023 BOM
Dec 22, 2022
Photo of flyingpig
Reviewed by flyingpig from Scotland

3.27/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
330ml bottle from Gulden Draak Bierhaus, Porto (€5.30):
Dark cherry fed with a thin, soapy surface lacing that has a little build up stuck to the sides too & looks quite still. The nose is surprisingly light with some background malts but very little sourness other than a tiny hint of tart at the end. The taste is thankfully stronger, some nice cherry & dark berries with a little tart following on behind then a faint sweetness to close. The body is about medium & it's a very balanced, easy going beer with soft carbonation; not what I'd expected but a nice surprise bar the non-existent nose.
Dec 01, 2022
 
Rated: 2.91 by elminy from Ohio

Oct 23, 2022
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Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana

3.84/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2oz can stamped L8155 10:13 (over 4 years old?) poured into a tulip glass at fridge temp 5.5% ABV. The beer pours medium brown in color with ruby highlights and light brown head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring and scattered tiny bubbles. The aroma is tart red wine and nondescript malt. The taste is tart & sweet malt with notes of brown sugar, red berries, red wine and rustic, grainy bread. Negligible bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, good for what it is, just not my style.
Aug 28, 2022
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

3.84/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Oh man, I haven't had an Oud Bruin in a minute. It's a very uncommon style. Actually, I believe the last one I had was this at Monk's itself when I visited Philly back in March, but did not review it at the time. Let's revisit the beer specifically brewed for this famous taproom

Pours a mostly opaque reddish brown with a finger of tan head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose is pretty vinous, but leans on a significant malt backbone. I'm picking up on aromas of red wine vinegar, tart red grape, black cherry, caramel malt, raisin, and light brown sugar

It loses a bit of its punch in taste, but it's certainly still enjoyable. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting black cherry, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, brown bread, light balsamic, and plum. The swallow brings notes of black cherry, apple cider, brown bread, caramel malt, red grape, and light plum

A light medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a tangy beer. Finishes slightly sticky but the tartness dries it out over time

This isn't great, but it's perfectly serviceable for what it is. It definitely drinks easy
Aug 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by LAM01833 from Massachusetts

Aug 01, 2022
Photo of Weisenbeer
Rated by Weisenbeer from Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Had this on draft..... Non-existent nose but it's a delicious punch when consumed... How very interesting, glad I tried!
May 25, 2022
Photo of puck1225
Reviewed by puck1225 from Texas

4.21/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I had this beer from tap at our local World of Beer.

Poured into a tall tumbler with Monk’s Cafe logo. This is a beautiful beer. Deep reddish mahogany with excellent beige head and wonderful curtain lacing. Smell and taste of sweet hard apple cider. Dark cherries and strawberries, also spicy red wine like merlot. Taste becomes more fruity with warming, with a bit of background funk becoming evident. The feel is clean and refreshing. Very nice beer that I would happily have again.
May 21, 2022
Photo of maddogruss
Reviewed by maddogruss from New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Poured this from a bottle.
A: pours ruby red body with small head with minimal retention and lacing.
S: very sour smell; some sweetness, but not much
T: slightly sour; some grapefruit notes; nothing too crazy, a little watered down sour taste
M: a little thin and medium-bodied and fairly decent
D: nice feel and taste combo; not that sour for a Flemish
May 09, 2022
Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale from Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 3091 ratings