Blushing Monk
Founders Brewing Company

2019

 

Deep red color and a nice looking pink head. Very natural raspberry aroma mixed with the scent of malt. Malt and raspberries have moderate sweetness and pleasant tartness in taste with light yeasty notes. It's a great fruit beer that does not have any hint of artificiality.

 

Review: 2148
Name: Blushing Monk
Brewery: Founders Brewing
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 9.2%
Date: 11/24/2020
As I delve into my Founders Brewing collection, I stumble upon the unique Blushing Monk, a 2020 masterpiece. Served in a tulip glass at 48 degrees, the pour reveals a foamy, rocky, one-fingered, light pink head with average retention. The color, a captivating red with a pinkish hue, and a slightly opaque clarity, bathed in ample light, make for a visually intriguing beer, setting it apart from the rest.
Nosing the glass, I smell raspberries, Belgian yeast, a lovely malt complex, and some hops. The raspberries are tart, juicy, sweet, and not overripe, unlike the last raspberry beer I nosed. The malt profile is biscuit, crackers, and toasted bread, and it has a lovely light toasted note with a subtle malty sweetness. The Belgian yeast has mild clove and banana, with a slight phenolic note. The hops are still noticeable, along with floral esters and grass. The beer does not present any oxidation smells. The beer smells fabulous.
The taste journey begins with a burst of raspberries, followed by the subtle interplay of Belgian yeast, a robust malt backbone, and a delicate hop profile. The raspberry flavor, a perfect harmony of brightness, tartness, fruitiness, and juiciness, is a true delight. The mild Belgian yeast, with its hints of bananas, phenolic notes, and white pepper flavor, adds a layer of complexity without overpowering the palate. The light toasted malt, biscuits, and crackers add a satisfying finish to the flavor profile with a firm malt backbone without being overbearing, leaving a sense of contentment on the palate.
The mouthfeel is tart but not puckering, and the finish is a bit dry and crisp. The body is medium and has medium carbonation.
Blushing Monk is like Rabaeus but with a dialed-back raspberry flavor. The beer's age creates a phenomenal beer that is a delight to sip on this warm Sunday Evening. The balance in the beer without having an overbearing malt profile is remarkable. It's one of my favorite fruit beers so far.

 

 

 

 

Drank a 2015 in 2023
Look - dark burgandy with a pinkish tan thick head
Smell and taste - nice tark milk raspberry
Feel - medium body slightly creamy
Overall - aged well

Drinking a 4 1/2 year old bottle of it, and it is still damn good. Still has carbonation, and there is plenty of fruit flavor and bite to it. The alcohol is disguised extremely well. An excellent example of the style. Have to see if I can get some more of it one day.

 

12oz bottle served in a tulip glass. Bottled on 11/24/20 17202. I just bought this and I can see why it got lost on the shelves. It's a white date stamp on a pale off-white label. Not real smart. Let's hope I'm not about to regret my life choices with a really old beer.

Appearance: Hazy/murky copper-red color, with a thin white head that died back. A few islands of lacing here and there. Sadly, not the best looking beer.

Smell: Definite raspberry note. A little bit of underlying yeastiness and some funk as well. Starting to wonder if 2 years after bottling this is taking on some lambic character.

Taste: So not a lambic - it's not that tart/sour. Definite raspberry note, with some underlying aspects of a Belgian tripel (herbal leafy hop note, some muted Belgian yeast character). I feel like the Belgian character may be somewhat lost here.

Mouthfeel: Good thickness, quite sticky and somewhat juice-like. Light carbonation. Still - it held its carbonation this long.

Overall / Drinkability: For a beer that is over 2 years old....it's still got some of it's original character, but the Belgian character is mostly swamped out from the Raspberry that still dominates this far on. So for an unexpected cellared beer, it's okay. I will see if I can score a fresh bottle and try it again - but note to the brewer: Use a laser / ink system that puts a black date stamp onto a white label.

Pours a clear light pink color Smell has raspberry ,vanilla yeast and vanilla . Taste flows nose with raspberry front , followed by melon ,vanilla and stone fruits . . Mouth feel sweet with some yeast funk, slight tartness .

It’s clear and the color of pink grapefruit. The raspberry smell is very evident and pleasant. Taste more like a cider than a beer. The raspberry comes through strong and at first it’s sweetness is immediately up front but followed by a sour on the finish. Gives the flavor a beautiful experience. Make sure you coat your entire tongue, this hits so many different taste buds. Nice!

 

Pours rose' with a 1" light pink head, which lasts. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is floral, raspberry. Belgian yeast.

Taste is wine like. Raspberries, Belgian yeast, sweet.

Medium body, lively carbonation. Sweet finish.

An interesting take on a beer.

Bottled on 11/23/2020, drank on 5/3/2022, so may need to revisit this when I try a fresh one. But for those of you curious about how it held up, read on-
Poured reddish amber, deeply hued, and sported a manila colored 1 cm head for a minute or two, leaving behind a thin ring which left regular lacing.
The aroma is still all about the raspberries. But there is a secondary note in there that reminds me, of all things, angel food cake. Hmmmm.
The flavor starts out strong with raspberry but later mellows to a semi sweet malty ale that is sheer pleasure to drink. The angel food cake shows up in the flavor as well, very curious and very tasty.
The feel took me back a bit, far more viscous than expected, but that's likely on me. This is a fruited "Strong" Belgian ale and a little viscosity isn't misplaced. Just unexpected. Maybe fresh the carbonation balances it out more.
OA, so glad the released this again, sorry I picked an old one to rate it with, but once it's open, ya drink it!