Monk's Brew (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
Mikkeller ApS

Monk's Brew (Bourbon Barrel Aged)Monk's Brew (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
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From:
Mikkeller ApS
 
Denmark
Style:
Quadrupel (Quad)
ABV:
10%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 15.12%
Reviews:
31
Ratings:
100
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 29, 2019
Added:
Jul 15, 2012
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  12
Known as Monk's Elixir outside the USA.
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Ratings by marct:
Photo of marct
Rated by marct from Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

Aug 04, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.92 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Aug 29, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.81/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
2014 vintage; drank 5/12/14 @ the Yarchives.

Brown, chocolate hue.

HUGE tan head (careful pouring!!); minimal lace.

A bold nose comprised of oak, bourbon, caramel & dark chocolate.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Rich caramel & smooth oak up front; a hint too much bourbon on the finish.

This might age well....too hot right now.
May 19, 2019
Photo of ccg
Reviewed by ccg from Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I can't believe this beer is from 2012! I found it on the shelf at Hop City in Birmingham, AL in June, 2016. I did notice that there was a ring around the inside neck of the bottle where the top of the liquid was, which made me nervous...

Look: Great-looking quad. Deep reddish brown, with a finger of foam that settles into a fluffy layer. Retention and lacing are both excellent. 4.25

Smell: Bourbon, sweet caramel malt, and dark, candied fruit. 4.25

Taste: Not a whole lot of bourbon character coming through. The malt is noticeable but not as strong as on the nose. It finishes with a combination of grains and something slightly sour. 3.75

Feel: Nice density, with some chewiness, and carbonation giving it a bit of a tingle. 4.0

Overall: I wish the flavor followed the smell more strongly, but it's a solid BA quad. 4.0
Jun 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.58 by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

May 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.99 by KensWorld from Florida

Mar 06, 2016
 
Rated: 4.09 by WastingFreetime from Wisconsin

Mar 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.24 by madelf66 from Pennsylvania

Dec 01, 2015
Photo of cjgator3
Reviewed by cjgator3 from Florida

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
375ml bottle poured into a snifter. I love Belgian Quads and I also love bourbon barrel aged beers so I am excited to try this brew. Dark fruits and bourbon stand out in both the aroma and taste. The taste is pretty hot with a lot of warmth from the alcohol. The taste may have been more suitable after another year or two. Overall, a solid brew that I enjoyed.
Sep 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.99 by jneff33 from Michigan

Aug 22, 2015
Photo of Tele
Reviewed by Tele from California

3.67/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Serving Type: Bottle
Consumed: 7.15.15

A: 4.5 Looks like a typical BSDA. Mostly clear, dark reddish brown with a small light tan head.

S: 4.25 Upon opening, the beer smells great. Lots of toffee, caramel, bourbon, vanilla, and light spice typical of the style. As the beer opens, some soy sauce comes through; it’s mild, but worrisome.

T: 3.25 If the beer tasted like it smelled it would be pretty great. Unfortunately, the flavors are mostly a watered down version of the aromas with the soy sauce taking a more dominant role. Some cardboard comes through as well right before the slightly harsh finish.

M: 3.75 A bit watery and undercarbonated. Not really bad, but doesn’t save the beer either.

O: 3.5 Smells great, taste is a bit off. I probably aged this one a bit too long, but fresh probably would have had similar soy sauce flavors and more heat.
Jul 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Eziel from Ohio

Jun 09, 2015
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a dark mahogany brown with ruby highlights and a fine two finger light khaki head with great retention and pillowy lacing. Aroma of caramel and bready malt, mild bourbon, plums and vanilla, nice. Flavor is caramel malt, slightly oxidized cardboard, plums, bourbon, mild vanilla and wood. Finishes with vanilla, bourbon, a hint of char and hop bitterness. Medium bodied with spritzy carbonation. An interesting take on a quadrupel, thinner in body, somewhat drier than typical. The carbonation is very active and takes away from the mouth feel, kind of unusual for a quad. The bourbon is lightly present and there are other good vanilla woody flavors from the barrel. Somewhat modestly flavored for the ABV, but the alcohol is well covered. I'm not familiar with the base quadrupel, so it's hard to tell how much character is from the aging. This may be an older bottle, and the active carbonation may some unintended interaction in the flavors and maybe bottle activity resulting in thinner body. A tasty, but light bodied quad with a bit too much carbonation. I had no problem enjoying the bottle, however.
Feb 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.52 by Wajohnst from Canada (ON)

Feb 06, 2015
Photo of KVNBGRY
Reviewed by KVNBGRY from Florida

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It tasted like a bourbon barrel aged Belgian quad. Looked bad. It looked thin, and felt a bit thin. Tasted great! Smell was a bit muted. This was a confusing beer to me. I wish I tried it fresh.
Jan 26, 2015
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

3.76/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottle purchased at Nathaniel Square Corner Store in Rochester, NY.

Pours a moderately dark brown, with a large 2 inch head, and a good amount of lacing.

Smells pretty richly malty, with some dark fruit flavor, and some brown sugar.

This doesn't feel as strongly flavored as I would expect a bourbon BA quad to be. It's the typical characteristics some sweet, subtle bourbon, a bit of dark fruits, some brown sugar, and caramel, etc, but none of it seems to pop the way they should. No oomph here.

This is medium bodied, with a full mouthfeel, and a lower level of carbonation- almost flat, actually.

This was slightly disappointing. By no means bad, it just didn't wow me.
Jan 26, 2015
 
 
Rated: 3.75 by mrn1ceguy from Illinois

Jan 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.8 by Fox82791 from New York

Dec 29, 2014
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

3.77/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A lovely brew with a ruby brown color and plenty of foam and lacing in the big New Belgium snifter. Pleasant sudsy mouthfeel. Raisiny aroma with just a whiff of the bourbon barrel.

Smooth and mellow, for once the aging of two years has not hurt the flavors. Everything tastes like it has softened and oxidized a little. Utterly drinkable with a warm alcohol tang and a subdued Belgian yeasty murk. Still moderately sweet with just an edge of sharpness.

Purchased somewhere in Tucson. My first Mikkeller beer, I have always avoided them, but was given one by Jason. I'm happy this was a good experience.
Nov 18, 2014
Monk's Brew (Bourbon Barrel Aged) from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 100 ratings