Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale | Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Brewed by:
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Belgium
vansteenberge.com
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.50%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
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.
Added by nomad on 06-19-2003
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers
Ratings: 3,012 | Reviews: 1,161
3.89/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.58/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.38/5 rDev +13.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Serving: Bottle
Bottle code but no discernable date
This one pours a fairly opaque mahogany with a billowing tan head. Absolutely gorgeous. It has a constant finger of living head and sheets of fine lacing.
There is a sharp oaky, acetic smell immediately upon pouring, with sugary bread and spices with a fruity tartness and light funk on top.
Wowee! The flavor made me gasp out loud and then immediately sit back with my eyes closed and take another drink. And another. It has an amazing set of different levels of tartness, flower nectar, fields in spring, spiced bread and cherry sweetness that then decrescendos into earthiness and finally a medicinal hoppy smack at the end.
It is refreshing and perfectly tart with a medium body and a slow-lingering bitter finish that excellently stages each subsequent sip. As it warms the sweetness comes through more and more prominently. It becomes enough that I could see it being better if it was subdued a tiny bit, but at the same time the balance of the sweetness and sourness is really what made me like it so who knows...
Like all beers of this caliber I'm struck by how it can so completely be complex and simple at the same time. I'm glad I picked this beer up.
NOTE:
I'm not big into sours, and might have passed right over it if not for wanting to try something different. Also, looking at other reviews I see I must've really liked this one. I will keep an eye out for it and try to rate it again with some more perspective to see what I think and if I still think it's specatacular. This one was definitely my best experience with a sour. I've really liked a handful, but few have left me wanting another or thoroughly enjoying each sip. Was this because it was by chance my "breakthrough" tart beer? Was it because it isn't sour enough (a point a few reviewers made) and maybe I like it precisely because it isn't sour? Am I confusing the beer being balanced when it is just overly simple? Does it really matter? Very nice beer. I'll have it again.
2,019 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Serving: Bottle
Bottle code but no discernable date
This one pours a fairly opaque mahogany with a billowing tan head. Absolutely gorgeous. It has a constant finger of living head and sheets of fine lacing.
There is a sharp oaky, acetic smell immediately upon pouring, with sugary bread and spices with a fruity tartness and light funk on top.
Wowee! The flavor made me gasp out loud and then immediately sit back with my eyes closed and take another drink. And another. It has an amazing set of different levels of tartness, flower nectar, fields in spring, spiced bread and cherry sweetness that then decrescendos into earthiness and finally a medicinal hoppy smack at the end.
It is refreshing and perfectly tart with a medium body and a slow-lingering bitter finish that excellently stages each subsequent sip. As it warms the sweetness comes through more and more prominently. It becomes enough that I could see it being better if it was subdued a tiny bit, but at the same time the balance of the sweetness and sourness is really what made me like it so who knows...
Like all beers of this caliber I'm struck by how it can so completely be complex and simple at the same time. I'm glad I picked this beer up.
NOTE:
I'm not big into sours, and might have passed right over it if not for wanting to try something different. Also, looking at other reviews I see I must've really liked this one. I will keep an eye out for it and try to rate it again with some more perspective to see what I think and if I still think it's specatacular. This one was definitely my best experience with a sour. I've really liked a handful, but few have left me wanting another or thoroughly enjoying each sip. Was this because it was by chance my "breakthrough" tart beer? Was it because it isn't sour enough (a point a few reviewers made) and maybe I like it precisely because it isn't sour? Am I confusing the beer being balanced when it is just overly simple? Does it really matter? Very nice beer. I'll have it again.
2,019 characters
4.26/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
3.71/5 rDev -3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
2.29/5 rDev -40.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.25
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.25
4.18/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.84/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.76/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From a bottle, pours as a clear dark brown with a TALL khaki head (lots of carbonation). Aroma of dark fruitiness. Taste is immediately of sour cherry, but it's not overwhelming with an aftertaste of sweet malt (essentially no hops). Overall, it's fun, but it's just kind of a novelty beer ... rather that regular drinking.
325 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From a bottle, pours as a clear dark brown with a TALL khaki head (lots of carbonation). Aroma of dark fruitiness. Taste is immediately of sour cherry, but it's not overwhelming with an aftertaste of sweet malt (essentially no hops). Overall, it's fun, but it's just kind of a novelty beer ... rather that regular drinking.
325 characters
3.78/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.3/5 rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
3.72/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.84/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.89/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.06/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Taste: complex, tangy dark fruit, some sour, tart, berries, bread, drinkable. Same with the nose. Deep reddish mahogany hue, semi clear, delicate head. Medium body.
164 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Taste: complex, tangy dark fruit, some sour, tart, berries, bread, drinkable. Same with the nose. Deep reddish mahogany hue, semi clear, delicate head. Medium body.
164 characters
Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale from Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Beer rating:
3.86 out of
5 with
3,012 ratings
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