Bios Vlaamse Bourgogne
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

Copenhagen 12/8-2017. 33 cl bottle from Den Gamle Købmand, Skt. Ann's Plads, Kbh. K. As "Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale". Drawing of a Beer Barrel with silhouette of a Beer Mug upon it on the label. Very obscure.

Pours clear deep maroon with a red tinge and with big off-white head. Settles as several centimeters thick layer of foam. Massive lacing.

Aroma is quite sour bordering on the acidic. Vinegar and citrus. Subdued sweetness.

Medium strong carbonation and slightly thick palate.

Flavor is lightly sweet followed by stronger sourness. Aftertaste is sour and finish dry.

Nice and sour without going to extremes.

RB transfer

Sampled at THT June tasting. Dark ruby with a thin espresso head. Sour and sweet with notes of red wine and vinegar.

 

Pours a very deep brown, maybe even a reddish hue. Nose smells like communion :) Just as it smells, dark grape juice is the main flavor that stands out. tart cherries, slightly sour, very well carbonated, but defiantly is like drinking sparkling grape juice. It was rather enjoyable, though I could only drink this on occasion, but would defiantly drink it again and recommend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This poured out with a deep brownish red color. The head was fluffy at first but settles rather quickly and doesn't leave much behind in lacing or retention. The smell of the beer had a wine like quality to it and smells pretty tart on the nose. The taste follows the same basic path at the smell does. The mouthfeel is dry and tart, it's got some very light carbonation. Overall this Beer isn't too bad, I'd say it's worth checking out.

Review dated 12/19/2008, from the tap.

Called "Monks Cafe Flemish Sour Red Ale" at La Trappe in SF. Came out of the gates strong but pulled up a little lame maybe halfway through. This is a novelty beer, with a strong sweet vinegar flavor and cherries, but it is a little too much by the time you get to the end of it. Maybe I just had too many sour beers that day.

Bottel @ kulminator 25 cl vintage 2003 !!

The beer pours a dark brown color with a beige head.
The aroma is tart apple and tart grapes.
The taste is caramel malt as well as tart apples and grapes. The apple is dominant. Low-medium carbonation and a thin mouthfeel. A pretty nice sour beer that is a not as sour as some, but has a nice fruity flavor.

A dark ruby beer, a tan, with pink tones, head, rather small and quickly receding but wit some lacing.

Smelling of red sour fruits, cherry and rhubarbs.

The taste is actually quite sweet, dextrose with sour fruits, cherry, both the skin and the seeds.

Rather high carbonation, a foamy and refreshing feeling, a very light dryness.

A very good and solid original beer, refreshing in it's lack of hop character.

Also called "Monk's Café Flemish Sour Red Ale" Pours hazy reddish brown into a tulip. Fine bubbly head with nice retention. Sour cherry and vinegar notes and flavor is just like the aroma. Thin with a bitter cherry finish. light to med body. A Nice sipper.

Served at Cambrinus Restaurant, Bruges, Belgium.

A- Poured from the bottle with a slightly opaque ruby-tinged brown body. Little bit of visible carbonation. The head was substantial, rocky, proteinaceous and off-white head with wonderful lacing.

S- Smells like a classic Flanders Red- sweet and sour, good maltiness with some lactic notes. A touch of oak in there as well.

T- In the mouth it's actually wonderful. Classic rich Flanders Red flavor- a wonderful balance of candy malt and crisp tartness from lactic/acetic acid. No hops detected, just a touch of oak. Very dry finish.

M- Thin body. The carbonation is relatively soft. Nothing too impressive. Quite average.

D- A lovely classic Flanders Red that goes down super-smooth. Very thirst quenching and delicious.

750 ml bottle.
Appearance was deep ruby red with a medium white head that settles quickly.
Smell of sour cherries, must and malt.
Taste was of wine vinegar, sour but with a slightly sweet beginning.
Reminded me of a less complex version of Rodenbach, similar to their "Alexander" which is no longer brewed. Interesting. Would love to taste an aged version.

Big thanks to bosse for tossing this into our trade. I'm under the impression this beer is an ancient predecessor to Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Red Ale. My bottle lists an ABV of 6% and has a best before range of 1987 through 1990 with no date punched - I suppose it's between 22 and 27 years old? Served in a wine glass.

A - Upon removing the cage the cork started to come out on its own. After moving to the sink the cork made a loud pop, but there was thankfully no gushing. Poured a semi-transparent dark brown and copper color with a finger of tan foam that quickly dissipated to a solid cap and ring. Pretty good looking after all these years!

S - The smell also exploded out of the bottle, filling the room with funky horse-blanket, sour cherries, red wine, rum-soaked dark fruits, and caramel. It actually reminded me a little of the Enigma I had last week but with more acidity to it. In any case it smelled terrific, and exceptional considering the age.

T - Unfortunately time has not been as kind to this element of the brew. The taste is very mellow, with a strong butterscotch/caramel flavor and a touch of oxidation. There is an element of tart cherry that builds on the top of the palate after a few glasses, but the age has smoothed out most of the interest.

M - Medium body, slightly sticky finish, light carbonation tingle. It's appropriate for a Flanders Oud Bruin, but nothing special.

D - My wife, Greg (gory4d), and I split the 750ml bottle three ways and it was pretty easy to drink - I had no problems downing a couple glasses. This brew is probably past its prime, but was still pretty enjoyable.