Curtain Closer
Monkless Belgian Ales - The Brasserie

 

Monkless took a risk with this one - I mean a Belgian Quad with raspberry and cacao?

In sum it works very well, with all of the elements contributing, but none of them being overpowering or funky (in a bad way). Instead they blend together perfectly to provide a great malty sipper for closing out an evening.

strong sweet quad type with raspberries and cocoa nibs, a neat flavor combination, this is both earthy and tart, has some richness from the abbey type malt and the candy sugar, but is subtle, fruity in other ways too with raisin and fig layers in the grain, and to me not as fermentation forward as a lot of their beers, but it could just be because there is so much else going on. strong but not all that boozy on the palate, i feel the alcohol more than i taste it, like in terms of a buzz not in my mouth, the name seems appropriate, not overdone on the extras either, the raspberry and cocoa both work into what this beer already kind of is doing without them, at least to me, there is some cocoa character with the grain, dark and complex, caramelized but not diabetic, and the fruit plays in super well to the almost vinous vibe this is already casting, black cherry, port wine, and some tannins and acid here too, which definitely cut into the perceived sweetness, way less sugary overall than many of these, and than i expected it to be. a nice ruby to brown color with a low glow and a frothy off white beige type head that is creamy and only slow fading, could pass as belgian. layers of molasses, maple, toffee, and wood to me even though this isnt barrel aged i dont think, could be a note in the cocoa, and there is bitterness there grounding it late. its rich without being outright desserty, and the alcohol that creeps up as it warms is not out of place for the style. chestnut and red raspberry jam, seeds and all, hit late. tasty, feels right as we kick off the holiday season!

Dark, orange-brown. Short-lived yellow head. Smells very boozy, with some notes of port or berry liquor. Tastes kind of like Dimetapp. Traditional quadrupel notes are present... But with a LOT of ethanol flavor and burn, plus generic berry flavor. Kind of like mixing Delirium Nocturm and Delirium Red. I'm not sure it works particularly well.

16oz can from Brewers Haven. Dark brown pour with a fizzy beige head. Immediate aroma of raspberries, followed by chocolate, boozy notes. Taste is sweet, a small blast of berries, then rich chocolatey flavors. Plums underlay all of this and the ABV comes in near the finish. I'm really starting to like these guys a lot.

 

Got in a BIF from snaotheus. 16 ounce can into tulip glass, batch #406, no can dating. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red/brown/light copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy tan head with poor retention, that reduces to a spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal lacing, some clinging bubbles and streaming carbonation retaining the lace. Aromas and flavors of big raisin, plum, fig, date, red grape, raspberry, brown sugar, brown bread/crusts, toast, herbal, grass, peppercorn; light cocoa, roasted nuts, fruit skin/seed, molasses, clove, banana, bubblegum, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, grassy bitterness; yeast spiciness on the finish. Slight yeast and fruit tang/tartness. Aromas have a bit of juiciness from the fruit, but the flavors are more restrained. Mild booze in the aromas as it warms. Medium-plus carbonation and medium-full body. Very creamy/bready malts, some sticky hops; light fruit/yeast tang, chalky roast, and slick/syrupy notes in the mouthfeel. Long lingering sticky/spicy drying finish, with no cloying/astringent flavors. Mild increasing warmth of 11.6%. A very rich quad for sure. The raspberry and cocoa compliment the overall style perfectly and aren't overdone to the point of making this feel like a fruit beer. Very rich malt complexity along with candi sugar melanoidins. Munich and biscuit malt character. Dangerously smooth sipping for the ABV. Spot on base style, I was very impressed.

16oz can (coded Batch 406) poured into 16oz tulip. Poured a nearly solid dark brown (some translucence at the edges) with 1/4 inch of tan head that quickly dissipated and left very light lacing.

Rich malts at the front of the aroma were quickly dominated by the tag team duo of raspberry and chocolate. They combined nicely to accentuate the basic beer.

Vary much the same on the tongue, and all-around nicely melded brew, until we got to the back of the palate. Then, a lot of alcohol heat hit, and lingered. after a few moments, a sweet-ish finish developed.

The body was solid; fuller than medium, lighter than full, smooth, with a semi-sweet finish.

Drinkability will depend on your taste for Belgian yeasts, raspberries, malts, and chocolate. For me, I wanted a second one right away.

Overall, a very nice brew, probably the one I've liked most so far from these guys. Worth trying if you see it.

 

A: The beer is clear but very dark mahogany red in color (dark brown when viewed from afar) and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high tan colored head that left a large patch of bubbles covering the surface and a collar around the edge.
S: Moderate aromas of dark fruits are present in the nose - cherries and plums stand out in particular.
T: The taste follows the smell and has additional hints of raspberries and cocoa nibs, which particularly linger into the finish. There is a touch of sweetness from the candi sugar.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer starts off smelling and tasting like a traditional Belgian Strong Dark Ale but the raspberries and cocoa nibs lend a bit of complexity to the finish of the taste. It did a very good job at hiding the alcohol from the taste.

Serving type: can

2021-03-12
Sample glass at the brewery.

Pours dark, clear ruby with a small head and surprisingly persistent lacing. Smell is mild, mostly dates and grape juice.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light. Overall, nice beer.

 

Pours deep, dark ruby-brown. 1 Finger commercial eggshell white. Descent lacing

This is a Barleywine labeled as a Belgian quad(apologies, quint). Granted I haven’t had a ton of this style, this ain’t it. Scents all point toward a more lush, malty experience, yeasts lend a dank and dark mushroom note more than a funk. Possibly from the raspberry and chocolate additions.. Peanut butter and jelly down there somewhere. Decent

Tastes pretty good, nice chocolate with some blueberry/raspberry. That’s about it, again more of a barleywine experience, simple in dimension, nothing crazy.

Feels a bit boozy, thick, rich.

I don’t have an issue at all with this, definitely check it out if you can, depending on the price point (a point that took it down a notch for me).

Dark brown with a tan cap. Smell has the belgian yeast, brown sugar, sweet cherry, coconut, candi sugar, and chocolate malts with some booze, cherry sticks out as it warms. Taste is not balanced like nose, way too sweet, cherry is like cough syrup, malts feel inauthentic to the quad style and it is way too boozsy. Feel is thin, boozy, cloys a little bit, and worst it gets watery as it warms. Not a good quad

First in line from my second shipment from Tavour that arrived today. 16 ounce can poured into an Ommegang glass.
While I give a nod that this could well be a BSDA, the crafter intended it to be in the monk tradition as a quad. So if anyone wants to make a fuss about changing the style, they got my vote. And since there will then be three of us, majority rules.... as it should again in the U.S.

Curtain Closer is an interesting ale. But, it does not live among the masters. And not for a while.
Looks have a pretty ruby contrast against its dark brown. (Foam visits briefly if you pour hard.) Smells are malt and brewers sugar trying to become dark dried fruit. (I may have had this can too young.) Tastes are... those raspberries keep trying to be like cherries in my mind since they and chocolate make the classic combo... but Curtain Closer only has raspberries and this, simply, is not as rich. All sits fine in my mouth, though medium bodied or less for a quad; could use more Trappists bubbles that say "joy." And the alcohol ? It is well concealed...

I like Monkless. I like their goals. I like how they mesh art and science of brewing. However, not every experiment helps get you into brewers' Heaven. And paying $14 (plus shipping!) simply is not good enough for a repeat.

My advice: take a few smaller steps before running a 12% quad up the flagpole. I enjoyed the experience... but I'm easy and this won't go too far in a discerning market of Belgo-philes. My redundant advice to American crafters seeking to chase the Trappists: work on your yeast.