Monk's Blood
21st Amendment Brewery

Monk's BloodMonk's Blood
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From:
21st Amendment Brewery
 
California, United States
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Ranked #117
ABV:
8.3%
Score:
86
Ranked #18,758
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 12.79%
Reviews:
534
Ratings:
1,454
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sunday at 04:33 AM
Added:
Sep 10, 2009
Wants:
  95
Gots:
  226
Belgian Strong Dark ale brewed with cinnamon, on oak chips with figs.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mobyviacheslov:
Photo of mobyviacheslov
Reviewed by mobyviacheslov from Washington

3.43/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5
A--I poured this one into a glass, even though with most other 21st Ammendment Canned craft brews, I've tried them out of the can just for "fun". Couldn't bring myself to do it with a Belgian style ale though. There was virtually no head, though the outer rim of the beer maintained a tiny coagulation of bubbles that did leave level marks after each sip for around a minute before running back into the beer. The beer itself is a very dark, nearly opaque brown...in the low light of my kitchen it looked black. Light reveals a few ruby colors.

S--the nose was very mild, with hints of caramel and dried fruit. Not a lot of character to the nose...perhaps the canning process or the can itself reduces the smells that the lees and sediment in a bottled belgian usually benefits from.

T--First of all, I waited about an hour after taking the can out of the fridge, but it still felt about 40 degrees (problem I've had with all canned micros). My first sip, all I could taste was CAN, though this didn't happen with others from this brewery...perhaps it was mental, since a belgian in a can is still weird to me...considering that "flavor" went away on subsequent sips. There are some intriguingly tart caramel flavors, which are very contradicting but it works quite well. There are underlying tobacco flavors as well. The initial flavor burst is malty and very true to the style, and the finish brings out the tart and tobacco flavors. Its not the most sophisticated, strong, or complex ale in the world, but certainly better than I was expecting. I will let the last half of this sit out for a little while and see if the temperature can help bring out more pungent flavors.

M--This is my only real problem with the beer. Waaaay to much carbonation going on here. Its not bud-light carbonation, but its more than I expected. I have had many belgian ales with higher than average carbonation, and it generally is a plus, adding a pop to your tongue that amplifies the subtle flavors...in this case, it seems to overpower them, perhaps causing the mild flavors.

D--Well, due to the fact that I drank this waaay to cold, and its carbonation level, this beer actually comes off as very drinkable. Like, "have 10 or so at a barbeque" drinkable. Probably dangerous due to the ABV. As I've said about other 21st canned beers, this would actually be a great barbeque beer if you want to slum it out of a can, but still feel snob-superior to the MGD drinkers.
Serving Type: 12 oz can, poured in
to a snifter, probably around 40 degrees.
Feb 21, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by mpenske from California

Sunday at 04:33 AM
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Reddish brown with a sizzling head and lace.
Aroma of fruits, malt and a hint of cherry.
Taste was sweet, fruity, cherries with a medium body and carbonation.
very good balance and a good beer.
Mar 08, 2024
 
Rated: 3.75 by Burg from New Hampshire

May 05, 2021
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Garnet red color with nice clarity and a cream colored head.

S - Dark fruit, plums, and sweet caramel malt.

T - Sweet caramel malt, plumb, and dark fruit with light and delicate cinnamon.

M - Thick and full bodied with silky softness.

O - The cinnamon has definitely faded, but overall, a solid beer.
Sep 09, 2020
 
Rated: 4.02 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

Aug 15, 2020
 
Rated: 3.9 by blissfulNemo from Michigan

Jul 23, 2020
Photo of GarrettB
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado

3.32/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
April 5th, 2016 - This dark and fruity beer is a fun and interesting experience, and not easily replicated in other brews or breweries. In a shaker pint it looks just like a Coca Cola, and smells of craisins, chocolate covered cherries and cinnamon crusted almonds. With all these strong aromas I thought the flavor might be quite strong, but it's actually mild up front, and blossoms on the aftertastes, with gentle and light notes of cherry, and candy coated almonds, and somewhere in the back, a slight oakiness.
Jun 17, 2020
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Medium carbonation with about a medium body. Has slight slick oily feel that coats the tongue and carbonation is a little prickly
Aroma is yeast, yeasty doughy bread,dried fruit, fruit cake - I mean that in a good way. Slight cherry liqueur and brandy as well
Taste is yeasty malty bread, fruit cake, mildly sweet, some cherry juice as well
This is much better warmer than too cold. Much more flavorful and interesting as opposed to when I first poured it after taking it out of the fridge.
Apr 14, 2020
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

4.02/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: It pours brown with reddish hues. The head is light brown and head retention is good.

Smell: It has bread aromas with dark cherries and raisins. There are low levels of spice in the background.

Taste: It has raisin and dark cherry flavors balance with some bread. There is a moderate warming presence. There are some low spice elements in the background.

Feel: It has a medium full body with smooth alcohol warming.

Overall, plenty of bread, dark cherry, and raisin elements.
Mar 13, 2020
 
Rated: 3.94 by Unclevince from West Virginia

Feb 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4.3 by BKast409 from Virginia

Feb 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4.75 by chiefz1 from New York

Feb 12, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Jan 22, 2020
 
Rated: 3.58 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Jan 18, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by flyersfan900 from Virginia

Jan 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

Dec 31, 2019
 
Rated: 3.77 by Jcarriglio from Florida

Dec 29, 2019
 
Rated: 4.24 by Humanusfermentum from Virginia

Dec 28, 2019
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Type: 12-oz. can
Glass: Monks House of Ale 12-oz. tulip
From: Trader Joe’s in La Mesa, Calif.
Price: $2.25
Purchased: Oct. 27, 2019
Consumed: Nov. 1, 2019
Reviewed as: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Misc.: Unable to decipher the canned on date

Picked this up on a whim. Not a big fan of 21st Amendment Brewery, but this one sounded good on the can as a Belgian-Style Dark Ale brewed with Cinnamon, Vanilla, Oak Chips and Dried Figs.” Online description was a bunch of nonsense, so leaving that out.

Poured a reddish brown color with three fingers of frothy khaki head. Lots of bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass at different speeds. World-class foamy lacing. Excellent retention. (Sight - 4.50)

Smelled figs, raisins, dates, oak, hints of cinnamon, plum and purple grape. Not much else, not like that is a bad thing. Even earthier from the can. (Smell - 3.75)

Tasted better than the smell. Got figs, raisins, dates, oak, peppery spice, cinnamon, plum, purple grape, sugary caramel and red apple. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Oily texture. Average carbonation. Long, slightly warming finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Thought this one was going to be good. It was actually probably better than it should have been, but not quite as good as I hoped after seeing the ingredients. Which I get does not make sense. (Overall - 4.00)

4.00 | 90 | A-
Dec 23, 2019
Monk's Blood from 21st Amendment Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 1454 ratings