Blue Monk Special Reserve (Bottled)
De Struise Brouwers in Oostvleteren, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Belgian Style - Quadrupel / Dark Strong Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.67
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Blue Monk Special Reserve is a quadruple which has been aged for 3 years in red wine barrels from Château Haut Breton Larigaudière in Margaux! It is dark brown in color with a beige frothy head. It has an aroma and bouquet of a complex red wine, with a soft taste of spice, berries and black cherries. The flavour is enriched with touches of caramel, fine chocolate, toasted nuts and soft hints of smoke. The fruity elements of red and dark fruits comes from the aging in barrels fine from Château Haut Breton Larigaudière in Margaux. These flavors are adding a slight vanilla note and some refined wood tannins.
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7.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Pours pitch hazy dark brown with a small light brown head. Aromas of dark fruits, toffee, bread, some vinous notes. Taste is bready, sweet dark fruits, light smoke, vinous notes, light acidity.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Nov 2019
at 16:54
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Firar sm-guld med en blå öl. Doftar kryddigt, mörk frukt och vanilj. Vinös, fat, läder, mörk frukt och alkohol.
Tried
on 02 Nov 2019
at 19:55
8.6/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Smoky, oaky, rich and fruity, vanilla, dark fruit, caramel, touch meaty. Very nice!
Tried
on 12 Oct 2019
at 03:03
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Let us see how Blue Monk fits into the broad tapestry that De Struise creates with its quadrupels. I’m a fan of the brewer and the style, not so much of wine barrels for aging. This 33 cl bottle, 2013 vintage, was purchased from a fine Belgian retailer in the past year. My Chimay glass will receive this brew, I see a caramel brown liquid topped with a minuscule head of light tan bubbles. I lift for the scent, figs, leather and, curiously, some ash. And the taste, dark plum, dark bread, oak, some vinous effect, malt and just a bit of chocolate. Not the best from the brewer but still good.
Tried
from Draft
on 05 Oct 2019
at 23:03
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Deep dark brown color. Malt, roast and a hint of licorice in the aroma. Malty sweet, roasty caramelly salty flavor with licorice. Some roastbitterness in the finish with laurel. Slightly alcoholic.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Aug 2019
at 12:05
8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Zwart bier met schuim. Smaak is bitter en zoetzuur met iets van rook, vanille, bessen en koffie.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jun 2019
at 13:18
8.3/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Black color with beige head. Aroma is burnt black breadcrust, burnt caramel, light oak vanilla. Taste is vanilla, blackbread, oak, vineous tannins, very rustic and earthy. Foamy carbonation. Very nice!
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Apr 2019
at 23:06
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle, courtesy of SinH4, many thanks! Vintage 2013, bottled 15/01/2016. Pours murky brown. Aroma is tons of red wine barrels, red and black berries, even low funk. Body is heavy and intense, sweet and creamy yet not overdone. Berries, red fruit, caramel, vanilla, oak, tannins. Lowish carbonation, but just perfect. Becomes warming on the palate. Superbly balanced without lacking complexity. Great winter beer!
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Dec 2018
at 23:03
Tried
on 15 Dec 2018
at 23:53
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
33cl bottle from a trade with Jefverstraete, huge thanks man! Bottled on 12/10/2013. A clear very dark orange brown beer with a mid-sized good lasting beige head. Aroma of dried fruits, caramel, raisins, red malt. Taste of moderate sweet strong riped fruits, raisins, plums, red fruits, some wine and oak, complex and super nice! --- Beer merged from original tick of Struise Blue Monk on 14 Nov 2021 at 12:28 - Score: 7. Original review text: Sampled @ Billie's Craft Beer Fest 2021. A black beer. Aroma of strong dark roasted malt, coffee, whiskey. Taste of strong woody dark malt, bourbon, ash.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Oct 2018
at 22:21