Blue Monk Special Reserve (Bottled)
De Struise Brouwers in Oostvleteren, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Belgian Style - Quadrupel / Dark Strong Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.68
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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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7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Bottle at home, dark brown beer, small head. Aroma is dark fruit, Taste is dark fruit, liquorice, chocolate, malt. nice one
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Sep 2016
at 12:57
9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
330 ml bottle into tulip glass; 2013 vintage bottled on 10/12/2013. Pours opaque dark brown color with a 2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of huge raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, apple, red grape, licorice, pepper, clove, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light chocolate/nuttiness, oak, red wine, vanilla, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Incredible aromas with fantastic complexity, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, and light-moderate wine barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of huge raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, apple, red grape, licorice, pepper, clove, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light chocolate/nuttiness, oak, red wine, vanilla, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light yeast/tannic oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark fruit, licorice, pepper, clove, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light chocolate/nuttiness, oak, red wine, vanilla, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, and light-moderate wine barrel flavors; with a great malt/yeast/oak balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an insane Belgian strong dark ale! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, and light-moderate wine barrel flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the big ABV. A really amazing offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Aug 2016
at 20:32
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Very dark brown. Aroma is floral and fruity. Nice texture and body. Pleasant fruity flavour. Raisins and cakey elements. Some bitter chocolate in the aftertaste.
Tried
on 22 Aug 2016
at 13:18
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
(330ml 2013 vintage bottle from Systembolaget) Pours very dark brown with a fine pale tan head that lingers with lace. Aroma of molasses, dark toffee, figs, raisins, red wine, oak, slight vanilla, dark bread, spiced notes, smoky, a bit meaty despite the sweetness. Flavour is fundamentally sweet and fruity, similar notes to the aroma with the sugary flavours, bread and fruit being somewhat replaced by oak, vinous notes, tannins and smoky meaty notes in the finish. Light bittering and alcohol heat. Medium full body and fairly soft carb with alcohol hints. Quite complex, really, but from my perspective the smokiness existed in conflict with the other elements as much as in harmony. I would have preferred it a touch more subtle, but the Struise quality is still there.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jul 2016
at 17:41
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Dark brown color with a light beige head, quickly diminishing. Aroma has notes of toasted malts, candy sugar, some Belgian yeast. Flavor is slightly sweet, notes of caramel, dry fruits, light sweetness, liquor with wooden hints. Alcoholic mouthfeel in the final with toasted notes.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Jul 2016
at 12:01
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
33 cl bottle @ hotel room, Bruges. Bottled 15.01.2016. Aroma has sweet malt, licorice and some chocolate. Flavour has raisins, cognac, sweet malty notes, wood and caramel. Good slow sipper.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Jul 2016
at 14:26
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at Cotteridge Wines tasting room; shared with evil empire, clear mahogany brown pour with a thin tan head, aroma has dark fruits, light caramel, taste has sweet caramel, candied red fruits, vinous action.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jul 2016
at 05:13
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
F: not very big, brownish, quick gone. C: dark brown, opaque. A: malty, caramel, coffee, dark chocolate, molasses, dark fruits, prunes, bready, candy sugar, light smoky and earthy, complex, very pleasant. T: dark malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, smoky, dry grassy/earthy bitterness, woody tones, dark fruits, raisins, dark cherries, alcohol, complex full body, above average carbonation, very good beer worth to try, Vintage 2013, 0,33l bottle from Malting Pot in Brussels.
Tried
from Can
on 02 Jul 2016
at 14:51
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
341ml bottle at Matt’s. Pours a dark brown with a tan head. Aroma is cherries, dark fruits, roasted malt, caramel. Taste is sweet, dark fruits, cherries. Sour, sweet, dark fruits, roasted malt aftertaste. Very goodml.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Jul 2016
at 01:18
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
330mL bottle, pours a deep dark mahogany / brown with a small beige head. Aroma brings out light earthy smoke, bready notes and slight toasted caramel. Flavour is unusual, with an earthy smokiness upfront, followed by caramel and toasted bread. Unique and quite complex, though doesn't seem as elegant as the ratings suggest. Very nice stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Jun 2016
at 23:45