Struise Aardmonnik / Earthmonk

Formerly brewed at De Struise Brouwers
Style: Sour Ale
Oostvleteren, Belgium

Word to MaltOMeal for sending this one. Not sure if I like the fact that the carbonation is totally non-existent here but I’ll live. Tart, very fruity, sort of spicy aroma. Pour is a deep brown with no head. The flavor is fruit at first and then a stabbing sour hit on the back of the palate. Faint earth and wood graininess working in the background. Glad I had a chance to try this one but I’m not sure I need to search this one out again.

33cl bottle. Pours a dark brown with a deep, ruby red tint. No head. Nose is of vinegar, spice, pepper, wood and some fruit. Taste is spice, pepper, fruit - grapes. Mouthfeel is dry with a sweet/sourness to it, but not overly sour. Very nice.

Bottle. Pours dark brown with a spare, light brown head, completely diminishing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, straw), average hops (flowers, perfume), average yeast (horse blanket, barnyard, earth) with notes of alcohol, plum, date, and cherry. Medium bodied, thin and oily texture, soft carbonation, and a sour finish. Long duration, light sweetness, heavy acidity and sourness.

Cool. Dark brown and redolant with soured raisins, and a long lingering raisiny balsamic aftertaste. Very good.

Bottle on 11/30/2008 at the 3rd Annual Richmond Industry Gathering. Dark amber body with a small off-white head. Big sour and balsamic vinegar aroma. Very nice balsamic flavor with light molassas and caramel. Medium full body with moderate carbonation.

Bottle ordered online: Pours a deep brown with a ruby hue- a bit muddy looking on the second pour- when poured vigorously there’s a wispy, loose bubbly tan head that fades. Very acetic aroma. A touch solventy, with acetone notes, along with a sweet barrel character- vanilla comes through and perhaps a touch of maple. Very slick texture, hardly carbonated (the less priming sugar isn’t working for me). The flavor has a strong acetic presence, with a solid dark malt character. Sweet dark fruits are at the base- perhaps notes of raisin and brown sugar underneath vinegary/acetic notes. Some raspberry skin tannin character meshes with softly sweet dark malt notes which linger on the tongue. I need a bit more liveliness with this style, especially with the carbonation and body feel. Interesting and unique, but missing something to make it very good.

Bottle shared by Shyam at the 09er. Earthy, for sure. Pours brown with a faint off-white head. Permeates the aroma of rubbing alcohol and vinegar. Very hot, but somehow mellow in flavor. Features the taste of maple syrup, orange rind, and pepper. Much like the character on the label, this beer is strangely haunting.

Bottle courtesy of Shyam. Thank you sir! More disturbing than the label character is the aroma which is highly jarring and makes the beer seem like it has way more heat than it does - red pepper, yeast, very malty malt and fruit that is a bit too old. For me, much smoother and un-sour than I was hoping for. Tastes like a Flemish red but with no carbonation and much rounder - the aging really took hold.