Struise Aardmonnik / Earthmonk

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

Taster – 2008 Great Salt Lake Festivus – Beer Session – Super sour aroma, flavor and finish this was a great beer. Fruity in the flavor this was also a fantastic brew.

Wow! Another nice beer thanks to Eric, shared at his Christmas bash. Pours a dark murky brown color with a tiny, almost non-existent head. The aroma is very nice, sour cherries, yeast, sour raisins and brown sugar. The flavor was very nice, woody, a sweet and sour mix, dark fruit, maybe some burnt caramel, a hell of a mix here. Like a nice Old Bruin or Flanders Sour. Not exactly a sour beer, just mildly sour. Very nice.

Almost black brown with a veil of beige foam.The nose and the flavours range from balsamic vinegar to red berry fruits, with a subtle note of chocolate, vinous, raisins lingering on a sweet underlying note. Amazing flavour explosion, well bodied, balanced, dry end. I ve never sipped so slowly a beer before. Thanks Nino for let me have this gem, shared & enjoyed with Zurgo.

VRBT. Happy to try this. Brownish reddish appearance. Very fruity aroma. Flavor is cherry, balsamic, and just a touch of balancing sweetness on the finish. This is all correct, but really just does not do justice to the complexity and depth of flavor displayed in this beer. Great stuff, one of the highlights of the tasting.

This dark brown ale poured as prescribed with a group of tan bubbles floating on top. There is a strong enticing aroma of sour vinegar. This is a sour brown ale with a subtle and complex flavor. It has clearly benefited from the oak aging, which has turned the sourness to a slightly tangy rich mellow fruit and malt taste with a dry satisfying finish. Well done.

courtsey of tpd975. Thanks Greg for sharing this gem. Not usually a big fan of sour beers, but this one is just amazingly well done and drinkable. Pours brownish, with close to no head. Aroma of vinegar, and red wine. Taste, a nice woody barrel with enough sourness mixed with dark fruits giving it a tart red wine mouthfeel.

Pours dark brown, almost like a dark eisbock, with no head and garnet hints at the edges. I almost want to give a 5.0 for appearance. Smells of malt, prune and wood with slight vinegar. The mouthfeel is light-to-medium though this beer has some viscosity though it finishes quite dry. This is a very tasty beer with white grapefruit and spiciness reminiscent of Muller-Thurgau up front and a mild prune and wood finish. The acetic qualities are well-balanced, with the tartness between an old, viscous barrel-aged beer and a Flemish red. An exceptional sipper! Not like any other beer I’ve ever had, but it shows some characteristics shared with l’Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2005. This beer is very drinkable but unfortunately quite rare. Well, well worth seeking out if this sounds like something you’d enjoy. I now consider it one of the great soured ales in the world.

Crushed with Jakebra. Damn, disappointed. This is more of a red wine mixed with vinegar and sweat. I’m sure Struise meant that to happen, because somehow it works out from time to time. Not quite unpleasant, but not exactly good.