Struise Aardmonnik / Earthmonk

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

From bottle at Kulminator, sampled in March 2008. Dark redish brown colour with small creamy head. Intense acidic nose here, bit of brown sour but more-ish. Glue blended with acid. Bit harsh acidic in flavour and surely a standout profile. Not for the weak. Gastric juices. Juniper. Barnyard. Sweaty leather. Almost on the edge of being too much.

Bottle shared by someone at hellbillys hellraiser but I forget who. If it was you let me know so I an give credit where it is due. Pours a nice hazy brown with very little to no head. Aroma is balsamic vinegar, caramel, and wood. Flavor is balsamic vinegar, caramel, sour....wood. As a beer I thought this was very unique but not something I’d drink everyday because it was way too balsamic; however as a salad dressing I’d eat it every day. Pass the feta cheese and spinach and let’s party!

Really happy to finally get to try this. Bottle from ajm - thanks! Sour black cherries and light balsamic aroma, very woody with some brett and an overhanging acidic tang. Raspberry and a touch of chocolate. Pours a dark brown which becomes opaque pitch under light, with no head at all. Taste is lightly sour but pleasantly so, cherry backing off but still nice and woody, chocolate allowed to flourish with some brett and light vanilla. Lower acidity than expected, no real off-flavors here, though the brett hasn’t had enough time to metamorphose into the true beast it will be, e.g. bottle-front depiction. Dry and vinous with very well-hidden alcohol. Slippery medium body, big malt with a light bit of yeast and even some lemon. Fresh and complex and agile and graceful. Definitely needs time to develop, but it’s easy to envision big things for this. I just love what Struise’s done in the past few years.

Courtesy trade with Chewy. Thanks man! A delicious beer. Only complaint is the lack of any carbonation. Aroma was near perfect. Strong vinegar with just a hint of oak and earth. Pour was a nice deep dark murky brown with no head. Taste was nice and sour. Vinegar, funk and not much else. The thick mouthfeel almost tames the sourness and the lack of carbonation really hurts the beer. If this had the strong carbonation of other sours (or even any at all) it would have been in the 4s

33 cL bottle. Pours very dark brown with some amber hues and a small, bubbly tan head (more from the pour than from actual carbonation). I detect a sour toasted oak aroma before I even lift the glass. When I get it under my nose, I pick up some very interesting chocolate and cherry maltiness with even a very very distant roasted notes; the lactic acid notes and noticeable alcohol give the aroma quite an edge. The flavor is earthy spices when it first hits my tongue. Then toasted oak takes over, with some nice woody vanilla notes. Then comes the sourness, which grows quite assertive as the beer nears the back of my mouth. Some fruity notes pop up here and there, mostly cherry and plum. The finish is a bit surprising, as it takes a quick turn toward a rich dark chocolate flavor. There’s another spicy twang there, too, like pepper, sage, and anise. Sourness lingers into the aftertaste, as does a bit of alcohol warmth. This is an excellent beer.

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.