Mikkeller - Monk's Brew

Happy Sunday Everyone! Today I was at my local Whole Foods and I was trying to find something that I haven't tried before, would probably taste pretty good, and was under $20 (as all the really expensive stuff on the top shelf is still left for me to try out). Well, this fellow was on the top shelf, but he came out at $13.99 which I guess is acceptable for a Quad. I have never tried a beer from this brewing house, but looking over their website and the 76 beers that they have launched since their founding, I am quite surprised I haven't. Mikkeller was founded in by two homebrewers and has been run exclusively by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø since 2007. Mikkeller's Bar has 20 beers on tap, mostly Mikkeller brews and some of the best brews from around the world.

This beer is very dark for a Quadruple, as you can tell from the image above, but a hint of red can be seen at the edge and bottom of the glass. This brew seems like it is lacking the carbonation of a normal Belgian beer though, as I poured it quite aggressively but it only produced a slight amount of head. The head lingered and was still very prominent when I took my first sip. This brew smells very dark as well, with subtle hints of citrus and an overwhelming smell of alcohol (like a Quad should). This brew is lighter than most Quads and Triples I have tasted, but unfortunately doesn't have a very good flavor. I am going to give this beer 2.5/5 stars, as it was more expensive than most other beers like it and and it doesn't have a very good flavor. The flavor is not sweet, but it is a tad bit sour, nothing like a lambic or a sour brew, but a hint of sour at the end of every sip.

Unfortunately this brew comes out like most of the expensive brews that I find at my local Whole Foods or Bev Mo... they have a nice label, they say all the right things on that nice label, but they just don't have the flavor or characteristics of some of the cheaper and better brews. I would recommend that you give this guy a try if you have tried everything else below $12 or you are looking for something like with a high ABV that has subtle hints of sour.


See you at the bar!