De Proefbrouwerij Monstre Rouge

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: American Strong Ale
Lochristi - Hijfte, Belgium

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

In short: A strange hoppy beer with a barnyard character. Far from clean but kind of fun
How: Bottle 750ml. Consumed when probably 1 year of age.
The look: Cloudy copper body, lots of small particles, large persistent beige head
In long: Nose is musky, barnyard, spiciness, pine-tree and dry grass. Intriguing nose I must say. Taste is… ehh… strange. Lots of yeast, barnyard, a bit of caramel, a bit of oak, stale water, notes of vanilla, lemony acidity and a ton of coniferous hops. Assertive bitterness. Overall sensation of drinking something dirty/soiled. Big fluffy full body. I’m not sure why the ratings are so low on this beer. I expected a total train wreck because an American Strong Ale with an average of 3.35 usually indicates a train wreck. Granted the beer is a bit strange (a bit of a mess actually) but it was a fun messy beer and I didn’t a problem drinking a full 750ml of this. Anybody looking for a hoppy beer off the beaten path should give Monstre Rouge a try. Much better than what the shitty ratings suggest, and don’t tell me that I’m crazy and I’m not making any sense otherwise I will wear new color of socks until you have no choice but to agree with me.

Pours a dark amber-green with a thin off-white head. Aroma is vanilla, booze, dark fruit. Tate is slightly sour, fruity, vanilla and booze. Lightly carbonated. Nice.

750 ml. Hazy deep amber body. Frothy off-white head, slowly diminishing. Sweet aroma of raisin, cherry, caramel, alcohol with a backdrop of wood, brett and mustiness. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly to moderately sweet and moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture and lively carbonation. Dark fruit in the taste is overrun with bitterness and some medicinal notes and hot alcohol in the finish. Wood and peat notes with some grapefruit hoppiness in the background. This beer grew on me the more I drank it.

Name: Monster rouge
Brewery: Terrapin Beer Company
Date: July 02, 2010
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: muddy burnt orange, fine beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet malt aroma, touch of funkness, fruity tartness
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, fruity sweetness, just a hint of funk or tartness
Overall: needs time
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

Bottle. Had this one in the cellar for quite a while and finally had the chance to open it up. Poured into a NB tulip glass a slightly hazed dark copper color with a light tan head. The aroma is malty with orange, slight booze note as well. Medium mouthfeel. Sweet start with a building level of citrus rind note. This is like a hoppy red with too much bitterness in the end. Laces nicely. Not a big fan of this one.

bottle 7/3/11. hazy cherry brownish red with a small raw almond tinted head. cherries are in the aroma... but the rest is kinda meh... musty, caramel malt and some spice. the flavor lacks any defining character as well... it’s not bad, just...eh....too much caramel malty sweetness, not sour, a little grassy, a little spice, a little cherry and some tannic-like/cherry skin dryness on the finish. it feels too thick and doesn’t have enough carbonation. i don’t know what to make of it... confusing. 6/4/6/3/14

Bottle. Pours a murky clouded brown with a tan head. Very interesting aroma with some distinct hoppy rye notes. Flavor is quite nice with a good mix of sour, sweet and bitter. Good kick in the ass for the senses.

This poured a semi murky red color with a beige head. Aroma was medium musty tart and caramel notes. Flavor was much the same, not much of what I was expecting a very strange and muddled beer.