De Proefbrouwerij Monstre Rouge

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

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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Cork date of 01/04/12; Sampled June 2011
A steady pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces a fat-two-finger thick, nicely taned, slightly amber tinged head that leaves a fair amount of lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a dark, concentrated amber color that shows a brilliantly clear, deep red, but somehow gold tinged hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of buttery malt, woody oak notes, a woody spiciness that almost suggest of cinnamon, a herbal character that also somehow leans towards holiday spices, somehow big notes of cedar and perhaps pine sap laden saw dust. There is also an underlying caramelized sweetness that somehow accentuates a grapefruit like character that seems to be coming from American hops. What a weird aroma; it is weird because of all the character and complexity that is here, but somehow these seemingly incongruous aromatic notes work together in this beer; hops, caramel malt, woodiness, all work together. I suppose it seems like it won’t work because I am expecting this to be a sour and/or funky beer, but honestly the aroma doesn’t suggest that at all; the hops, wood and malt play too much of a role for me to recognize anything like a Flemish Sour (maybe I was reading too much into the name / style, maybe this has no sourness / funkiness to it. The oak really seems to accentuate an alcohol heat to the nose that at times tries to singe my nose (perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but it is definitely something).

The taste indeed confirms that this is not a sour / funky beer. It is amply hoppy, amply oaky and though secondarily to the first two, amply malty. Flavors of spicy, peppery, almost hot, oak is quite noticeable and this couples with a big hop character that accentuates the woody notes with a herbaceous character and a pine like character. The hops do suggest of cedar again (this is really a combination of the hops and oak), but also have a caramelized, ruby-red-grapefruit zest and ripe tangelo zest flavor that again sort of melds with and accentuates the oak. The malt clearly plays a secondary role here, but does distinctly contribute caramelized malt notes (these accentuate the fruitiness from the hops) as well as some nutty, toasted malt notes and a touch of spicy, wholesome whole-grain character. The body has enough heft to support the at times biting combination of oak and hop character; I wouldn’t call this a session or quaffing beer, but it does have some drink’ability.

The combination of the oak and hop character can be a bit harsh at times in this beer (especially in the flavor); this can actually be enjoyable though if you are ready, or can get on board (the latter being my case, since I thought this beer was going to be something completely different) with the raucous ride that is this beer. The big question is where does the complex yeast character come into play; I am sure it contributes to the overall character here, but it is completely drowned out by the oak, hops and even the malt. Still this is a beer that I am enjoying, even if it was something completely different from what I was expecting.

Bottle at WWBA ’12 Brooklyn. Rich bourbon and coconut in the nose. Prickly mouthfeel. More hoppy than I expected with sweet coconut and tangy pickle juice.

Bottle. [thanks after4ever]
Pours deep red amber with a big, creamy, off-white head. Aroma is floral, peach, grapefruity, resin, fat caramel and red berries. Light spicy pepper. Medium carbonation, fine dry and creamy mouthfeel. Flavour has good sweet caramel, light biscuity, a hint of milky chocolate and raspberries. Fairly vinious and quite bitter with herbal, piney, citric hops bite. Nice beer.

Hazed amber orange with chunkies. Aroma of spicy yeast, citrus, dough, fruit. Taste has a nice balance of sweet and light bitterness. Not overly sweet, the alcohol is not overpowering, lightly floral, pretty good stuff.

750ml bottle. Pours cloudy copper in color with a sudsy off white head that fades to a soapy film. Aroma ha a mix of caramel yeast and dark fruit and some piny hops. Taste is bitter and funky like pine cones and grapefruit peel with some caramel trying to balance it all out, but the alcohol and hops are winning. Palate is medium and a little astringent with a drying finish. This is not bad at all, but I would not buy again!

750 ml bottle, pours ruddy cider w/ creamy off-white head, aroma is caramelized malt and some resiny hop, caramel sweet with resiny bitterness throughout, stone fruit as well, medium- to full-bodied, finishes pleasantly dry with some boozy warmth and lingering bitterness, pleasant

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.