Rogue Monk Madness

The beer pours a murky, orangish brown with a thick, soft, speckled beige head that lasts almost forever and sticks to the glass in heavy lace. The aroma is malty and complex: spicy malts, fruit, toffee, and hints of bubble gum and cinnamon. The flavor follows the smell: excellent malt backbone with a little yeast, and some fruit and bubble gum at first. The middle of the tongue picks up some spice, more fruit, a touch of balancing bitter hops, and earthy hop flavor. The beer finishes fairly full-bodied with a pleasant balance of soft, earthy hops and sweet, fruity malts. The after-taste is surprisingly bitter with hops. The mouthfeel is medium in body and well carbonated (without being too bubble). Overall, a very nice beer.

Dark dirty brown pour with a cream head. Nice lacing. Aroma of hops and caramel. Great complex flavor of coffee, wheat and caramel. Great hoppy finish.

Bomber: Pours a clear copper color with a large white head, aroma has flowery and piney hops and caramel, medium bodied with solid carbonation, starts and ends bitter with a long aftertaste.

22oz bottle poured in a shaker. Monk Madness pours an awful diareah color with a clumpy head that resembles mold. It has a very nice toffee aroma with a touch of butter and yeast. The flavor is is quite unique and utterly delightful. Toffee makes another appearance in the taste along with the butter. The hops are superbly balanced. There are coffee, rasin and heavy bread flavors more typical of a stout yet there are barley wine reminders hidden in there as well. As I read through the other descriptions on ratebeer I see a very wide array of descriptions. I can easily see why. This beer is complex and hard to narrow down. This beer doesn’t make me think of Belgian abbey ales at all though so if that’s what you’re looking for, go somewhere else. If I had to suggest one improvement it would be to make the beer a tad thicker. It’s ever-so-slightly thin.

Well, this beer didn’t make me think any Friar would be pining for it, but nonetheless here we go. Poured a brow/ruby color with a slightly tan head. I’ve read other appearances that said "hazy yellow" or "light amber" and I just have to wonder what they were looking at! While not opaque, this beer was defintely dark. Aroma is light for me, but there’s herbs (basil, and a general plantiness) and dirt. The taste balanced its elements surprisingly well. There was a mix of dark chocolate, rye bread, yeasty funk (in a not Belgian way) and some vague tanginess that seemed like raspberries. Finshes roasty, rye, and kind of dry, with a nice liquorice taste as I swallow. Very creamy texture, making a medium beer feel thicker. I really was wondering about the initial 108 IBUs, but it’s acually 68, which sounds about right for what this tasted like. I thought it could have used more caramel sweetness, then I would really have thought this was awesome. The complexity was pulled off well. I don’t get the hints at any Belgian charcteristics though.

Okay, I can see where this used some Belgian malts and hops (combined with American hops) but an American ale yeast. As I was drinking this, I kept trying to imagine these flavors with a Belgian yeast strain it was not a far stretch at all. It’s funny how easy it is for a Belgian Strong to be an American Strong, just depending on the yeast. Still, this beer would be really awesome if it only used a Belgian yeast.

On tap at Pizza Plant. This is an american strong, not a Belgian at all. While some yeast, it is like a strong lager, at 7.4% abv. Hazy beige with some head.Something unexpected, with above average citrus hops and lots of malting.I could not drink too much of this when other beers available, but would take it again.

Pours an almost clear mahogany supporting a lasting dusky tan head with solid sheets of lacing. Malty aroma with raisin and gingerbread notes. Rich malty backbone with mild spices up front and satisfying hop bitterness backing up the sweetness. Silky texture with plenty of body and a relatively long, mildly sweet and flavorful finish. I’m surprised this hasn’t gotten better ratings because its a well-crafted brew and another Rogue winner.

22oz bottle. Medium fruit aroma with some caramel malt. Amber body with off white head. Flavor has a good fruity somewhat dry bitterness and sweet syrup. Yeasty bread dry palate. good beer