Founders Backstage Series # 1: Blushing Monk

Blushing Monk is brewed with a ridiculous amount of raspberries and with a Belgian yeast strain that keeps our head cellar operator from sleeping for a week. It pours a stunning deep berry red and, at 9.2% ABV, has a surprising kick. The perfect dessert beer, it can be enjoyed on its own or paired with fresh cheeses, fruit, cakes and more.

First released in July 2011, rereleased in 2015.

3.8

721 reviews

Grand Rapids, United States

Community reviews

3.4 Bottle at home, could not find the size on the label but guess it is 35,5 cl. Low and quickly disappearing fluffy pink head. Hazy dark red body. Lovely acidic sweet raspberries aroma with marzipan notes. Not as sharp as expected actually the flavor is rather sweet with distinct raspberries at the front and notes of marzipan and nuts at the end. Little hops bitterness, low carbonation, long sweet finish.

4.1 From bottle (pkgd 15Jan'19) in Belgian ale glass. Pours w/murky berry hue, pink-tinged head, strong aroma or raspberries & other fruity esters. Big berry tartness blends well with the ale base, works nicely w/blue cheese

3.7 12oz bottle with a time stamp I can't decipher - nose is in unmistakably raspberry. I can't detect other flavors. Sip adds something that doesn't allow for the usual sweetness associated with raspberries. ABV well hidden. Cherries? this is syrupy the more I sip it. Something a little odd about this. Maybe it's the Jim Beam Apple flavored whiskey I just had right before this. Who knows?

4.0 Schönes rotes Bier auch der schaum ist nett, im Geruch viel Himbeere Himbeermarmelade. Im Geschmack säuerlich Himbeeren fruchtige süße. Ich find es lecker

3.3 12oz Flasche von MBlessing. Rotes trübes Bier, cremiger Schaum. Es riecht nach Himbeerbrause. Sanfte Säure im Antrunk. Dazu ne Tüte Ahoi-Brause. Stange

4.0 355ml bottle brewed in Michigan at 9.2%. Clearish ruby with a neat, so-so duration white tinged with pink head. Deep raspberry aroma overpowered almost by spicy clove and banana Belgian yeast. Lowish carbonation. Rich complex spicy-creamy Belgian yeast notes of clove and banana fused with deep mature, sweetened but still somewhat tart raspberry flavours. It's two-dimensional, perhaps, but does exactly what it says on the label. Can't imagine many will be disappointed by this. The overall effect is pretty badass, with fruity notes mingling willy-nilly, creating shades of cherry and bubblegum, with the spicy yeast balancing out the raspberry sweetness that was perhaps overpowering in Rubaeus. If you want a Belgian style raspberry beer at a hearty ABV, in particular one that really delivers those yeast notes without being overly sharp, you can't really go wrong with the Blushing Monk.

3.2 Huge thanks to Erzengel for sharing! Bottle looks simple but really good. Beer in the glass zippy, small head. Starts fruity-malty, quite sweet, fruity like berries, some raspberries, dry woody background. Finish still very sweet-malty. Interesting, but a bit too sweet for me.

4.3 Thanks to HP for sharing. Raspberry jam in the nose. The beers starts mild fruity, very dry with lots of raspberries in the mouth. Dry and extreme fruity raspberry there, very fruity, rich and deep, fantastic!

3.9 750 ml bottle from my cellar (2015 vintage) though I've had it quite a few times before. Pours a clear reddish color with a small, rapidly disappearing pinkish head. The aroma and flavor have big raspberry character, lightly tart, sweet malts, Belgian yeast, where there used to be some earthy character in the beer I now find sweet and lightly tart raspberry jam dominating, I still enjoy this beer.

4.2 Sweet, tart and bursting with raspberry. Beautiful notes of Belgian yeast, ripe red and dark berries with a big boozy punch. Overwhelming 🔥

4.0 Bottle@summer cottage, from BeerRepublic. Strong, balanced nuances of slightly overaged raspberry, some apple and licorice in the background. A hint of some yeasty notes, but dominating raspberry dampens more distinctive taste. Medium taste spectrum and medium aftertaste with raspberry and some licorice. Strong body with medium carbonation. Overall, sturdy though dominating raspberry is a bit too much. 7 4 8 5 16

3.2 Fles 35,5cl thuis. Framboos, intens, zoet, licht klef, wat boozy, fruitig, bessen, kers, zuurtje, siroop. (27-4-2020).

3.8 Bottle from Gedeelde Vreugde, Sint-Niklaas. Pours hazy red with a lasting, small, frothy, pink head. Aroma of raspberry & strawberry jam, red candy, Mon Chéris, sweet cherry, bubblegum. Taste has very sweet raspberry jam, red candy, strawberry, very slighty sour (redcurrant & lemon) with soft bitter seeds in the back. Doughy maltiness keeps it all together into the tart & sweet finish, red candied fruits galore, slightly bitter with a hint of (hidden) alcohol (fruit jenever). Medium body, oily-sticky texture, fizzy carbonation. Feels artificial at first but it's well crafted; uncompromising in its sweet taste.

4.2 Grape pour. Nose of grape and hint of apple. Sweet taste of grape apple cranberry. Delish!!

3.4 Raspberry nose. Cloudy rust, thin head. Rich raspberries, bready. Full body, easy carbonation. Fruity, but with substance.

3.9 Red/brown with a slightly pink head. Aroma is raspberry, yoghurt and wood. Taste is medium/heavy sweet, medium bitter and light sour.

3.6 12 ounce bottle at home in Stow. Smell the raspberries. Pink In color with a bit of white head. Taste the raspberries. Light bodied and easy to drink. Little sweetness. Alcohol well hidden. Berry aftertaste. Just a yummy beer. Cheers!

4.4 Pours a clear dark red with a pinkish head that goes away pretty quick. Aroma is raspberry (duh), sweet, some slight alcohol burn, some cinnamon. Taste is subtle upfront, quickly growing into an intense, deep fantastic warming raspberry, gaining in sourness into the finish, ending with a lovely malty raspberry finish that lingers for a good while. Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Absolutely stellar!

3.5 Flaske. Rødbrun, med et lille skumhoved. Duften er let syrlig hindbær, som er meget tydelig i smagen. Meget sødlig, men det syrlige gør sødmen fin nok. Ok øl som dessert vin, lidt for meget til rigtig at ringe.

3.4 12 fl.oz bottle. A clear orange red beer with a white head. Aroma of sweet raspberries, strong fruits. Taste of sweet strong raspberries, sugar, too sweet...

3.4 34.5cl fles. Helder rood van kleur, fijne romige licht roze schuimkraag. De geur is framboos en kersen. Smaak is zoet, rode bes, framboos en gist. Medium body en veel koolzuur.

3.8 Whoa. If you like raspberry, this beer is for you! Pours a terrific ruby red with no head or lacing. The aroma is sweet raspberry as is the flavor. The 9% is well hidden & it‘s exactly as advertised. Really good stuff!

4.0 De Beer Republic. En copa Teku. Viendo El Vecino 1x08-10. Mucha frambuesa muy natural, con anv muy bien oculto y una base de malta corpulenta y muy bien integrada con la birra. De belga poco, eso si

3.3 Review based on the BJCP2015 guidelines (style 29A/25A). Bottle 35.5 cl - Batch unknown (BBF unknown). AROMA: medium-high raspberry notes, followed by low belgian yeast notes (pear drop). APPEARANCE: reddish amber color and clear. medium light pink head with good retention. leg formation. TASTE: medium-high raspberry flavor with a faint pear drop note. initially sweet, evolves into medium bitterness. finishes semi-dry to somewhat dry and slightly bitter. PALATE: medium body with medium-low carbonation. OVERALL: the raspberry character is a bit too much upfront but a nice beer nevertheless.

2.9 La brasserie Funders se tourne clairement ici vers les jeunes et la gente féminine avec une bière douce, aux accents de rosé et de grenadine. Pas de quoi se passionner pour un amateur de bière, et la question de se poser s'il n'est tout de même pas possible d'offrir mieux pour avoir une première approche de la bière à certains segments marketing (car il ne faut pas se le cacher nous touchons ici au marketing). Il est certain qu'ici, une touche d'acidité pour donner du pep's aurait été appréciable, tout comme un sucre un peu moins présent (mais ici tout est fait pour cacher l'alcool, car nous sommes tout de même chez les jeunes dans un paradoxe il faut boire de l'alcool, mais sans se rendre compte que c'est de l’alcool !). Sur la bière en elles même je n'ai malheureusement pas grand-chose à dire, le visuel est sur un rosé foncé sans mousse. Le nez est sur un mélange entre le vin rosé et grenadine et c'est d'ailleurs le duo que l'on retrouve de l'attaque au final en passant par l'arrière bouche avec tout de même un brin d'épices. C'est linéaire, poussif, avec un alcool à 9,2 % que l'on cache. Si la corpulence est honnête, la longueur est courte. Ce n'est pas parce que certains boivent n'importe quoi, qu'il faut brasser n'importe quoi.... Au contraire il faut amener ces personnes via des produits de qualité adaptés à apprécier la bière.

3.8 12 oz single bottle (2018) from Hy Vee Wine & Spirits - Muscatine. Clear ruby appearance with purple hues and beige head. Aroma of raspberries, Belgian yeast, sweet cherries, mild fruit juice and a hint of herbal spice. Similar flavor, sweet, fruity and juicy with a medium to full body and a lingering finish. Good.

3.6 Tap @Rowdy hops, session 1. Clear amber, offwhite head. Sweet citrus and reaspberry aroma, red berries. Malty flavour, red berries, citrus, some caramel. Nicely drinkable.

2.6 Piana dość gruboziarnista. W aromacie nie za ciekawie, pusto, pachnie jak perełka z syropem malinowym. W smaku syropowo słodkie, sztucznie malinowe, trochę słodowej słodyczy, lekki kwasek i trochę alkoholowego grzania. Da się to pewnie pić, ale po co?

4.0 the aroma is fruity and floral with hints of raspberry, jam, sweet wine, candy and some other fresh berries... the taste is fruity and floral with notes of raspberries, red wine, lollipop, sweet and sour apple and berries... the aftertaste is sweet, sour and dry...

3.4 Draught @ Rowdy Hops Festival, Ridehuset. Pours hazy dark reddish brown with an offwhite head, lacings. Aroma of malt, light sourness, yeast, fruity, red berries, raspberry. Flavor is sweet, light tart fruity, malt, yeasty, sweets, candy, fruit, red berries, raspberry, light alcohol. Medium body, average carbonation, sweet ligh tart fruity finish with light warming alcohol. To sweet for my liking. 011119