Founders Blushing Monk (2004-2010)
AKA: Imperial Belgian Razz. (Please note: This is not the Backstage Version. Ratings for the version released in 2015 should be placed under the Backstage #1 listing).
3.8
320 reviews
Grand Rapids, United States
Community reviews
Bottle courtesy of ryan. Pours a clear, deep red with a slight haze. Lots of fresh raspberries on the nose. Very sweet. Sweet raspberry flavor. Maybe a touch of oak. Dissolves to a lightly tart, dry finish.
This beer appears a ruby red color. There is a small head that recedes rapidly, leaving virtually no lacing on the glass. Raspberry jam, raspberry pie, and just about anything raspberry. There is no shortage of raspberries here. The beer tastes very good. The alcohol is hidden very well behind an armada of pungent raspberries. It’s a bit too sweet to enjoy more than a few ounces. I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it. I’d certainly have it again.
Draft at Sugar Maple. Wow. Highly unique purple-red body with a pink-purple head. Intense raspberry aroma, noticeable from a few feet away. Big time raspberry beer, practically raspberry juice. Bold, but hides/masks the ABV well. There really aren’t many classical beer traits. They mustve used a ton on Raspberries. Smooth backgrounds lets them shine. Somewhat mulled taste, I could sip on this snifter for hours. Reminiscent of Gluh-Kriek, Chelque Chose. Delicious, but lacks any qualities that make it beer-like. I don’t get any trace of Belgian yesat. A cool "beer".
22nd February 2010
Hazy dark red beer. Short lived thin pink head! Aroma of raspberries, a little sour. Dry crisp palate. Immediate tart raspberry, although it mellows to a degree - this flavour dominates throughout. Very dry crisp finish, leaves a warming afterglow. Just the right side of being too puckery.
Backstage bottle. Pours dark purple and the head has a nice purple hue. The aroma is just overpowering with raspberries in a very good way. The raspberries carry over into the taste. The taste is very good, but also very fruity. Probably too sweet to drink more than one. They nailed this beer though.
Tasted in late November 2011 from a 22oz bomber bottle shared by unclejedi, thanks Jim. Pours clear ruby red with an average white head that leaves a decent collar of lace. The nose is full of earthy cherry skin, sweet and tart raspberry, very fruity, with just a hint of light malt character. The flavor is sweet and tart raspberry, tannic fruit skin, with the same light malt from the nose. The body is medium with average carbonation and a long sweet and tart raspberry finish. Holding up nicely.
On tap at blind tiger. Sweet and sour cherry rasp taste. Ultra sweet... Candi sugar with lots of framboise.
Aroma: massive dose of raspberry, slight malt note, but that’s pretty much swamped out by the fruit. Pours a deep red with fizzy pink head, the color of this beer is really brilliant. Flavor is mainly raspberry, there is some hint of malt, but the fruit really steals the stage. For the alcohol content, there isn’t much detectable booze, very easy drinking. Medium-full body with high carbonation. Interesting beer, well done.
Bomber. Pours purple with thin cream-purple head. Aroma is raspberry. Flavor is very tart raspberry. Surprisingly delicious.
Bottle shared at a recent BA/RB tasting... Poured dark, blood red with a vibrant pink head. Extremely strong with raspberry flavor. Almost like a soda pop beer. Think New Glarus Wisconsin Tart.
Pour from a bottle gave a dark blood red color with a red tinged head. Rasspberry aromas. Smooth and rich on your palate. Jammy quality with ripe raspberry, strawberry flavors. No real tart quality present. Good solid finish. Some tart sour qualities would have been nice.
Draft. Vivid deep red color that is surprising. Carbonation is apparent and the head is minimal. Strong berry aroma with more coming out as you drink, but this was not overly sweet. the high alcohol is masked so be aware.
2011 edition, 750ml bottle into a DFH snifter. A - Dark red/purple body. Light pink head. Looks a lot like a framboise. S - Well....raspberries. I can’t detect anything else. Still really natural. T - No suprise here. Raspberry overload. Very fresh and natural raspberry syrup. Crisp and smooth mouthfeel, but somewhat syrupy. Just a hint of alcohol on the end. O - Very nice raspberry...drink? Its hard to call it a beer, but its still really refreshing. Made for a nice 50th review on an "excessive heat warning" day.
Wow, super old rating that I never entered. On tap at the 2008 World Beer Fest in Durham, and pretty much my favorite of the day. Pours dark cloudy pink with a light foamy beige head. Nose of raspberries and some dark cherries, but with lovely Belgian yeast and light wheat notes. Just funky enough to make it interesting, but still plenty of bright fruits. Booze surprisingly well hidden.
Pretty cloudy red pour with a small pink head. Aroma and flavor are absolutely full of raspberry, yeast, and booze. The 12+% alcohol is definitely in there, but it’s really smoothed out beautifully by the intense real raspberry flavor. Awesomely tasty, I definitely wasn’t sober but it reminded me of Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock. Lovely stuff.
Bottle shared at DLD. Not sure of the vintage. Pour is cloudy red with a small off-white head. Lacing is fantastic. Aroma is mostly of raspberries with some tartness and syrup/soap thrown in. Flavor is of sweet and sour raspberries with it leaning more towards the sweet side. Some slight sugar syrup overtones but not in a bad way. Light to medium bodied, good carbonation.
22 oz. bottle via local trade. I will protect the trader’s identity because if his girlfriend knew he traded one, she’d kill him. 2007 vintage. Pours a hazy ruby-red color with a small tinted head that doesn’t last long. Aroma of raspberries, floral notes, Belgian yeast, and cherry juice. Flavor of rich dark raspberries, Belgian yeast, floral notes, and sweet malts. Medium-bodied, with a vinous mouthfeel and low carbonation. Hell yes. This is even better than I thought it would be. I’d love to put one of these up to a Raspberry Tart because they seem equally awesome.
The beer is dark pink with a light pink head, pretty good lacing...The aroma is really sweet with raspberries and despiting know that they are real the smell comes offs as very generic candied rasperberries. A little tartness to it but not much going on...The taste is lacking a little bit. The raspberries are dominant sweet and tart but it doesn’t do a good job of hiding the alcohol, its very prominant, however its still very drinkable. The feel is ok, slightly warm but has a very distracting tart/bitter/alcohol finish.
Overall, this is ok but nothing special. Its not a true fruit beer to me, not enough fruit with too much alcohol. If you want to crush a 12% real quick and get slammed this might do the trick.
A-pours a cloudy dark ruby red color with a light pink head.
S-lots of vanilla and berries, not exactly raspberry but overly sweet. There are some light notes of oak and some christmas spice in the back.
T-the taste is pretty sharp, the fruit is somewhat artificial and the vanilla is very strong. the oak is light with some off putting medicinal notes in this towards the back. the flavor is slightly water and has a bit of acidity in the back.
M-creamy body to this, rather big especially in comparison to other sours at the tasting. slightly heavy, decent bit of carbonation and a light to semi dry finish.
D-this is very artificial and syrupy in the flavor, it is straight forward and simple, sweet and slightly bitter in the finish.
Bottle from 2008 at the Funky 6. Pours a hazy, deep red with a medium, pinkish head. Holds a strong, sweet aroma dominated by raspberries. Flavor is fairly sweet with lots of berries, citric hoppiness, light acidic tartness. Medium to full in body with soft to average carbonation. Warming, sweet finish with lingering raspberries and slight tartness. Very nice beer.
22 oz. bottle. Pours a dark ruby red color with a small pinkish head. The aroma is raspberries; sweet with some tartness. The flavor is more raspberries. I like that the sweetness is balanced by the tartness. Medium bodied at best; probably light medium. This falls under the category of only one glass because the alcohol is so well hidden. Absolutely no sign of 12.1%. I am a little bummed this is gone as it was much better than Rubaeus and their more recent fruit beers.
From notes.
Dark transparent ruby, thin paper white head that lasts. Heavy vanilla and butter, raspberry comes over as syrupy and sweet. Ultra sweet flavor, way too sugary and syrupy through finish, a bit of heat up front. When compared to raspberry sours, lambics, and fruit beers, this fell way short on all accounts, particularly "drinkability".
22 oz bottle. Dark reddish hued pour with a red tinged off-white head. Aroma is raspberries. Tste is tart raspberries. I find it to be nicely balanced. Lacing is plenty. Little dry in the aftertaste. Very tasty overall.
Bottle shared by StFun...thanks Josh! - Pours pink and rosy, with a bubbly off-white head. Tons of deep, overripe raspberries on the nose, though it’s lightly soapy and not too terribly sweet. The taste however, is the star here. The smooth overripe raspberry flesh is one of the most realistic I’ve tasted and reminds me a bit of the New Glarus Raspberry Tart. Pretty sweet, but has a decent amount of malt to offset it a bit. Syrupy and smooth, with great carbonation. This was a treat.
Sample thanks to StFun! Hazy dark red pour, average amount of carbonation and an aroma of slightly funky raspberries. Flavor is vibrant and tangy muddled raspberries and slightly sour on the aftertaste. I can’t believe this is 12% ABV, dangeroursly drinkable and delicious.
Bottle shared by James, big thanks! Poured a hazy deep raspberry with a reddish off-white head that dissipated to the edges. Aroma was full of sweet and tart raspberries and a decent alcohol burn. Flavor was similar with tart and sweet raspberries somewhat balancing a pretty strong alcohol burn.
RBSG 10 grand tasting. Pours a deep almost a purple color with a awesome head and some good lace. The aroma is jammy and lightly boozy with tons of raspberry. The flavor is lots of fruit, sweet raspberries and some spiciness, mostly all sorts of raspberry jam. Pretty tasty.
Got to try this at the grand tasting, RBSG. Amazing raspberry aroma, big flavor. No indication whatsoever of that 12+% alcohol. Well balanced, refined, luscious. Not too sweet, as the tartness balances well. Love it.
Sampled at the RBSG Summer Grand Tasting (Grand Rapids, MI). Pours a mellow reddish copper, light haze, very juice like with loose offwhite head dies to a small film. Aromas are raspberries, pretty sweet and a bit tart, a touch of malt but very juice forward. Initial is sweet, thinner side of medium bodied, light offwhite head ring. Sweet raspberries, touch of tartness.. Not overly sweet, but a bit juicy, touch of spritzy fizziness. Finish is mellow sweetness, raspberry puree, juice. Not bad, glad to try. Amazing that this carries the ABV it does.. Doesn’t seem that way.
Pours red with a white head. Aroma is rasberries and the taste is tart rasberry. Alcohol is hidden extremely well.