Spencer Trappist Monk's Reserve Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Pours translucent mahogany with a thick and frothy buff head. Aroma delivers roast malt, syrupy, smoky, caramel and subtle fruity notes. Flavor gives smoky roast malt, syrup, dark fruit and caramel tones. Texture provides firm body and lively fizz. How 'bout them monks!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

330ml bottle from LCBO. Pours a fairly big foamy tan head, leaves some bubbly lace behind, has a murky dark brown appearance. Moderate carbonation. Aromas of dried fruit (plums, raisins) some mild toasty malts, resin and earthy hops. Flavours are mostly of the malt variety, lots of the dry fruit again, like plum and raisin. Some resinous notes as well as earthy and herbal hop hints. Bitterness on the palate in the finish, also a little bit dry.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

At first pour, aromas of dark fruits, molasses, caramel and light alcohol. Then, some beautiful spices come out to round things out. The taste shows coffee notes over the warming mouthfeel with the roasted malts that lingers on the tongue. The dark fruits do appear as well with time, the yeast chills in the background. Eventually, apple, spices and light bitterness play together. A dark brown colour with ruby highlights. Very nice tiny carbonation. The head is creamy, warm light-beige with some good creamy lacing left on the Spencer glass I got in their last package. This is all so well balanced, very nice. Gets better every sip.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

330ml bottle
10.2% ABV
Bottled On: August 16, 2018
Best Before: August 16, 2021
LCBO #457 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Yonge / Eglinton)
December 16, 2018
$4.20
The beer pours a solid dark brown colour with a creamy light brown coloured head. The aroma is dark fruit, chocolate, caramel, and yeast. Definitely detecting some Quad notes here. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, creamy, with ample carbonation. The flavour starts off sweet with notes of caramel and molasses, with some roasted malt character, some spice, almost peppery in fact, followed by yeast and a chocolatey note. Lots of flavours in this once it warms.