Brother Thelonious

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Brother Thelonious 

• Brewery: North Coast Brewing (California)

• Style: Belgian Style Abbey

• ABV: 9.4%

• IBU: 32

• Pour Color:  Poured a very dark red almost brown

      Poured nice and see through although dark. The head was fluffy and held for awhile. A sweet fruity scent to this one that most ales don't have. On taste you realize it has a fig and/or raisin flavor. The yeast in this one is a star all it's own though. It adds a spicy flavor that melds well with the malts. The malts themselves have a nice caramel flavor that nears that of a scotch ale. Really great complimenting flavors in this one. A great beer that helps a good cause in supporting jazz education.
      I've had some really bad abbey ales for the most part. Beers that get the malts and the flavors wrong while melding and come out being real gross. All of them to me seemed to have a nasty acidic tasting sour and a really over done sweetness. Leaves you feeling like it's vomit in a glass. Brother Thelonious changed that point of view. A well balanced beer that has a 9.4% alcohol, this one goes way past most expectations.

  

Rating: *****

Merry Monks'

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Merry Monks'

• Brewery:Weyerbacher brewing co. (Pennsylvania)

• Style: Belgian Tripel

• ABV: 9.3%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A golden color very murky

       The Face poured this one and it was a cute golden color. The head was nice and light but quite foamy. I expected this to be a easy going beer as I was soaked. Quickly you realize this ones a heavy hitter. Not really a strong hop or malt flavor to this one. Merry Monks' though has a very complex series of flavors. The easy tastes to descripe are clove and am almost a banana. This one really hits like a strong ale or a barley wine as it drenches the follicles. Really delicious for being such a big ABV. This one could send a amateur for a loop for sure.
      Blithering idiot was my first experience with Weyerbacher. That is another good brew that will probably be reviewed here eventually. Merry Monks' though is a mustache bruising beer. It makes me glad, again, I've been heavily waxed to keep standing. Ohhh and remember to give this one a spin with a little beer in the bottom. If you get a older bottle, it does have a settling of sediment. If you don't swirl it then you lose some taste.

 Rating: ****