Studly Monk
Manchester Brewing, LLC

This poured out at deep amber (SRM13) with a thin head that quickly dissipated. Some sheen on glass. Very sweet malty nose with a moderate coriander spice/banana aroma. The banana comes on stronger as the sample warms. No hops noted in aroma. Very sweet banana/clove/slight orange flavor. Malt is brown sugar sweet (maybe too sweet) Definite warmth from alcohol is noted. Silky mouthfeel with slight sourness at finish. I think it needs to age some more.

33.8oz (1L) swing-top bottle from Beverage King in West Lebanon, NH.

Poured into a chilled pint glass. 2-finger tan head settles quickly to a single thin layer. Brew is hazy deep redish gold.

Aroma is thick and sweet. Honey, toffee, thick malt backbone. Candied fruit, silage, pralines, dried apricots. Melon?

Same as the aroma, but with more roasted malt character. A bit of diacetyl and sour milk. Fairly robust, but not as much as I was expecting.

Thick and filling, but mouthfeel is surprisingly thin. Carbonation is on the light side.

Overall not as intense or strong as I would expect. Fairly weak for the style. I'd put it at maybe 7% ABV? Upstaged by their John Thomas, which I had earlier this evening.

Appearance: Somewhere between light ruby and cherrywood colored. Not much head to speak of in my Maudite glass.

Smell: Mostly prune and spicy, gingerbread aromas.

Taste: Quite sweet, maybe a little too much for my taste, as it seems too cloying and masks just about everything else. One interesting characteristic was in the aftertaste, which I could only describe as waxy with a side of church insence. At first I thought iw was from the chesse I paired up with it, but even way after I ate the cheese the aftertaste was still there. It was strange, but interesting, kind of like the slogan on the bottle: "Belgian style, with kneepads". I'm going to write this one off as a cultural thing because no one in the half-dozen Quebecers present at the tasting got the joke.

It has promise, if I had an extra bottle of this stuff I would let it age for a couple of years to help mellow out the sugars.

1 litre swing-top brown bottle obtained at McKinnon's in Salem, NH. Pours a very hazy brick-red body with a thin film of light tan head. Smells very fruity (berries? grapes?) with some brown sugar, toffee, apple skin, caramel, and very slight chocolate notes. Fruity flavor is immediately noticeable, with some toffee, brown sugar, caramel, notes of chocolate, coffee, and alcohol warming. On the upper side of medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Easy drinking for the style and complexity. Exceeds my expectations on every level, an easy-drinking example of the style and very tasty to boot. I'm every impressed!

Pours a one finger white head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Almost clear amber color. Light carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Sweet malty nose. Flavor malty with caramel and just hints of alcohol. $4.39 for a 1L swing top bottle at Concord Coop Concord, NH.

I found this at Gary's in Portsmouth in a one liter swing top. Poured into a goblet the beer was a dark amber color with a small tan head. The beer had a sweet and spicy aroma. Some malt in the taste, then orange and a bit of coriander. While I thought it was a touch on the sweet side, this beer was more than enjoyable to drink, and I will look for more of them.