Chunky Monkey
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

 

Chunky Monkey pours nearly black, but a deep roasted hazelnut brown beautifully shines in the light. A thin almost non-existent light tan head recedes but claims a nice foamy coastline around the glass.

As this was brewed with 400 lbs of banana, and quite a costly amount of pecans, they definitely strut around the nose. The Kentucky bourbon barrel aged maple syrup lends a nice and sweet balance to the roasted nuts, bitter chocolate, and coffee notes.

The flavor is wonderfully familiar and amazingly unique. All the same aromas come out wonderfully, while none overpower the other. The bourbon and oak are dialed back, the banana, chocolate, and nuts take front and center, and a sweet brown sugar and bitter roasted coffee seem to tie it all together.

The feel is a tad thin. Mild carbonation, a touch of booze, and a near perfect balance of sweet and bitter. The flavor of maple makes me believe it's rich and syrupy, but it really is not.

This work of art fits somewhere in between an imperial brown ale and a stout. It's not an insanely rich beer, but blends notes from both families seamlessly. A real pleasure to drink, and a hell of a way for a brewer to leave his mark. Cheers!