Monk Of Underhill
Queen City Brewery

 

Alewife and I stopped into QCB on 25JUL20 at the start of a 6 day vacation in the lovely state of Vermont. She loves QCB as they do German, British and Belgian styles instead of the you-can-find-them-everywhere IPAs....

Both started off with a 12oz sniftah of this Tripel. Cost was $7 per glass. Was a clear, medium-golden color, with scattered, slow carbo. Head was a thin, white layer, lasting decently, with light lacing. Aroma was bready with green fruit- apple and pear; quite inviting. Body was medium, with an acceptable smoothness on the tongue.

Flavor? Bready malts and lightly crackery notes with subtle sweetness. More green fruit hit the palate before some yeasty, slightly spicy notes appear in the finish. Solid!! A good start to the Va-ca.... Prosit!!

4.21/5 rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2175

 

On tap the brewery.
The appearance was a semi-murky golden color with a slight transparency about it. Carbonation could be seen rising at a moderate pace. No head or lace.
The aroma had some banana sweetness, a whiff of grassy sweetness, a touch of clove and some sweet apples to subtle herbal quality coming about.
The flavor was moderately sweet through the prior mentioned aromas. It softly denotes a clean sweet apple to banana malty aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was almost medium bodied with a slight sessionability about it. Carbonation wasn't felt. ABV felt under than what was projected by the brewer.
Overall, good for me, but did seem more of an "Americanized" tripel. Not one of their best efforts, but still an easy drinker to be able to come back to just as is.

 

 

Queen City Brewery "Monk of Underhill"
on tap at the brewery on 7 June 2016
$6 / 12 oz.

Notes: 9.3% ABV, 35 IBUs. Very slightly hazy golden body beneath a bright white head. Limited head retention, and thus lacing (or is it perhaps a dirty glass?). Aroma of sweetish malt with clove-like phenols. The flavor adds graininess to the malt, some soft fruitiness, and a light touch of spice (probably from a combination of yeasty phenols and alcohol). Median bitterness. Spicy, grassy/herbal, drying finish.

 

Poured from a 32oz growler I got from a colleague, MoU pours a wonderful gold color with honey tones, fairly clear. A head tries to develop but there really isn't enough bubbles, even from an aggressive pour, not much lacing.

Smell is sweet malts upfront, good smack of Belgian yeast esters and spice in the back, nothing too prominent. Taste fairs better than the smell, good doughiness of the malts up front, fruits in the middle, touch of peach, good dose of Belgian yeast in the end to deliver their spice and esters. Not overly bitter, slightly wet mouthfeel.

Overall this is pretty close to the real deal. It may not have a huge punch of yeast like some of the Trappist examples, but for a VT version, it's not too shabby. A little heavier and on the sweeter side, but a solid attempt at a Tripel.