Friar's Festivus
Monkless Belgian Ales - The Brasserie

Aged 13 months in bottle.
Dark, purple-brown, slightly cloudy. Smells of ginger spice cookie. Tastes of ethanol, malt, clove, maybe a tiny bit of lemon. Texture of tiny carbonation bubbles. Palpable ethanol burn on the backend.

 

 

 

 

500ml bottle from Homebrewstuff. Brown pour with thin skin of beige head, foamy ring. Aroma is herbal, mint, licorice, clove. Taste is sweet, Dr. Pepper, herbal, minty, fennel. Savory flavors mask the quad characteristics, except for maybe some of the yeast peeking through. Maybe light plum notes at the finish.

impressively good, approaching good enough to have come from belgium, a touch more body and residual sweetness than is necessary, even in the style, but the quality is there. mahogany colored, a little dense, and not holding the tall airy head i want in a belgian brew like this, but the color is nice. it certainly smells and tastes spiced to me, although im not positive all that character isnt just from the yeast blend, neat to include the wit yeast too for that peppery estery thing, citrus peel, coriander, white pepper all pop in nose and taste through the rich malt, molasses, fruit leather, date and fig, port wine and cocoa there, very dynamic. some alcohol to my senses too, but not more than befits the style. as it sits i get dried cherry, orange peel, cinnamon warmth, cherry cordial, cognac, cedar, and even a hint of spearmint or something on the swallow, cool yeast profile really defining this for me ahead of the malt. lots of weight to it, sticky sweet, bread pudding, toffee, maple. still fruity too though, and i think this comes together really well overall. almost has a barrel aged decadence to it too, which is unique. i think a really exceptionally well executed take on this style from an american brewer, seems to fit in rightly with actually belgian holiday strong ales. very solid! i think my favorite from these guys so far, good to have them selling beer in boise now!

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a medium to dark reddish orange with a half finger khaki head with good retention and nice lacing. Aroma of mildly caramel malt, clove, dark dried fruit and light stone fruit and a touch of pine. Flavor follows with dry caramel malt, dried plums, milder light stone fruit, clove and lemon. Flavors of pine and citrus fruit esters in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess, pleasant mouth feel. Definitely Belgian in spirit, looks like a quadrupel and similar in aroma. Flavor is drier and leans to clove and plums, but with interesting citrus notes and a hint of pine. Although not a traditional quad, this is quite flavorful and appropriately fruity. The spicing is a bit more, but very much in line with the festivus spirit. I particularly liked the finish and aftertaste, which was both Belgian and festive. Nicely done and one of the best ales I've had from Monkless.

Poured from a fall 2019 bottle into a Thirsty Monk (Asheville, NC) snifter.

Brewery claims it was brewed in the quadrupel style, but it does not look or taste like a quad.

Smell is heavy on the clove and lemon, taste is similar, but with even more lemon and a little sweetness. The spices (again, mostly clove) do kick in as part of the aftertaste. The body is very light, much more similar to a dubbel than a quad (which is, in fairness, impressive given the 10.2% abv).

It would be quite good for a dubbel, but weak for a quad. An overall decent winter ale.

Look: Deep chocolate brown with a mild gold highlight at the bottom of the snifter when held up to the light. Gigantic 3-finger tan head with average retention.

Smell: Sweet Christmas spices, with noticeable cinnamon. Slightly piney and floral hop scent.

Taste: Following the nose, very spice-heavy with a clear cinnamon note. Sweet malt with little to no hop flavor. Like drinking a Christmas cake.

Mouthfeel: Average body with very high, tingly carbonation.

Overall: An excellent, strong beer with a uniquely spiced flavor.

 

 

The cork is a bit stubborn. Pours with only a modest head, dissipates quickly. Complex aroma. Deep color. Rich carmel flavor. Cloves are pronounced. Spicier and sweeter than what I'd normally go for, but they balance each other well. This is an after meal sipper for me, for sure. Especially at 10.2% ABV. My first quad. No regrets.