93-Brother Thelonious

NLT- Belgian style abbey ale might be becoming my favorite style of beer. Due in large part to beer number 93, Brother Thelonius. I could bore you with the origins of this beer, (or read John's post he probably will) but what you really need to know is how awesome the caramel notes are in the beer. It is so smooth and rich, if they made candy out of beer this is what it would taste like- yum!! It has hints of raisin and is rather sweet, but not too sweet. Honestly I think the is a very "fine wine" type of beer, conducive to sipping slowly and savoring. Not to mention any beer with a cork is awesome. Anyone out there who wants to venture into high end beer, I think this is a great starter. It really shows you that not all beers have an overly alcoholic taste or make you shudder after you drink them, some of them are tasty and enjoyable.

JFT- Ok, not to "bore" you, but this is an American take on either a Belgian Trappist double, ala Rochefort 8 or a play on a Belgian strong, which is effectively the same concept. No real effervescence to speak of and no head retention but the nose is strong on dried fruits; certainly raisins but also cherries and *sip* there is also a classic Belgian note of banana on the nose. It brings that sweetness that Naomi was talking about and is almost always found in anything dark and Belgian in style. I love this beer mostly because one of my favorite beer memories came from this one. At Hollander with wife and friends splitting the big bottle as the table beer. It was a style and flavor, that despite four very differing palates, everyone at the table really enjoyed. A wonderfully high brow beer that can appease and satisfy any kind of beer drinker is one certainly worth writing about.

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