Im My Glass- Weyerbacher Merry Monks' Ale

Tonight, I grabbed a Weyerbacher Merry Monks' Ale out of the fridge. Poured out a strawish color, with a little hint of orange. The beer had an one inch head. The head dissipated quickly, and left just a trace of lacing on the glass.

The smell is earthy and grassy. The Belgian yeast spiciness comes out as well as the alcohol (9.3%).

The taste is of the spice and caramelized sugars. I love the combination of the spice and the sweetness. I find fault in the amount of alcohol in the taste. For me it is overpowering, but being over 9%, it should be expected.

The beer is smooth in the mouth, even with a good amount of carbonation. This is a very good beer, and extremely drinkable. I will definitely be grabbing another.

In My Glass- Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

This is one of my favorite styles.  I haven't reviewed very many of them though, so hang with me.  I know what I like in a Flemish Red (Rodenbach Grand Cru's sour tartness), and kind of compare every other Flemish Red to the Grand Cru.

The Monk's Cafe pours a dark brown with hints of red.  It has a nice head to it (one inch) that quickly disappears.  The nose presents a sourness to it.  You can also pick up quite a bit of acidity which is typical.  On the first sip, I can tell the acidity will be a prominent part of the beer.  The acidity overpowers the sour tartness, but the sourness is still a very active taste.  It tastes as if it is a green apple sour, very nice.

The beer is smooth, kind of creamy, but not heavy.  I am slightly surprised by how light it is in the mouth and still being slightly creamy.  As the beer warmed, the acidity smoothed out, even though it was still dominant, making the beer drinkable.  I would not suggest the Monk's Cafe Flemish Red to someone that has not had a Flemish Red before, I would rather suggest the Leroy Paulus I had the other day, as the flavors are more muted and less offensive or active.  But if someone knows what kind of beer they are getting into. the Monk's Cafe Flemish Red would be a great beer to have.  Probably not more than one or two of the, but a nice beer to drink.

In My Glass- Victory Yakima Twilight

In my glass tonight, is a brew from Victory that I have been looking forward to, Yakima Twilight.  It is an 8.7% American Strong Ale.  From the bottle:

The Yakima Valley of Washington is the heartland of American hops, having contributed uniquely flavorful varieties that have helped redefine American brewing.  Late summer harvest yealds the bounty that builds this exciting ale.  Vibrant and aromatic, this is their moment of glory as the vines have withered by the time you sip this. Dark malt warm the hops' bright edge bringing harmony to the finish.  Rest well hop roots.Spring will come and we'll be thirsty again.

The dark, mahogany color of the beer is accented by the small head that quickly disappates.  The smell is of sweet dark malts and a hint of citrus hops.  The alcohol is not hidden in the nose, nor in the mouth.  The sweet caramel start to the ale turns bitter when the hops get in the mix.  The carbination is not overpowering, but a little more than I like with the sweetness.

This is a very nice beer, it has something for everyone, the caramel taste from the malt and a nice hoppy bitter backbone.  In the mouth, this beer is smooth and creamy, yet the carbination gets in the way.  I would love to have this beer again, and am happy to have tried it.  I don't think that I could have 4 or 5 of them in a night (the abv may be a tad too high), but a second would already be poured if I had one.  Good beer.

In My Glass- Flying Fish Exit 4

From Flying Fish's website:

For the first release, we chose Exit 4--right up the street from the Flying Fish brewery. Because we were one of the first craft brewers to embrace Belgian-style beers, we've chosen as our representative beer, a Belgian trippel finished with plenty of American hops.

This inspired Belgian-style Trippel has a hazy golden hue and the aroma of citrus with hints of banana and clove. Predominant Belgian malt flavors give way to a subdued bitterness in the finish. Bottle conditioned, this beer will develop as it ages.

This was one of the beers from the mixed 6 pack that I picked up at Honey Go Wine and Spirits. It says that it is an American Trippel. Very nice to look at. It didn't pour with much of a head, but I am probably the worst person at pouring. The head didn't wait around for me to examine it, as it dissipated quickly. You can smell the sweetness pouring out of the beer. I am thinking added honey. You can also pick up on the hops and some spice, maybe from the yeast.


The taste is more complex than the nose. Lots of bubble gumish flavors, followed by the Belgian yeast. A bit of hops push through, where I assume that the "American" part of the style comes in. A little more carbonation than I like in a beer, but it still is a very nice beer to drink.

Overall, I think this is a really nice beer. Nothing special, but it would be something that I would pick up in the future.