Big Boss Wooden Monkey

Brewed by Big Boss Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Raleigh, North Carolina USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Draft @ The Brewery the day it was released. Draft 1 week later @Brixx Chapel Hill. Definitely an interesting beer. Poured deep brown and slightly hazy, tan to light brown head. The aroma lacked the typical woody and smoky notes, but was intriguing nonetheless. Flavor was good and the alcohol was masked well by the intensity of the brew. Definitely a belgian farmhouse style ale ith it’s rustic flavor and structure. Didn’t really notice any umami / soy sauce flavors but definitely a little caramel and raisiny oxidation. I enjoyed it.

On tap at the Federal, Durham. Looks much like the regular Surrender Monkey I tried circa 2007, a dark brown with ruby gleaming through and a fairly active carbonation. The aroma is complex, with dark fruits, brown sugar, and spicy yeasty stuff coming through. But then there’s the wood, immediately detectable in the nose and pleasingly well integrated into the already tasty beer. No fake vanilla flavor, no overpowering oak, just a nice variation on this solid local offering.

This beer has a toasty oak smell, and it tastes like banana bread. It poured a dark amber color, and drank smooth. The mouthfeel was a bit thin and at first I got the strange aftertaste of dirty rubberbands. However, this did not deter me at all from finishing the pint. It’s very drinkable, and I would drink it again. I think this beer would go really pair well with the rich flavors of Thai food, and I can only hope to have some on hand the next time I get a craving for some pad thai, coconut soup or thai curry.

Pint(s) at the brewpub day of release. Good aroma, sweet, Nutty meaty funk about it, sweet malt streak and of course wood. Hazed orangy brown color, good head & lace. Sweet flavor, loses the funk of aroma and is sweet and sour. Medoium body creamy mouthfeel, sweet finish that tapers away. I was surprised by the contrast between aroma & flavor, first sniff had me thinking one way and flavor went the other. Was very drinkable.

The color was mediu/dark brown. The head was light beige. The aroma was strong wood chips and bacon. The flavor was strong meat, woods, and soy sauce. The palate was pretty carbonated. The finish was wood.

Poured at milltown. Poured a dark hazy brown with a thin head. Smells meaty and smokey, lots of wood and some Belgian yeast imprint, some teryaki and soy sauce too. The flavor is kind of a turn off. Tastes really meaty and has a lot of soy and teryaki sauce in the flavor too, some Belgian and wood. Nice carbonation. This one just wasnt for me.

Draught at Milltown. Pours a hazy dark brown with a small off-white lace. Nose is woody (surprise!), vinous, belgian esters and yeast and lots of malt. Flavor is more wood, belgian yeast, and lots more malt. Flavor lacks any sort of depth or real character. Pretty good, alcohol well hidden but nothing really special here.

On tap at the Federal. Dark brown with a thin tan head. To describe the aroma as woody would be an understatement. Tastes like an oak chip dipped in red wine with a touch of caramel. Very sweet and a little challenging to finish.

UPDATED: MAR 21, 2008 Dark pour thin head. Woody aroma. Nothing like a saison in my eyes. Chocolate, caramel, and a huge malty back bone. I was expecting more of a woody taste based on the aroma,that was probly over shadowed by the malts. No vanilla flavors like most wood aged beers. . still it was a good beer. Bring on the bourbon barrel monkey!

Draught. Brown, cloudy, small off-white head. Aroma is raisin, yeast, nuts, some dark malts--chocolate, caramel. Flavor is similar, the Belgian yeast is overshadowed by the malt, but it still makes a presence. Delicious beer.