Carolina Brewery Funky Monk Ale

Brewed by Carolina Brewery
Style: Belgian Ale
Chapel Hill, North Carolina USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Dark, rubyish red color... with a lush, beige head that simmers down swiftly, leaving a little lagoon of bubbles around one edge. Aroma is sweetly spicy, loaded with fruit, citrus and cherries, reminds me of something, but I can’t think what...an interesting air in this... Nice heat on the tongue, good spiciness, great flavor, and smooth on the way out. Feels like a bit of a witbier, with a bit of abbey dubbel tossed in. I’d say it was a dunkel weizen, if it wasn’t for the extra spiciness, coriander, cinnamon, a hint of ginger, continuto deliver. Medium bodied, with a mild, but tasty, medium finish.

From notes 3/30/06: 8.5% high gravity version. Once the NC Cap popped, the old 5.3% "Belgian" Funky Monk recipe was retired and a new, as-it-should-be proper Belgian ale with enough oomph was brewed. Served in a brandy snifter, filled to the rim with ruby-orange-mahogany goodness. Scant head, just a ring of some loose bubbles at the top. No lacing. Clear beer. Crystal clear. So clear that I could read the coaster underneath the glass. Aromas of spicecake and dark fruits. A sweet fruity fragrance accompanied by a yeasty flair. Fresh fruit flavors with an aftertaste of yeastiness. A touch of a smoky feel in the finish, becoming more pronounced as the glass drains. A smoothness well received. Sticky sugary candy feel. Juicy dark fruits sprinkled with sugars. Again, a novel smokiness to me in the finish. Alcohol is inocuous and rather hidden. This one could hurt you oh so good. Tasty!

Draught at the brew pub. Served in a small snifter. Clear mahogany color without any head or lacing. Malty, brown sugar nose with a hint of alcohol, bubblegum and yeast. The alcohol comes out again in the flavor. Maybe they bumped up the content becuase you can really feel it creep into your tongue and palate. Brown sugar and dried fruit flavors are also there. Carbonation is a bit greater than your average beer, as expected for this style.

Pours deep copper/ruby, with aroma of big fruit, hops, malt. Tastes fruity, with finishing hops and malt. Complex taste and finish, with cherry/berry elements. It’s a damn shame that NC beers can’t exceed 6%. This one could have been world class with more body and alcohol. It is still excellent.

Nice red color, under a good head. Nothing spectacular. Very spicy in the aftertaste, but malt dominated flavor. Not very sure what king of beer this is trying to be. Definitely worth trying, though.