North Coast Brother Thelonious

Redish amber with a thick off-white head. Malty with some fruity notes. Malt sweetness, plums and alcohol strength. full body with a sweet finish.

Pours a reddish amber with a thin light orange tan head. Aroma like a dry red wine with some pleasant sourness. Taste is treacle-like sweet malt, licorice, dark fruit, and earthy tones. This is complex and interesting stuff! Some alcohol warmth after the swallow and on my cheeks. Well balanced.

a ruby brown with thin tan head. sweet fruity aroma (plums?) full thick body. tastes of rich toffee with a light bitter chocolate, with a fruity undertone of oranges and raisins and an alcohol finish. a little on the thicker sweeter side than i like, but its

Beautiful clear garnet in color with very little head. Notes of cherries and brandy in the nose. Think LaTrappe meets St. Bernardus less a little excitement. Creamy full body with soft carbonation is a winner. Flavor is sweet and malty and almost Quad-like. Fruity and yeasty also. This one is quite the pleasant surprise!

Bottle. Pours ruby brown with a generous off-white head. Aroma is very phenolic and distinctively yeasty. Flavor is a bit sweet but not cloying, just a bit too much caramel malt, or perhaps it is under attenuated. The alcohol is there, but the robust yeast character and phenolic bite overpower it. Any hop aroma is overpowered as well. From the brewery that makes the best stout I’ve ever had, comes a dissapointment. Perhaps they should ferment cooler, or use a cleaner yeast strain.

Sampled on-tap at Blue Tusk, Syracuse, NY.

Reddish copper colored brew, could have been a bit darker for the style but still fine. The head retention wasn’t that great, it died away to form a thin ring. It was served a bit cold.
Strange mix of smokey, spicy and acidic aromas that reminded me of those all dressed chips they sell here in Quebec, which made my friends chortle. Definately original. Did they use a Belgian yeast for this? Was it barrel aged? As it warmed, it developped more of a corky smell that I liked.
Carbonation in the low-to-mid range, the smokey flavors come more than anything else. No real sign of spicy yeast flavors, just a bit of acidity that didn’t quite make my mouth pucker. Woody, corky flavors are the only characteristics that make it seem like a Belgian ale to me. Not my favorite from this brewery, but interesting.

Small light beige head. Deep ruby red body. Deep sweet malty aroma with peppery spicy notes. Intense sweet earhy licorice and malt taste with banana, fruit, spice, and pepper notes. Sharpish mouthfeel. Alcoholic notes. The alcohol heat is hidden a bit by the carbonation. Dry roaste licorice aftertaste. Very nice! (0.75l bottle from gr0ve.)

Pours a deep, cloudy brown - kind of dark - with a medium-sized, persistent, tan head that laces the glass heavily. The aroma is pleasant: lots of malts and yeast. It is quite fruity, too (mostly raisins, with some citrus and acidity in the aroma, too). The flavor is dominated by sweet malts and toffee. There is also a distinct spiciness - mostly cloves. The middle of the tongue gets some other funky, Belgian flavors (like bubble gum and identifiable fruit flavors). The finish is full and tingly from a hefty bit of carbonation. The flavor on the back of the tongue is sweet with just a touch of bitter hops. The mouthfeel is thick and full, but lightened nicely by the abundant (though not too much) carbonation. Overall, surprisingly good (especially compared to the last North Coast brew that was supposed to be Belgian: organic Cru D’Or)