December 28th 2007
Monk’s Cafe
In a recent trip to Binny’s Beverage Depot in Glen Ellyn, I started trying to find a more wallet-friendly alternative to My Favorite Beer Ever*. On the shelves, I saw Monk’s Cafe which whispered sweet things into my ears. Also, it was about a buck less than Duchesse, so it had that going for it.
At room temperature, the opening scent was very Duchesse-esque. High hopes were had. Such hopes continued their existence with the initial taste. The hopes were ground into the carpet faster than my unsolicited phone number by the mouthfeel and aftertaste. Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale really should market itself as Duchesse de Bourgogne Light. They’d at least be able to command a higher price.
It’s a nice beer. It starts out well, not significantly complex, but pleasantly multi-noted. Then you might notice that it swishes around a little too freely, like there’s not enough holding the body together for the flavors to linger. And they don’t linger, so you have to take another drink. And another. And another, until the bottle’s gone, because what’s there is good, and you want to let it linger a bit. Too bad it’s not possible.
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*I’d apologize for continuing to harp on the supremacy of this brew, but I save it for special occasions, and Christmas is special.
