Weyerbacher Merry Monks Tripel (8/10)

Weyerbacher Brewing Company is located in Easton, Pennsylvania.  Merry Monks is a Belgian-style Tripel that the Weyerbacher web site says features “Pilsner maklt combined with an abbey yeast strain [which] yields a remarkable and complex flavor packed with notes of spice, banana, and pear.”  It’s bottle conditioned (in the bottled version) which supposedly imparts a creamier and more effervescent carbonation.

The beer pours a clear gold color with white head that dissipates over time, leaving behind no lacing.
The aroma is that of fruit and cloves, as Weyerbacher’s description implies.

The flavor is sweet and spicy, with plenty of fruit, malt, and spice notes to keep your palate occupied. Hops takes a back seat in this one, as it should in a good tripel. The finish is clean and nicely balanced.
Rate Beer gives Weyerbacher Merry Monks Ale an 88 overall.  Beer Advocate rates it 86-80 (very good to outstanding).  I’m rating it 8 out of 10.

I sampled this beer on draft at The Daily Growler in Upper Arlington, but it is widely available around town at retailers.  I’ve seen it at The Andersons General Store in Dublin, Giant Eagle Market District in the Kingsdale Shopping Center, Grandview Carryout, The Hills Market in Worthington, and Whole Foods Market in Dublin.


Flavor Profile:

Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Sweet
Spice Level:  Medium
Hops Level:  Low
Dominant Flavors:  Fruit, spice
ABV: 9.3%
IBU:  Unknown
My Rating:  8/10