Sunday Night Suds - Uinta Monkshine Belgian Blonde Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Uinta's Monkshine Belgian Blonde Ale.

 

I read last week about how a beer which has been described as the "world's best beer" by reviewers and fans will now be available for sale outside of the abbey where it is brewed. The beer is called Westvleteren XII and is produced by Trappist monks in Belgium and sold at the abbey of Saint Sixtus in the Belgian countryside. The beer can usually only be purchased by reservation at the abbey - and reservations are supposedly extremely hard to come by. Since the abbey has fallen on difficult financial times, it is being exported and is available for retail purchase for $84.99 which buys you six bottles of the brew and two glasses.

 

I have not purchased the Westvleteren XII and have no idea whether it is kosher, although I would venture a guess that no Rabbis have been checking out the brew process inside the abbey of Saint Sixtus. Instead, I looked to the far west and chose a Belgian beer by way of Salt Lake City, the Uinta Monkshine Belgian Blonde Ale.

 

The good folks at BA have defined the Monkshine Belgian Blonde Ale as a Belgian Pale Ale, which:

 

were initially brewed to compete with Pilseners during the WWII time frame. They differ from other regional Pale Ale varieties, by traditionally being less bitter, using aged hops for a delicate hop finish, and boasting sweetish to toasty malt overtones. They should be decanted properly, leaving the yeast in the bottle. This will showcase their brilliant color range from pale straw yellow to amber hues. Most will be crowned with thick, clinging, rocky white heads. Flavors and aromas will vary. Some have natural spice characters from yeast and hops, while others are spiced.

 

The Uinta product is full of spice from the yeast, and I found myself asking more than once if this was some kind of hefeweizen hybrid. The beer is not cloudy and does not have the depth of flavors of a true wit beer, but it has a lot more spice than a typical blonde ale. I enjoyed this beer with Mrs KB during a few quiet moments after an exceptional Friday Night dinner. We did not pair the brew with any food, but it was quite enjoyable as an after dinner treat.

 

Uinta Monkshine Belgian Blonde Ale is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union and bears an OU on the label. For the experts' take on the Uinta Monkshine Belgian Blonde Ale please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/23313.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver. If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

 

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click http://www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com / to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!