The Triangle

Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Mike Arrison

It's great how the weather dropped the temperature back down to where it belongs - right where I expect it to be during what are supposed to be the coldest months of the year. It really isn't even that cold, but there's less guesswork to do when I don't have time to check the weather. Have any of you ever noticed that I mention the weather every time I discuss a beer? Maybe it's just in my blood - beer and cold weather. You know who else had beer in their veins? Our pious, hooded friends, the monks. They literally had it in them simply to survive long spells without food. It is where the bock style came from. Well, this week, I want to tell you about 21st Amendment Brewery Monk's Blood.

21st Amendment Brewery is a small restaurant and brewery that set up shop in a tiny neighborhood in San Francisco, Ca. Back in 2000, Nico Freccia and brewmaster Shaun O'Sullivan moved into the same area that previously housed one of the largest west coast breweries, Philadelphia Brewery, back in the late 1800s. It is here that they felt a strong connection with beer's past and eventually decided upon their name. As you all know, the 21st amendment was the constitutional add-on that mandated nationwide prohibition of alcohol. They initially produced great craft beer at their brewpub, but eventually began producing for distribution. They have actually made it their mission to "take back the can" if you will. By this, I mean that they do not bottle their beer. Instead, they have high quality cans produced and the beer is canned in Cold Springs, Minn. The point was to show that the can is superior to glass both environmentally and recreationally. Taste is better preserved, especially with a coated interior; they are more portable, and definitely more resilient.

The beer we have here today is considered an abbey quadruple. Quadruples belong to the dark Belgian strong ale group and make up what is essentially the fourth tier of Belgian abbey beers. They don't have to be brewed by monks, as many brewers have been able to recreate them. Quads tend to be high in alcohol and have far fewer spicy or clove notes, but more dark fruits in the flavor. To replace the high bitterness in many other styles of strong ale, this type focuses on the warmth of the alcohol to balance the sweet base.

Being an abbey-style beer, Monk's Blood will do best in a Trappist-styled glass. Go for the goblet or chalice style. This is a large bulb with a wide-open mouth. This facilitates extensive head and focuses the aromas without showing off the possibly murky body. Sure, it's ridiculously fancy to us, but it's been in use for centuries.

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