Greetings beer aficionados, and a happy new year to all! Brandon here with this week’s installment of the Saturday Night Sixer. As always, I’m here to guide you through the bevy of brews that can be found at the fine local packaged liquor stores in your area. Looking for something new or exciting, or just trying to take your taste buds to new horizons with a wonderful craft beer offering? You are in the right place, so continue reading and be sure to check out this week’s offering!

The state of New Mexico is gradually becoming a h0tbed for craft brewing, and if you are lucky enough to live here then this is certainly not news to you. But aside from the well-known breweries such as Marble, La Cumbre, Santa Fe and so on, there is a somewhat hidden gem here from a source you might not expect. The Abbey Beverage Company is a venture run by the monks at the Benedictine Monastery of Christ in the Desert, located in Abiquiu. All the activities, including brewing and hop harvesting, are directly controlled by the monks themselves, keeping with some of the Trappist traditions from Belgium. Since 2005, Monks’ Ale has been their staple beer, with Monks’ Wit hitting shelves in 2010. Since its inception, the brewery has been consistently crafting great Belgian-style brews with New Mexican-grown hops. Monks’ is proof that you don’t have to be back in the old country to have a delicious beer crafted in the style of the traditional Trappist/Abbey.  As with most other breweries, the changing of the seasons gives way to those limited release or special edition beers, and that’s where Monks’ Tripel Ale Reserve comes into play.

This current offering of Monks’ has been on shelves for a few weeks now, just in time for yours truly to further indulge the Belgian kick I have been enjoying. Now, I’ve indulged in quite a few different Belgian ales, and it’s a style that can be delicious when done well. However, it can also be done very poorly; luckily, Monks’ Tripel Ale Reserve is a great accomplishment. It possesses a wonderful golden, light orange color to it, with about average carbonation for the style; the frothy head dissipated somewhat quickly and created light swirling with each sip of the beer. The aroma was light and pleasing, with fruity hints of pear and apricot present from the yeasts, and subtle spices as well. Now, I normally gravitate towards Belgian strong beers, but the flavors in this were impressive and pleasant. Light malts hit the tongue with your first sip and linger throughout the middle, and those fruit hints pick up as well with peach and pear being the main flavors I detected. I normally don’t like those types of fruit notes in my beer, but these were light and pleasing with a good balance of sweetness. The hops and spice blend hit in the back of the palate and assist in balancing out the fruitiness, giving a crisp, dry finish with just a lingering hint of citrus. It is a refreshing and easy-drinking ale with a smooth mouthfeel and excellent flavor qualities that will win over anyone looking for a drinkable, yet flavorful ale.

Monks’ mantra of “made with care and prayer” can be easily distinguished, as one of the standout features in this beer are the native New Mexican hops that go into every bottle of the Tripel Reserve. We all know that not all hops are created equal; that is evident by the fact that the USDA actually recognizes the hops grown and used in Monks’ as a unique subspieces. As with all of their beers, the monks at the monastery are responsible for growth and harvesting, which are native only to northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. The results show in the flavors in all of Monks’ brews, especially this one.

Overall, Monks’ Tripel Ale Reserve is one darn fine beer brewed in the traditional Belgian style with local ingredients. A beer lover can’t really ask for much more than that! It’s an incredibly refreshing and flavorful beer, one that is deceptive as well; it clocks in at 9.2-percent ABV, but doesn’t drink like it at all (there is little alcohol bite in this one, folks), so session it carefully. For a lighter seasonal, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the flavors in this; for fans of light-bodied ales or Belgian styles, this is one to pick up. Keep in mind it is a seasonal and supplies are limited, and if you are living in an area where it cannot be found in your local packaged liquor store, you can always order it online from the folks at Beerjobber. Belgian fans, this is a solid offering from one of our little gems here in the southwest.

Until next time …

Prost!

— Brandon Daniel (Cryptogrind)