97. Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge in Ertvelde, Belgium, this beer is made for Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia. Monk’s Cafe is also the name of the coffee shop from Seinfeld.

Monk’s Cafe has a sour and tart lactic nose; it is a clear brown with red highlights, and has a creamy tan head that laces the glass well. Basically, it has the classic dirty band aid taste and smell. Starting with a tart sweet candy front, Monk’s Cafe then moves into a sour middle with something of a sweet finish even with the tart puckering sourness that accompanies the sweetness. The mouthfeel is tart, sharp, and lively—there is a decent carbonation bite that plays along with the sourness as beer moves from the middle to the end. As well, the sweetness at the end gives it a rather clean closing—there are not as many lingering sour notes as we expected. This is a very drinkable Flemish sour—it would be something a sour beer novice could start with, in that it wouldn’t completely terrorize them. This is not a critique of the beer, since the overall balance and profile is well done; rather the sour comments are balanced with a bigger sweetness than in other Flemish Sour Ales that we have had, which leads us to think that it could help ease newcomers into the style. Nonetheless, we’d be happy to revisit this one ourselves.
From the bottle: “We blend young and old beers to make this mildly sour sour ale. Light bodied with a lactic/sour nose and a bit of sweet and sour in the finish. Very refreshing!”

From BeerAdvocate: “Brewed for Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia, but also available for retail purchase elsewhere. Oud Bruin in style; a traditional blend of young and old beers.”

From the Monk’s Cafe website: “Our own private label brewed for us by the family owned Van Steenberge brewery, just outside of Ghent, Belgium. Medium body, red color, somewhat fruity nose, malt flavor with a slight lactic sourness. A real thirst quencher and palate cleanser.”

ABV: 5.5%

(10/5/2009)