Brother David’s Double Abbey-style

The bottle of this one says it all: There’s the ice-capped mountains, amber waves of grain and pretty plains of Anderson Valley depicted in all their glory — and right there in the middle of this splendor, is Brother David with his sick, furry mustache and his favorite death-metal monk hood. (Brother David also looks suspiciously like the mid-90s cab-driving spokesman for MTV.) The point is this Abbey-style dark ale is unique in a way that takes some getting used to — it’s not how you might have made it, and it kinda sticks out — but it touches you nevertheless. Your first moments with this beer are filled with anxious puzzlement. The first note is heavy banana and clove, almost like a heffeweisen. But the sweetness sticks around, getting almost pruney and deliciously bread-like. The booze is there (it’s 9% ABV after all) but its balance is surprising. The carbonation is restrained which makes for a slow-dissolving head that froths around with a translucent sugar sheen. Like a geek in a Megadeth T-shirt who picks his nose and tries to wipe it on the seat of the bus, this Belgian is unpredictable and yet familiar. It’s a niche beer and it’s lovable. But like that same geek, you don’t necessarily wanna spend all night him. The Black Album gets old after a while.
Dairy Pairy: Beaufort de Savoie
Soundtrack: Animal Collective’s Feels