The Cheeky Monk

     On my way to the Cheeky Monk in Westminster Colorado I could not stopping thinking about the wonders of being a monk that brews beer.  And while I will never be one, I can enjoy a brewing style that was passed down for generations and are some of the oldest styles of beer that exist today.  The Cheeky Monk had everything from bottle to draft, offering a wide selection of authentic Belgian ales. With so many great beers to choose from I left the decision of what beer I should try to a friend who is a Cheeky Monk regular.  She quickly recommended the Kasteel Rouge and I was pleasantly surprised.  The beer had a wonderful dark cherry and oak flavors that made your mouth almost pucker while at the same time exerting a sweet flavor onto your tongue.  This style of beer went great with the Reuben I ordered and I would recommend with almost any food (like a savory steak!). 

     The glass had a tiny castle on the bottom of the stem that started me thinking about the origins of the beer.  So when I got home I did some research and found out that the Kasteel brewery has a very cool history.  It started as a castle that was built on a burned down monastery in around 1075 and since then the castle has been used as a everything from military stronghold to luxury residency and most recently a brewery that the current owners started in 1900.  

     The awesome history that is behind some of these Belgian breweries and beers adds a depth that is almost impossible to find in the current US beer scene.  Their have been some attempts at it such as MillerCoors release of Batch 19 that was an old recipe brewed in the original Coors plant pre-prohibition, however, I feel the history in Belgian beers is unrivaled. All in all, I would highly recommend the Cheeky Monk to anyone who is looking for good food and a great selection of Belgian beers.  

Cheers!

Denver Beer Company

      What a wonderful day for a beer.  As we sat outside the one of Denver's new breweries we were surrounded by a large assortment of people and of dogs.   Everything from little "yippy" dogs to large drooling St Bernard's.  There had been a pretty consistent wind all day but that was far from affecting Denver Beer Co, they were still packed inside and out.  Sure enough, the beer spoke for the crowd,  there was everything from Hefeweizen to a Graham Cracker Porter and all the beers were wonderful.  My favorite was the Hefewiezen it had an amazing balance of clove and banana flavors with a slight overall background fruitiness that gave this beer a "bubblegum",  yes bubblegum type flavor.  I know that may sound like an unusual flavor but it did an amazing job in complementing the beers style.
      Not only does this brewery make great beer but it has only ever repeated a few of its recipes so you are almost always guaranteed to find something new on tap that has never been released before and might never be released again.  I wholeheartedly agree with this philosophy and think that it is a great way to keep things new and interesting.  Denver Beer Co also (as many small breweries do now) have weekly concerts, food carts, and many other awesome events.  For instance coming up the brewery will be supporting a Denver Bike Day by having bikers who stop by the brewery actually grind the grain for their brew using a bike powered mill!  Super awesome... Anyway, this brewery was fun, upbeat, and wholly delicious.