Fitger's Hair of the Monk

Fitger's Brewhouse Hair of the Monk. Belgian style Tripel.

This one is a bit of a minor holy grail for me. First tried it back in 2004, at my first attendance of the annual Winterfest in St. Paul. They took the snowshoe award with this one, that year, and I was determined to get a full sample some day. But, I've never been to Duluth, (I know, I know, I've never been, lived in Minnesota my entire...wait, don't look at me like that...)
never made it to the Brewhouse, and have only enjoyed their beers at festivals or when friends have brought growlers back to me.
And every time Hair of the Monk was on tap when one of those friends made a stop, it was not available in growlers. They just weren't doing it. Fair enough. But there was another beer I'd been wanting to add to the notches in my belt, denied to me.

Until the other week! I've got it, a growler of Hair of the Monk! Drinking it now!
What do I think? Good question…

Clouded, slightly burnished golden hue, big head that drifts down with assurance.

Aroma, sweetness and spice, with that Belgian yeast kick. Earthy, yet ethereal, and utterly lovely. A bit on the dark side, for the style, but that's fine by me, I'm up for loose interpretations.

Taste: a pleasure on the palate, a delight in the mouth. Some small amount of alcohol burn on the tongue and back of throat, but it remains citrus-y, peppery, yet smooth and tasty. Dark malts play against citrus-y hop character, nice and spicy, with a full-blown character that never quits. Damnably delicious, this. A highly sufficient tipple I could never turn down. Plenty, plenty flavor. Non-stop tastiness. A little wet, then a lot dry, some juicy fruit, then comes the spice.

So glad to finally have it, in 64-ounce growler form. I'm almost killing the whole thing in one fell swoop, but, no, that wouldn't be cool. I'm a little over halfway through it. I'll save the rest for tomorrow. Or will I?….

(I didn't.)