They called him Melodious Thunk. The Only-est Monk. Both names fit. The man knew how to play. And he played in a way no one has before or since. Thelonious Monk’s piano plinking — spare, sometimes arrhythmic, a little off-kilter — was beautiful music utterly his own.
So why shouldn’t a beer in his honor also be an idiosyncratic walk on the wild side? Fort Bragg, California’s North Coast Brewing Co. created this complex brown ale in conjunction with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz — they’ll make a donation to the school for every case sold — and as a tribute to the man himself.
This one’s a beaut, pouring a dark cola color (and, forgivably, with a cola consistency — a thin mouthfeel and minimal head retention). But it smells sweet and strong, redolent of brown sugar, with a hint of molasses and the tang of spice. And like the knotty compositions of the man itself, its flavor is deep and complex: a rum-like boozy kick here, a chocolaty richness there, the pleasing bite of nutmeg, clove, and pepper over that way. It’s powerful stuff, too, weighing in at nine percent ABV. Enjoy it like the title of one of Monk’s best-known songs: “Straight, No Chaser.”
Available for $7.99 for a 750-ml bottle at Bauer Wine & Spirits, 330 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.262.0363.
