From a wonderful review of Brother Thelonious on Black Metals and Brews:
“Much like the remarkable pianist this beer shares a name with, Brother Thelonious is more complex than any easy description will permit. To call Monk’s music “jazz” is to sell him short, packaging him besides easy listening artists and not the kinetic and soulful madness that jazz once represented. To give this beer a simple title is also inappropriate. While the beer pours a dark amber with a nice thick head, and has an absolutely captivating scent, it’s not an experience that can be understood with one or two sips and a glance at the glass. This beer is something you understand more deeply as you near the bottle’s end. Crisp flavors of caramel and raisin play on my tongue, while the liquid itself slides across my palate more smoothly than a beer this rich normally would. Drinking Brother Thelonious is like a slow and playful seduction, with each sip lingering just enough to create a tense anticipation for the next. An experiment I recommend (and how I first was introduced to this beer) is to try drinking this at room temperature. I first learned of this beer at a traditional pub, where none of the beers were served at the icy temperatures many of us Americans are accustomed to. While I was initially confused, I still was blown away by how incredible this beer tasted. That was four years ago. I’m still finding new excuses to lose myself in Brother Thelonious, and I hope this review will encourage you to do the same.”
1988 was a seminal year for the budding craft brewing industry on the West Coast. It marked the founding of some of America’s most influential breweries, North Coast Brewing among them. It was also the year Fred Eckhardt published The Essentials of Beer Style—a book that quickly became an essential reference for aspiring brewers and critics.