Weyerbacher! When I think of Pennsylvania beers, I think of Weyerbacher. Truth be told, I think of Victory first and foremost, as I’ve a lot of memories around that brewery from my early beer geek days and with my dad. Weyerbacher is next, though, so when my boss gave me a beer assortment for Christmas that included Weyerbacher Merry Monks Belgian Style Tripel Ale, I was truly happy.

Weyerbacher features a wide variety of beers across numerous styles, and they do them all so well. I’ve enjoyed so many wonderful Weyerbacher brews over the years, but perhaps my favorite was the first of their beers to pass my lips: Weyerbacher Raspberry Imperial Stout back in 1997.

From the website:

Merry Monks….is a Belgian-style Tripel. Pilsner malt combined with an Abbey yeast strain yields a remarkable and complex flavor packed with notes of spice, banana and pear. Nicely balanced, with a moderate to dry finish.

Merry Monks is bottle conditioned which imparts a special effervescence to the beer and a creamier carbonation. The ongoing fermentation inside the bottle will change the character of the beer as it ages and you’ll find it becomes dryer with age. You may want to lay down a few bottles for future evaluation. We suggest storing at cellar temperatures (around 55°F) and away from light.

Weyerbacher Merry Monks Belgian Style Tripel Ale has an alcohol content of 9.3% by volume with 15 IBUs. It is hopped with Hops: Hallertuaer, Saaz, and Fuggles and is a year-round offering from Weyerbacher. It runs a little high in rpice at $11.99 a six-pack. It sells in 750 ML cage-corked bottles for $8.99.

Weyerbacher Merry Monks Belgian Style Tripel Ale pours to a bright golden color with a thick fizzy (but very short lived) head and a a rich yeasty and fruity pineapple nose. Taking a sip, the beer is very complex with notes of vanilla, banana, cloves and yeasty funk, fruity pineapple and light malt underneath it all. The beer finishes long and dry with a balancing bitterness and alcohol warmth.

Weyerbacher Merry monks is wonderful and very interesting indeed. I like the hefeweizen-like notes here merged with the classic tripel yeasty esters. I think I’ll take Weyerbacher’s advice and age some. I’ll get back to you on that-in time.

Update 5/22/2020: I still have a bottle of Merry Monks from my 2017 purchase! I've been saving it to age and now I am ready to drink it.  Bottled 09/07/16. BB 09/07/18. Kicking ass with banana and pineapple, funky yeasty notes, warm alcohol finish, 5/22/2020.

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