A glass of Monkuccino is served at Monkless Belgian Ales Brasserie in Bend.

Monkless Belgian Ales emerged onto the local craft beer scene in 2014, with a focus on brewing exclusively Belgian-style ales. In the years since, a strong lineup of classic Belgian-inspired beers have garnered a number of awards.

Monkless also occasionally branches out from the core lineup with specialties and sometimes whimsical variations. The company introduced one such beer recently, Monkuccino, a strong quadrupel aged on raspberries and coffee beans. The unusual combination caught my eye, and I contacted owner and brewer Todd Clement to find out more.

“The main inspiration for Monkuccino was Curtain Closer, our late-winter seasonal,” he said via email. “We typically age Curtain Closer on raspberry and cacao (either nibs or Cholaca), but this year the brewing team decided to have a little fun and mix it up by going a few different routes with the base beer.” (I wrote about Curtain Closer for The Bulletin in 2019.)

It started as a 16-barrel batch, with approximately two pounds of raspberries per barrel added to the fermenter. Coffee beans were added later, when the beer was conditioning in the brite tank after primary fermentation; about one pound of beans per barrel were used.

The coffee was locally sourced from Backporch Coffee Roasters. Clement and his team tested several flavors, including Peloton and Daybreak, and settled on Daybreak. Backporch’s description of the variety says, “Dark chocolate notes meet caramelized raw sugar in this full-bodied cup of coffee, finishing with a smokey and sweet toasted barley flavor.”

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It was a good match. “In the end, we felt that Daybreak, as a darker roast, provided a better balance to the sweetness of the raspberry and malt profile of the beer,” said Clement.

I picked up a small growler of Monkuccino to try at home. It’s a big beer, with 10.3% alcohol by volume and 35 IBUs.

In the aroma it’s immediately apparent that this is extremely coffee forward, with a character of fresh beans and cold brewed coffee that dominates the nose. It’s nutty with notes of cascara and peach pit, and I don’t really detect raspberry or the usual Belgian yeast characteristics with the prevalence of the coffee.

The flavor exhibits big notes of freshly roasted coffee beans that melt into a sweet malty body showcasing toffee, light chocolate, a kiss of raspberry, and a bit of maple sugar.

All the nuttiness from the aroma is present in the taste, with a sugar-roasted nut character, and as it warms, I do get a sense of the Belgian yeast profile I was expecting (some spice and fruity flavors).

Coffee is the defining element here, with big roasty coffee notes lingering into the finish but overall remaining sweet and drinkable, living up to its inspiration.

That punch of coffee was intentional, with a particular purpose in mind. “A secondary intent of Monkuccino was to brew a special one-off beer for the 2nd Annual Baker’s Dozen Fest slated for May 20 at Silver Moon Brewing in Bend, which showcases coffee inspired beers,” Clement said.

You don’t have to wait until May to try Monkuccino, as it is available on tap now at the Monkless Brasserie on Industrial Way.

Clement is also excited about another trio of specialties debuting this weekend, on Easter Sunday, called The Holy Trinity. It’s a spin on the brewery’s Belgian-style Tripel, The Trinity.

“We brewed a ‘big’ version of The Trinity, took the first runnings, the most high strength wort, and segregated it to make Father’s Bier — a big, rich high-strength Belgian Tripel,” he said. “We took the second runnings, which is composed of lower strength wort, segregated it and created a very light and drinkable Patersbier that is low in ABV — we call this Son’s Bier.”

Naturally, for a beer named The Holy Trinity, there is a third variation.

“Finally, in freshly emptied Northwest Natural Spirits bourbon barrels, we blended Father’s Bier and Son’s Bier and aged them for four months to create … you guessed it … Spirit Bier.”

All three will be available in curated tasting flights at The Brasserie starting on Sunday. These specialties, along with Monkuccino, will be available until they’re gone, though you’ll have a second chance to try Monkuccino at the Baker’s Dozen festival next month.

Peak to Peak Pale Ale — Spider City Brewing 

Royal Apricot Imperial Cider — Avid Cider 

Pilsner — Terminal Gravity Brewing 

Neature West Coast IPA — Immersion Brewing 

Qué Bueno Bock Bier — Via Beer