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The Brewer’s Art Resurrection
Where In Town: Mellow Mushroom, 2436 18th St. NW
Price: $5/12 ounces
Funky Monks
A traditional abbey ale in a can? What would the abbot think? Luckily for District drinkers, Belgian specialist The Brewer’s Art is more than a little heathen: Since 2010, the Baltimore brewpub has let its flagship offering go the way of Natty Boh, canning it at Sly Fox Brewery in Pennsylvania (and covering it with graphics that are more Vegas Strip than Holy Virgin). Sure, Brewer’s Art’s Green Peppercorn Tripel and its Ozzy golden ale can impress you with their corked 750-milliliter bottles, but when you’re enjoying Mellow Mushroom’s roof deck on a warm September afternoon, iconoclasm tastes best.
Dubbel Trouble
Resurrection is a dubbel, which is a dark, fruity style popularized by the Trappist monks of Westmalle, Rochefort, and Chimay. Don’t expect a thirst-quenching spritzer. Seven percent alcohol, this brew is neither syrupy nor mild, with complex flavors of caramel, prunes, tart cherries, spice, and smoke. Or maybe that’s too much contemplative winespeak for a beer like Resurrection, which is brought down to earth—back to life?—by the simplicity of aluminum. Just drink it.
Photo by Daniel Fromson