Barrel Of Monks Brewing LLC, Boca Raton, Fla.

Barrel of Monks Brewing had a birthday party, with a few hundred paid guests, this past weekend. The brewery located in Boca Raton, Florida, turned one this year and they celebrated with food truck treats, guest taps and all of their delicious brewed creations.

Barrel Of Monks 1801 Mocha Kaffie Dark Saison, Barrel Of Monks Brewing,
Boca Raton, Fla.
Copyright 2016 by Helen A Lockey 

The brewery owned by Matthew Saady, Keith DeLoach and Bill McFee, Belgian beer enthusiasts and home-brewers, could not find a decent beer outside of Belgium, so they decided to start their own brewery last year. They built the only Floridian Belgian trappist style brewery. "We are the only ones dedicated to traditional Belgian style," said Tasting Room Manager Zachary Agran, during an interview last year.  

To keep the beers truly European they import their yeast from Belgium, and their grains from Belgium, England, Scotland, and Germany. And to keep the quality high they hired brewmaster Kevin Abbott who previously worked for Funky Budda's and Due South.

"Our goal is to make Belgians the right way," said Matt Saady during last year's Holiday party.

Despite all the importing they still support local by using Florida citrus in their recipes. And they follow other Florida brewery trends by giving their spent grain mash to a local animal farm for feed. "We're very much about local produce and supporting local," said Agran.

The anniversary party went from 2 to 6 p.m. and was a lot of bubbly fun. My favorite brew was the 1801 Mocha because it had deliciously bold flavors of coffee and chocolate.

You can find Barrel Of Monks beers at many South Florida restaurants and bars and at many stores but the best place to try it is at their tasting room in Boca Raton, just off of Clint Moore Road.

Barrel Of Monks Brewing is located at 1141 S. Rogers Circle #5, Boca Raton, FL 33487

Phone: (561) 510-1253

Just one note, Barrel Of Monks Brewing LLC has a strict 21 years and over policy so if you have children under that age they will not be allowed into their tasting room.