Variety is the spice of life. While we love coffee, there are certainly a great many other things that we enjoy be it craft beer, whiskey, cool locations, music, and everything else that makes life more enjoyable. Why not spotlight those things in a blog within our blog? We are going to call it "Not Just Coffee" and this is the first installment! And it's a good one as we take a closer look at a fantastic beer brewed right here in Eau Claire by Lazy Monk Brewing!
This particular brew is Golden Sunrise. A seasonal option of theirs that I always seem to gravitate to among all of their incredible offerings. I hate to use the term "drinkable" as that tends to throw it in with a crowd of domestic lite beers, but it's an enjoyable beer to drink anytime. It's incredibly flavorful but doesn't punch you in the jaw with being extremely hops forward, but the hops are there, in an enjoyable and discernible way. You can dissect the flavors and nuances of the hops without feeling like you wired your mouth to a car battery, and that creates a really enjoyable drinking experience.
The beer has a nice golden amber color and stays pretty sudzy throughout the pint. There is a good amount of malty sweetness that is well balanced and complex. This beer paired extremely well with a Perdomo Habano Sun Grown cigar that I smoked along with the pint. I feel like a sun grown or Cameroon wrapper cigar would work well with this beer from a pairing perspective.
All in all, I can't say enough about this beer. I'm a bit partial to Lazy Monk brews but this is probably my favorite of what I have tried. If you are in the greater mid-west Wisconsin area, tell your favorite retailer to get some Lazy Monk! Or plan a trip here and check out the Lazy Monk Bier Hall as it is absolutely worth a trip. In the meantime check out Lazy Monk Brewing on Facebook.
Until next time, drink well my friends!