Monkless Belgian Ales: Bend’s newest brewery

Monkless Belgian Ales logoLater this month, Bend’s newest brewery is set to start selling its beer: Monkless Belgian Ales. Founded by partners Kirk Meckem and Todd Clement, they just got their brewery licensed and plan to brew only Belgian-styled ales on a one-barrel system. Kirk Meckem reached out to me to let me know they are planning on launching on tap at Bend’s Humm Kombucha on November 28 with their first beer, a Dubbel named “Dubbel or Nothing.”

Meckem forwarded me some introductory text they’d written up about themselves and I hope to have additional details soon:

In 2011, two friends living in Bend, Oregon, wondered why in the beer capital of the Northwest, it was almost impossible to find a good, local Belgian style ale. Sure, a Belgian IPA, maybe a Witbier or a Saison would show up on occasion, but good luck getting a keg for your kegerator. Sure, times have changed some since 2011, but only a few of the local breweries consistently devote any capacity to brewing Belgian styles. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands and began brewing the beers we love – not just the occasional batch, but each and every one. We are committed to brewing excellence, in process, product, and motivation. Our end goal: to coax the truly special flavors and aromas from the Belgian yeast we use, extract the flavors from the grains and hops to their fullest degree, and provide the best beer money can buy. We hope you enjoy our beer as much as we do.

In addition to the Dubbel, they currently have a Tripel in the tanks that they hope to have ready by the end of the year.

Monkless Belgian Ales founders
Founders Todd Clement, left, and Kirk Meckem (photo from Facebook)

This bumps the regional brewery count up to 27, and 19 for Bend alone. (Actually 20 if we count Shade Tree Brewing, which was originally being brewed in Redmond and is currently undergoing new build-out in Bend.)

2 comments

  1. Fantastic! I love the region we live in and northwest style beers, but I still say the best and most complex beers in the world are Belgian beers. Nothing beats a dark strong on a winter eve. Good luck guys!

  2. These guys have been brewing/refining for years and now releasing their small batch brews publicly — patience grasshopper — their stellar Belgian brew nectar as finally cometh!

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