Drunk Monk

The Cheese

Johan Deweer is a third- generation cheesemaker. From his early childhood, Johan immersed himself in his family's farm, located in West Flanders, Belgium.

The Drunk Monk is one of his iconic cheeses, an offshoot of his Funky Monk cheese, and made in the same style the Trappist Monks have been producing in Belgium for centuries... with one critical innovation.

This cheese is made from pasteurized milk from Holstein and Brown Swiss  cows, as per usual.  But Johan's piece de resistance was recruiting Kaasafineurs Van Tricht for something special to be used in the washed rind.

The crew at Van Tricht teamed up with the locally renowned Belgian brewery, Brouwerij Anders, who specializes in organic beers.

They created Cascade Hops-based Belgian Blonde Ale called Rex. The beer is used to wash the wheels of Drunk Monk as they ripen for about a week, replacing the more traditional water-based brine. Relative to the traditional style, the beer wash lends a yeastier bread note to the cheese, and the Cascade hops add a nice bitter note to balance the sweet creaminess. The texture is almost fudge-like and very satisfying.

Perfect on a cheese board, burgers or as part of your fondue.  Delicious!

Available at both East Bay locations.