Days of the Beer, October 10

The beer for today is North Coast Brother Thelonious.

On October 10, 1917, Thelonious Sphere Monk was born. He was an jazz pianist and composer. He is considered one of the most important jazz musicians.

Monk has been considered the founder of bebop.

Monk was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He started playing piano at age nine, after the family moved to Manhattan. He had little formal training and was mostly self-taught. In his teens he toured with an evangelist and played the organ. He became the house pianist at Minton's Playhouse and that's believed to be where he perfected his style. His influences include Duke Ellington and James P. Johnson. It was at Minton's where he first played with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis.

Monk had recorded several albums before his first successful album came out, in 1956, Brilliant Corners.

Monk was on the cover of Time magazine on Feb. 28, 1964, and was featured in the article, "The Loneliest Monk". He was signed to a major label (Columbia Records) and released some well-reviewed albums, Monk's Dream and Underground.

Monk died of a stroke on Feb 17, 1982. In 1993, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2006, he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.

As to the beer:

Brother Thelonious
Belgian Style Abbey Ale

Like a Belgian “Dark Strong Ale”, the beer is rich and robust with an ABV of 9.3%. The package is a 750 ml bottle with a traditional cork and wire finish or 12oz 4 packs and features a label picturing the jazz master himself.
Vital Statistics

Style: Belgian Style Strong Dark
Color: Dark mahogany
ABV: 9.4%
Bitterness: 32 IBU's

When you buy Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale you also help to support the Thelonious Institute whose mission is to offer the world's most promising young musicians college level training by America's jazz masters and to present public school-based jazz education programs for young people around the world. All of these programs are offered free of charge to the students and schools.

So, for the great jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, go get a North Coast Brother Thelonious. Not only will you be having a great beer, but you'll be helping the next wave of jazz musicians.