Brother Thelonious beer, pairs great with jazz

interview with Doug Moody

Belly up to the bar for a taste of “bottled be-bop.”  That’s Brother Thelonious Belgian style abbey ale in particular we’re talking about.  The unique name and beer are products of North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California  (north of San Francisco).  Doug Moody, vice president of Sales and Distribution, visited “First Take with Lando and Chavis” while in Denver for the Craft Beer convention.

North Coast has carved out a solid niche in the exploding craft beer world with the “Brother Thelonious” brand, which supports scholarships at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, and with active support of other jazz institutions and festivals around the world.   “Belgian style abbey ales have been made for centuries by the Trappist monks of Belgium,” explains Moody.  ”We’ve been supporters of the arts locally since we started, and because we have  ’monk’ of our own – Thelonious Monk – and my partner (brewmaster Mark Ruedrich) wanted to make this style, I said ‘let’s nationalize our support for the arts and make Brother Thelonious.'”  

North Coast Brewing has also ventured into making jazz records, featuring pianist Helen Sung and the Claire Daly Quartet  (so far).  Other projects are in the works.

North Coast Brewing jazz page

Music on this feature is by The Victor Feldman Quartet, “A Taste of Honey” from the CD The Golden Age of American Popular Music: The Jazz Hits, and the title track from the Brother Thelonious Quintet, Brother Thelonious.