Barrel of Monks Brewing — Restaurant in Boca Raton

Barrel of Monks is a 10,000 square foot brewery that was established in 2015 in Boca by three friends with a passion for beer. You can find it in the Penn-Florida Commerce Center. They were the first production brewery in the city and they focus on traditional Belgian-inspired ales.

My girlfriend and I met up to grab dinner from a Cheffrey Eats, a food truck in their parking lot that was featured on Guy Fieri Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. After placing our order we decided to beat the heat inside the air conditioned tap room but they also have a large outside patio with tables with umbrellas. I was surprised by elegant the tap room looked with exposed brick, rich wood, and shimmering chandeliers.

While waiting for our food I decided to grab a beer. Their menu features beers that have chocolate, coffee, and fruit as added for flavor. I'm not much of a beer drinker so I chose the guava infused Single in Havana which started off as seasonal fruit beer but it became so popular that they started offering it year round. It is a light blonde ale at 4.5 percent. You get the flavor and aroma of guava but it is not overly sweet. It was the perfect pairing to the rich juicy burger created by Cheffrey Eats and even a non beer novice like me loved it. You can pick up six packs of your favorites from their cooler. Their beers range from stouts to pale and they offer flights as well. While enjoying my food and drink I noticed several families with young children so it is family friendly as well as dog friendly on the outside patio. The combination of Cheffrey Eats and Barrel of Monks is a match...

Visiting the area this week and SO JEALOUS of those that live near this gem!! If you haven’t been - what are you waiting for? If you are traveling, like myself, put it on your list! Perfect place to meet friends and drink incredible beer. And, don’t tell me no thanks because are a wine drinker because I PROMISE they have a beer for you! I had the pleasure of trying most of what was on tap and I was not disappointed from start to finish. For me, highlights were the dark and delicious Parade of Souls imperial stout - my eyelids floated closed as the first sip went down my throat - pure heaven. Dark chocolate and rich coffee notes. I have no words. I’d come back again and again just to savor a glass of that. While drinking it we were discussing how good it would be with a scoop of ice cream in it… pure decadence. On the lighter side, the Waypoint - crisp and bubbly with citrus notes. Absolute perfection. And, because it’s the season, must note that Father Christmas would make any holiday event more festive! Notes of clove, cinnamon and anise would nicely complement any Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. There is absolutely something for everyone in here. The staff was beyond kind. We left with cans and bottles to go! If you see the brand locally in shops, don’t hesitate to buy - you will not be sorry. I only wish I could get this brand in DC. Definitely put it on your list for a casual night out - you can...

On a trip over to Fort Lauderdale, we drove the 45 minutes out of the way to Boca to visit Barrel of Monks. I walk in with excitement carrying my (4) Fort Myers Brewing growlers. "We won't fill those" - yells the guy with a strong accent (and a questionable Napoleon complex) at me from across the bar. The look of misunderstanding must have took him off guard. "We only fill our own growlers so we can ensure the quality of our beer". Even the people at the bar turned around in dismay. We'd been there once a year ago and really enjoyed it. I was amazed that I was met with rudeness. My growlers look exactly the same as theirs only with a different logo. I'm sure their growlers are made at the same place everyone's are. Their beers are very good, especially if you like Belgians like I do. It's a shame, they really turned me off. With the explosion of craft beer in Florida, the brewers that are too full of themselves won't last. LauderAle, 26˚ and Bangin' Banjo all have great beers and are much friendlier. They get 2 starts instead of 1 because their beers are excellent. I...