Monkless Belgian Ales has been crafting Belgian-style beer since 2014 and slinging mussels with frites plus Liege waffles at its Monkless Brasserie since late 2019. Now, owners Robin and Todd Clement are bringing their abbey-style ales to, well, their very own Abbey.
Just as it's not uncommon for brewers to jump from one brewing company to another, it's equally common for one brewery to land in the space previously occupied by an earlier one. Sort of like hermit crabs, but instead of calcium carbonate, they move into brick-and-mortar homes.
The forthcoming Monkless Abbey will occupy the Wilson Avenue space formerly inhabited by Avid Cider, which has moved into Silver Moon Brewing's old production facility in Redmond. And taking Monkless' old space will be Terranaut Brewery helmed by Bryon Pyka, who most recently brewed at neighboring 10 Barrel-East, which is fabulously fitting since the facility was 10 Barrel's original brew site. Add to this that the Brasserie was previously home to Old Mill Brew Werks, followed by Craft Kitchen and Brewery—now located near where Terranaut is moving in—and you see how tricky it can be to keep track of this beer-and-cider-soaked shell game.
On the surface, it may seem like a headscratcher that a brewery focused on Belgian ales — such as rustic saisons, refreshing witbiers, rich dubbels and rotund quadrupels — would find it necessary to expand, given that we're living in this hazy IPA world. But since few other beer makers even dabble in the realm of true Belgian ales, Monkless has cornered this cloistered niche with surprisingly little competition. (There exists Dragon's Gate Brewery in Milton Freewater, Oregon, that exclusively brews Belgian ales, but good luck finding that beer beyond that tiny enclave on the northeast Washington border.)
Robin Clement remarks of Todd, "He actually had never expressed interest in brewing beer until he couldn't find Belgian beers locally to fill our home kegerator. Seeking to solve that problem, he figured (that) as a process chemist he could likely brew something good enough for us to drink at home."
Once Todd Clement applied his Ph.D. in organic chemistry to old-world beer styles, it was a natural decision do it professionally. The company was named mid-sized brewpub of the year at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival. That is, as our would-be-neighbor Will Ferrell said while channeling Ron Burgundy, "kind of a big deal."
As such, Monkless is shedding its original 10-barrel system and upsizing to a 15-barrel system with greatly expanded fermentation capacity.
"It's hard to stand up and mingle (in the Brasserie) because it's kind of a sit-down restaurant, so the Abbey will give us a space that we can allow larger groups to come in and reserve it exclusively." —Robin Clement
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"We maxed out," says Robin Clement. "The construction remodel is probably a couple weeks out... This new production facility is, first and foremost, to help us increase production capacity and make it easier for the guys to do their jobs. We've been really spaced challenged for the last several years, so it's a bit of a conundrum moving equipment around and setting it up." That includes finally having some elbow room for canning and bottling. Some of the added production will end up distributed out of state, but, more importantly to us, the new site will be billed as The Abbey, including a tasting room and capacity for gatherings.
"It's hard to stand up and mingle (in the Brasserie) because it's kind of a sit-down restaurant, so the Abbey will give us a space that we can allow larger groups to come in and reserve it exclusively if they want, or share it with the community when we're open for community events." Without giving an opening date, Robin Clement believes the new Monkless Abbey will be available to receive guests this summer.
Monkless and the Clements are keeping monastic abbey traditions alive along with—if you read last week's cover story on brewery-owning couples—their own family traditions.
"Our journey spans nearly 32 years of marriage and 36 years together," notes Robin Clement. "At the heart...lies the essence of commitment, recognizing that success in both areas required a shared dedication. We've remained committed to sharing the load when it becomes too burdensome to carry alone."
Although his wife's more the talker, Todd Clement gets in a last good word. "It turns out, good Belgian beer and a good spouse have a lot in common: they both get better with time."
