Monkshine Belgian Style Blonde Ale - Uinta Brewing Company

smiga

New Jersey

3.79/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured out of a soft shouldered 12oz bottle into a Leffe Chalice.

Hazy, color of apple juice, steady carbonation. Great lacing. 1 finger head fast fade but great lacing all the way down. Looks Belgian. Appetizing.

Very distinct, original waft. Smells of church seats, incense, malty sweet with a hint of cloves and spices.

Nicely balanced between clove and malt flavors, with those Belgian complexities. I'd take this along side Leffe any day. The after taste is spicy and distinct. ABV of 6.8% so it's lighter than other Belgian goldens. It's fresh, contemplative, a great meditation beer.

Mouthfeel is tingly, light and carbonated. Lovely finish.

As good as Leffe, not up to Chimay, but the most "authentic" belgian style made in America that I myself have tried. Organic. (bought at Whole foods with 6 other singles - a great policy - bravo Whole Foods!) I like it and would happily serve it again. (Check expiry date when buying singles, mine was 5 months old, but still perfect, but all the same, 5 months...)

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 02:15:20 | More by smiga

Uncle_Jimmy

California

3.84/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Golden yellow 2 fingers of white head . It lingers with a bit of lacing. I like the desing on the bottle too. it doesn't look like the one pictured anymore.

Aroma- citrus, pineapple banana some clove but definitely more fruity than spicy.

Taste- Big hit of clove and yeast at the front gives way to banana light honey and a slight earthiness in the hops. sweet in the Finnish but not cloying or out of place. not a lot of fruity esters despite the nose.

Mouthfeel- light bodied and dry, effervescence is spot on and very little to no booze warmth.

Overall- I really liked this beer its quaffable, an understated belgian style. A beer doesn't need to be bold to be good. This beer everything is quite subtle and it works out nicely.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 13:34:55 | More by Uncle_Jimmy

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a decent fizzy fluffy looking almost 1 finger head that fades fairly slowly, with nice lacing, over brilliantly clear golden honey orange color.

Nose has some nice Belgian aromas, golden malts, light fluffy effervescent malts, hints of esters, faint citrus and grassy almost wheat like, faint hints of grassy hops too, light grainy earthy straw bready malt.

Taste starts with big Belgian golden malts, little toasty golden with hints of wheat straw hay like flavors, toasty, mild sweetness with some warming booze that seems more than 6.8%. The booze brings light esters and hint of phenols as well which are typical, like fruit with hint apple and pear like, mild grassy hops and some bitterness. Fluffy and smooth though. Finish is still a bit sweet but drier, mild booze tingle and warmth, lingering sweet golden malts, little fruit and effervescence, and a bit of the phenols.

Mouth is med bodied, fluffy carb maybe a bit too much, warming tingly booze that is hotter than it should be.

Overall not bad, hits the spot for a belgian golden ale, and should be 8+% but only clocks in at 6.8 somehow. Otherwise typical flavors and characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 23:26:23 | More by jlindros

tdm168

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - copper gold with a thick, soft, white head that has great retention

S - apples, faint white grapes

T - white grapes, some faint Belgian yeast funk, faint spicy finish

M - medium bodied, crisp but well carbonated

This beer isn't very complex. The yeast does all the work imparting esters some faint spicyness, but even those flavors don't keep me interested for long. Overall, this beer is a bit subdued and toned down. It was nice to try once, but I won't be picking it up again.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 12:57:37 | More by tdm168

thegodfather1076

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Presentation: Label is old school in appearance and printed on a non-glossy paper that gives it a very simple look and doesn't try to do to much. I like it. Label gives a bottled on date as well as the style and ABV info. Label states this is USDA Certified organic.

Appearance: Monkshine pours out a clear orange gold color with a 1 ½ finger white foam head of a lighter more airy density. Head retention was short at 1min 35sec before fading into a thin white foam coating and ring. Average Lacing.

Smell/Aroma: Smells slightly sour and yeasty with hints of clove, banana, and light fruits. Very crisp and light on the nose.

Flavor/Taste: Tastes of sweet light fruits and clove spiciness on the front end with a bread-like taste coming through followed by a surprising herbal and floral hop bitterness on the back end.

MouthFeel/Drinkability: Medium bodied with an above average carbonation yet has a crisp and refreshing feel. Very drinkable and not overly filling.

Overall/Comments: A good Belgian style blonde ale here nothing spectacular but a good representation of the style. Picked this up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Classified as a Belgian Pale Ale at 6.8% ABV. Brewed on 9/7/12. Consumed on 12/23/12.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 10:40:00 | More by thegodfather1076

MRsojourner

Massachusetts

2.88/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

pours a golden orangey clear color, although i'm not looking into daylight it looks really clear. small white 1" head that dissipated quickly.
The taste is semi sweet with a touch a bitterness. not much complexity. way to clean for a Belgian blond imo. not much to glean from this beer. its drinkable I guess but I would think the yeast selection along with the filterering just take out all the character of this beer. pretty disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 00:07:29 | More by MRsojourner

AlphaRanger

3.98/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Light copper with an ever so slight cloudiness. Nice thick white head with very good retention. Lacing was amazing. I refer to it as "artwork".

S- AWESOME! Yeast, spices, corriander, citrus notes, very unique and complex. An inviting aroma.

T- Sweet, tangy, yeasty, and slightly dry. A nice complex yeast flavor backed by citrus and spice notes with a nice malty finish. Very earthy and interesting and Incredibly refreshing.

M- Light and very drinkable for almost 7%. Perfect amount of carbonation which lent a really nice smoothness to the ale.

O- Starting to take the plunge into belgian ales. This one being on the "lighter" end of the spectrum I think is a great foray into the world of belgian golden/pale ales. Overall I was very impressed. I found the flavors to be very pronounced and bold and complex is a word which really describes this type of ale. Can't wait to sample more like this. Pick it up.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 04:13:23 | More by AlphaRanger

Crow153248

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Uinta has been extremely hit or miss for me.

That being said, I decided to try Monkshine.

A: Golden yellow with a small, thick head

S: Citrus, yeast, and a bit of a pleasant bread smell

T: Surprisingly refreshing. Not quite a sipping beer, I got the best taste on a half mouthful. While not quite a traditional Belgian, this little brother stands strongly on its own. The bread taste is there, but not at all overwhelming. A pleasant, slightly bitter finish.

M: Light carbonation and refreshingly smooth

O: My favorite Uinta that I have tried by far. Definitely a solid, safe choice if I can't find anything else. I like their interpretation of a Belgian very much.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 10:40:26 | More by Crow153248

DoubleJ

California

2.98/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Belgian blonde generally go in two directions; sweet or rustic. Which way will Monkshine go? From a 12 ounce bottle, on to the beer:

Monkshine is a couldy orange looking beer with a small head that doesn't last long and deflates into a small lace. At least the nose is fun, which at first is merely okay (sugar and alcohol), then sugared apricot snacks and gum add additonal pieces to the picture.

The taste is very dry, which is strange after what I smelled. I epxected a fruity and sweet taste, and instead is a dry and bitter drink. There are a few echoes of apricot which attempt to inject a little exceitement. The bitterness seems to be coming from the carbonation, and there are subtle rustic notes. It actually has some degree of drinkability despite being almost seemingly tasteless. The beer is medium bodied with healthy carbonation that leaves a dry aftertaste.

What happened to the flavor? If this is what it's suppose to be, sorry, I'm not usually a fan of very dry beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 20:22:23 | More by DoubleJ

TWStandley

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass - might not be te best vessel for this one but oh well. I was working on my homebrew system so didn't feel like hunting down a good tulip.

Appeared a golden/yellow color with a thick white head. Head stuck around for a bit, and left a small trace of lacing on the glass. Pretty cloudy.

Smelled of belgian yeast, orange/lemon, and a bit of tartness.

Taste follow the smell relatively closely. Did get some spiced notes most likely from the yeast. Pretty standard BPA taste, nothing too crazy here.

Mouth-feel was bubbly and lively, quite crisp and refreshing.

Meh - I am a bit biased being not that into Belgian styles in the first place....but this just lacked anything interesting. Not a bad drink but not one I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 18:29:23 | More by TWStandley

Jsteez

New Mexico

3.13/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip beer glass.

A-It poured a foamy 2-finger white head that left some sticky lace on the glass. The color fell somewhere between a pale to a deep gold, with an orange hue. A slight cloudy look to this beer. I was expecting it to be more like a Leffe Blonde Belgian ale because of the supposed style, but it still looked pretty appetizing.

S-Cloves, banana, some spice. It had a dry smell to it. I never knew something could smell dry, but it did.

T-I thought the smell was better than the taste. I could taste strong clove, no banana taste to this whatsoever! The aftertaste was bitter and dry. There needed to be more balance to this beer style. The clove taste is usually excellent for this particular style of ale, but not when it's overpowering. I would have liked it to be more complex because that is what my experience with Belgian beers has been in the past. The beer was a little flat.

M-Full-bodied, low carbonation. Just average.

O-I have another one of these in the fridge. I will drink it, but will I buy it again? Maybe. I have had better Belgian ales before.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 17:58:34 | More by Jsteez

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.48/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pale clear straw yellow with a sticky head and heavy lacing.

S: Aroma of loads of yeast, sourdough, pale malt and a dosing of fresh citrus hops.

T: Very nice fresh tasting belgian pale ale. This has more of an American hop flavor profile, but otherwise is an exceptional tasting belgian pale ale. Bread / dough in the middle and a nice bitter finish that is refreshing as well as bitter. Green Apple that is faint, more white grape at the end.

M: Extremely smooth and mildly carbonated.

O: Very impressed with this Belgian pale ale. I would definitely get this again and probably will pick up a few 6 packs when I see it in a shop.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 00:33:35 | More by alpinebryant

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Crystal clear golden pour into a Euro pint glass. Foamy white head forms with nice retention. A few lace patches.

S- Grapes and belgian yeast spice make up a bulk of the nose. Raisins, flowers, herbs, bread and citrus zest as well.

T- Seeetness and more laid back feel overall here. Vinous grapes, spices, citrus zest, apple and a bit of apricot. A lot of semi-sweet fruits and yeast elements.

MF- Creamy and silky moderately thick body. Spicy bitterness in the finish.

A lot of yeast spice and a nice overall fruit feel. Drinks easily and brings strong Belgian influence.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 04:06:23 | More by cbutova

jmerloni

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a pretty golden, translucent. Big white head that laces thickly on the glass.

S - Very very yeasty, bread, slight citrus, and a tinge of booze.

T - Cool flavor. Belgian yeast, light fruits. White grapes, apple, pear, a bit of raisin. Light molasses malt backing it up with a nice Belgian hop profile. Solid flavor. Very beery taste to it too.

M - One of those beers that dances in your mouth. Medium bodied.

D - Such a beery beer. I would get this again. Quality. Unita is so underrated. Everything I've ever had from them has been solid without fail. And this is another good showing.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 01:46:49 | More by jmerloni

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer #53 in my great Utah Brew Hunt.

This is a very clear beer. Nice looking though. Nose is super yeasty at first and then dies down to nothing quite quickly. Flavor is full. Heavy yeast tones again with strong bread character as well. There are tones of banana on here as well. A little thick in the mouth, but it works. Most Belgian ales seem to be a disaster, but I can appreciate this one. It could stand to be a bit more rounded on the profile, but I've definitely had some horrid Belgian ales out of the US; this is not one of them.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 20:16:28 | More by RblWthACoz

beerpadawan

California

3.1/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Into a fat, stemless wine glass, glinting brilliant and beautiful gold. Forms a half-inch head which does not stick around long.

My first whiff was fresh baked bread, grain. After that, I strained to smell some faint peach, apple, apricot notes. Faint floral, but even as it warms the aroma is somewhat weak.

Very dry finish and highly attenuated throughout, with just mild sweetness emerging as the beer comes to room temperature. The flavor goes with the faint aroma: light fruit--peach or apricot. Some grass and light earth hop. The dry finish reveals some mild bitterness and spicy yeasty notes. Finish is clean but over quickly. Highly drinkable but unremarkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 04:39:00 | More by beerpadawan

crossovert

Wisconsin

2.63/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle. Bottled 01/04/12.

It pours a brilliant clear gold, one of the clearest most pure golden-hued beers I have ever seen. The head is foamy and white and leaves some nice lacing.

The smell is okay. Huge esters but honestly this almost just smells like an adjunct lager without the corn. It has that sourness to it that isn't "sour" but that tart AAL scent.

The flavor is flowery and yeasty. It has a decent sweetness, some metallic flavors, and basic grain flavors. Not too bitter.

It is just really plain, there is nothing that distinguishes it besides its gorgeous appearance.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 22:23:38 | More by crossovert

raszputini

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From a 12 oz bottle...pours a cloudy orangish color with an off-white 1 1/2 finger head. Has a crisp smell with notes of light fruiit. The tell-tale Belgian yeast dominates the taste along with fruity tones. No booziiness. Nice consistent but thin mouth feel. A decent but not outstanding representation of a Belgian Golden. Very drinkable...

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 17:56:10 | More by raszputini

UCLABrewN84

California

3.85/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on 10/12/11.

Pours a slightly murky honey orange with a puffy 1/2 inch off-white head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of grain/malt and some slight fruit and spice aromas. Taste is of grain/malt, honey, fruit, and some slight spice flavors on the finish. This beer has a crisp level of carbonation with a bubbly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 23:52:25 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a head that started to impress but faded quickly leaving just a few traces behind

Smell: Slightly grainy, with a hint of lemon

Taste: Grainy, up front, with a combination of sugary malt and alcohol filling the middle; by mid-palate and, after the swallow, there is a hint of lemony tartness

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: When the mouthfeel is the thing you like best about a beer, you know you are in trouble; in this case, I didn't really care for the malt beer and the kick of alcohol (particularly for such a low ABV beer); the hint of lemon in the finish was a nice touch but it didn't make up for the rest

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 17:08:02 | More by brentk56

bubseymour

Maryland

3.03/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - looks like an American Adjunct. Little head and clear pale yellow.

Smell - Seems to have an almost sour smell to it.

Taste - Tastes like a high-alcohol American Adjunct. Not too many off tastes but definitely notice grain and barley notes.

Mouthfeel - ok

Overall - Doesn't taste like anything Belgian to me. Rather disappointing IMO.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 02:16:00 | More by bubseymour

DrFayhee

2/5  rDev -43.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I was pretty surprised at how bad this beer was. Quite pale, almost lager-ish in color. Smell is pretty simple, light but with some alcohol to it. Flavor is very starchy, with a stale cereal quality. Mouthfeel is a bit acrid. Overall pretty disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 04:44:24 | More by DrFayhee

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.3/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Look – typical blond color, slightly hazy, with about two fingers’ worth of frothy off-white colored foam that dissipates somewhat slowly.

Smell – earthy tone to the hoppiness. Decent blend of hops and malts it would seem.

Taste – the taste is a little on the bland/cereal side, but there is a touch of the bite from the hops toward the finish. The film of bitterness lingers on in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel – pretty well balanced, but it does lean a little bit more on the watery side.

Overall – not a bad-tasting brew at all, but not very complex or fun to think about.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 03:01:57 | More by Nerudamann

PhantasIPA

Delaware

4.23/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The appearance of this beer is very similar to apple juice. Same color and opacity. The head that formed when I poured this beer into a glass was very thin.

The smell is distinct and strong. It is malty with a hint of cloves and spices.

The taste is balanced between a light clove flavor and a medium malty flavor. The after taste is spicy and moderately strong. The beer has an ABV of 6.8% so it's not light or heavy and has a flavor that matches its alcohol content.

Mouthfeel is light and carbonated. Although the head on the bottle that I poured was pretty insignificant, the bubbles were non-stop from the base of the glass.

Overall I like the beer; the mixture of clove, spices, and malt is nice. The ABV is still enough to get the job done and the carbonation of the brew is different but not overpowering. (As a side note, the label on the bottle that I purchased is different than the label in the picture).

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 02:12:26 | More by PhantasIPA

barnzy78

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle, pours bright gold with a thin head that holds no retention and leaves no lace - looks like apple juice. Smells like apple juice too. Tastes like apple juice with some grape qualities - dry white wine perhaps, earthy, herbal hops, fruity, with a slight Belgian flare from the yeast. Mouth-feel is rather thin with no carbonation. Finishes dry like a cheap chardonnay. Alcohol is well concealed for 6.8%. Overall, I don't know what to think of this one. I see other reviews are giving this a higher score, but this wasn't any different than drinking a glass of apple juice mixed with some cheap white wine. I wouldn't recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 19:57:44 | More by barnzy78