Space Monkey - Allentown Brew Works

FembotsUnite

Pennsylvania

3.56/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Pours a clear amber with reddish undertones. What little head formed on the surface was white with almost no lacing and dissipated quickly.

Smell: Mild. Raspberry notes up front with a bit of wheat, pepper and citrus in the back.

Taste: Also mild. Could easily be mistaken for a raspberry wheat if not for the deep color. Fruity sweetness hits the palate first, then peppery spice. Finishes with a slight bitterness. The raspberry flavor lingers throughout.

Mouthfeel: Just what you'd expect it to be after seeing how it pours--light bodied and thin, almost watery.

Overall: Boring. This beer pours an attractive color and has a nice abv kick, but that's about all it has going for it. It would be a good choice for that Purple Haze or #9 drinker you know who needs to expand his or her repertoire.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 03:21:24 | More by FembotsUnite

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Bleh. This is your standard fruit beer with a typical base beer that gets injected with a load of juice or flavoring. No real unique flavors or interesting tones. Typical. I definitely have written off fruit beers for all time, unless I know that they are highly rated and well received.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 02:54:20 | More by RblWthACoz

metter98

New York

3.18/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: The beer is slightly hazy rosé-orange in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin white head that faded away leaving some lacing on the surface and a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of raspberry juice in the nose.
T: Like the smell, flavors of raspberries really dominate the taste (similar to a fruit lambic but without any sweetness).
M: It feels light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. The finish is rather tart.
O: This beer isn’t that great compared to other saisons but is something to consider if you like raspberries, especially since the taste isn’t sweet and doesn’t seem artificial.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 00:22:17 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.18/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a hazy golden orange to rose in color. The beer has a half finger tall fizzy light pink head that reduces to a medium ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: There is a light amount of sweetness as well as some tartness in the smell of this beer. I detect moderate amounts of raspberry (slightly artificial) along with some lighter notes of yeast and spices.

T: There is a light amount of malt body in the background for this beer which taste a bit like cereal grains. The beer exhibits both some sweetness as well as a fair amount of sourness. The raspberry flavor is somewhat natural and somewhat artificial with some yeast spice notes. Very light lemon/citrus hint as well.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied with moderate to high amounts of carbonation. Very light amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: This beer is certainly not one of the best saisons that I have ever tried but it is interesting. Easy enough to drink and I like the fact that there is a little sourness with the raspberry which is not often found (raspberry is often super sweet in beers).

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 19:38:59 | More by dbrauneis

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Rust-colored brew with a half-a-centimeter of white head. 3.5

Sweet raspberry aroma with a subdued saison yeast. Very mild spice, some grassy aromas. “Dead” grassy. 3.5

Brutely yeasty, sweet raspberry with effervescence, aspartame, chalkiness, strawberry, apricot, brawny alcohol, and nuttiness. Sweet in the finish, as well. Needs something to round out the sugars. Fruit saisons are tough to impress. This one falls short, but could’ve been great. 3.5

Heavy carbonation overtop of a medium body. Not the easiest drink. 3.0

Very average beer, as it turns out. I thought the flaws were ‘just off’, but then they kept adding up. Fun to try. Happy to never have again. 3.0

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 03:12:14 | More by thecheapies

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear peach color with a very foamy head; plenty of lacing left behind

Smell: Raspberry fruit and yeast; sweet and tart

Taste: Raspberry, plain and simple, with fruity sweetness and tarty complexity

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: Like others, I don't think much of this as a Saison, but as a fruit beer, it is very good and I have rated it as such

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 01:49:30 | More by brentk56

B967ierhunter177

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a bold, clear copper with a thin head and no lace. It's aroma is musty hay and fruity. The flavor is mainly sour cherries with a bit of sweet malt. The mouthfeel is medium and has a mild warmth in the finish. Allentown Space Monkey is a good beer, recommended!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 00:56:21 | More by B967ierhunter177

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at Bethlehem

Poured a mostly clear copper color with a small foamy head that dissipated to a tiny ringlet, with no lacing to speak of. I'd seen this beer advertised fairly often, but I never really looked into it to see what it was. Apparently it's a raspberry saison. And that's what it resembled, pretty much, though the saison qualities weren't too strong. Aroma of bready yeast and berries. Taste is similar, with bready yeast, biscuity malts, obvious raspberry flavor that is actually right about spot-on--not too sweet or overpowering--slight Jolly Rancher tartness, and a bit of bitter skunk in the finish. More of a fruity amber ale than a saison, I'd say. Mouthfeel is light, and the beer is fairly drinkable. Not something I'd want to have again, but honestly not that bad overall for a fruit beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2012 13:48:29 | More by Rifugium

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours an amber orange color with a big frothy head. The head gives way to skim and leaves a little lace on the glass. The aroma is of sweet raspberries and a hint of yeast sweetness along with a slight grain. The taste starts out with a big tart raspberry taste with a hint of saison lemon grass. There is a slight grain taste at the backend. The majority of this beer is raspberries dominating. The mouthfeel is moderately carbonated. Overall it is an okay saison, mostly raspberry hiding any other saison flavors. A little more balance and it would have been a pretty solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 21:39:17 | More by goblue3509

claspada

New Jersey

2.55/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours out a clear, copper color with a medium size white head of fluffy foam that left little to no lacing.

Aromas begin with It smelled of raspberries and Belgian yeast. Light biscuity, crisp, toasted maltiness but really takes a backseat to the artificial fruit smell.

The taste follows the nose with a lot of artificial raspberry flavor with a little Belgian yeast tart/spice bite. Not much more the the base beer, which I don't think it too stellar to begin with, is really masked by the sub-par raspberry flavors.

The mouthfeel is medium to light in body with medium carbonation; would prefer a bit more for the style. The finish was fairly crisp and dry.

Overall this was okay at best; to be honest I had a hard time finishing it even on a warm afternoon. Needs less artificial fruit flavor, more saison kick and a boost in carbonation to help enhance the dryness that I look for in the style. I cannot recommend this and will not be revisiting anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 19:17:38 | More by claspada

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Looks pretty nice with a good level of carbonation and a 1/2 inch of head that forms a thick lace.

S - Smells of sweet and tart raspberries, maybe a touch of lemon or lime from the farmhouse side.

T - Actually better than expected. Mostly tart raspberries and a clash of lemon as well with a bit of vanilla sweetness. Finish is crisp and sharp.

M - Light to medium drinks very well.

Overall I expected this to be just another raspberry knockoff but they did a very sweet job of making a farmhouse ale with raspberry flavors. Would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 05:03:40 | More by DrDemento456

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a stemmed tulip: Light brassy orange body, transparent, with two fingers of frothy, effervescent head that drops to an uneven coating with a collar that clings to the sides.
Moderate, fast nucleation.

Sweet & tart raspberry in the nose, with mild green apple cidery notes, a little yogurt or custard, some vanilla. Maybe a little latex. Not bad - complex nose with some interesting stuff going on.

Tart berry juice, seltzer-like dryness that just stays dry til the finishes & hangs on afterwards with serious conviction. Yeah, this is like straight up mineral water with some raspberry flavor. Aftertaste is bitter & dry, like salad greens.

Sparkling, effervescent mouthfeel that comes in sharp & is assertively dry, again. Really lingers on the palate.

This is definitely an interesting saison - based on the nose, I was expecting it to be more like a Flemish sour kind of sweet/tart balance, but it was just unflinchingly dry & bitter. I don't regret trying it & might even go for it again, for the experience, but I can't really say I enjoyed it that much. Didn't even find it all that complex, just kind of difficult.

EDIT: Did I mention boozy? Oh yeah - boozy too, in a kind of medicinal way.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 23:26:56 | More by OneDropSoup

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was much better than the Monkey Wrench in my personal opinion. The beer poured out as a murky looking orange color with a white head on top. The smell of fermented raspberries came through on this one. The other aromas that the regular Monkey Wrench had were masked by the fruit in this one making this a much nice beer to drink. the flavors of raspberry come through nicely also. The mouthfeel is light and refreshing. Overall this brew was pretty good I thought.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 04:11:22 | More by Knapp85

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Acquired from SamuelJackson45 via LOKO 4 Locals so a big THANK YOU goes out to him!
consumed 11/28
poured in to a pint glass

A: This beer pours a hazy deep amber, burnt orange color with a one finger of sudsy, soapy looking head. Nice head retention that leaves wisps of lacing on the glass.

S: Nose is raspberries and lighter yeast notes.

T: Taste is far more fruity than I would have anticipated. Strawberry, raspberry flavoring hit at the forefront - rather dominating. Yeast comes through to try to quell the fruitiness, light dank notes. The raspberry flavoring comes back in to finish it out.

M: Light bodied, moderate to higher carbonation, crisp and prickly, light feeling.

O: Goes down easy, tasty, not filling, mild kick, an interesting representation of style. I enjoyed this beer more than I thought after the initial sip. The fruit flavorings are more sweet than tart. However, it's a light easy, crisp drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 16:51:43 | More by Jayli

zrab11

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a nice red/pinkish color with a very small thin white head

S- Has a nice aroma of yeast and saison funky smell. Also get some lemon and raspberry aroma as well.

T-Starts off with a nice raspberry flavor then followed up by a yeasty lemon flavor and then finish's with some more raspberries

M-Medium body with Great carbonation

D-Overall i liked this brew better than some on this site. Im not sure its a saison but it is very tasty and very drinkable. At 7% i could have 3 or 4 of these a night. A very interesting brew that id love to have again

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 02:34:59 | More by zrab11

mattgreger

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a 6pack of this brew at Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting, Pa.

The pour on this orange, with a hint of pinkish/red. It had a nice thin white head. There wasn't much lacing, just a little bit at the start of the brew remained.

The aroma on this brew is very sweet, full of raspberry sweetness, and sugar. It has a touch of lemon and saison funkiness. The aroma is actually almost too sweet, but we will carry on.

For how the aroma on this brew was with sugar, the flavors made up for it all. It actually had a nice balance of the yeast funkiness, lemons, and raspberries. It actually took the aroma and complimented it quite a bit. Letting this brew sit for a few minutes to warm was a great move, once the air has touched this brew, cuts the aroma a bit and gives balance to the whole brew.

The mouthful is light-bodied and super crisp. Its got a lot of bubbly carbonation with a great, dry finish.

The is a great brew, the original aroma of the brew kind of had me worried a bit. It was very easy to drink and was very satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 16:20:56 | More by mattgreger

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

When i poured this beer into a pint glass, it has a dark amber color body, with a little bit of fizzy head. The smell is dominated by raspberries. The taste has a nice tart taste of raspberries, with a little bit of hop notes. This beer has a good mout feel, rolls off the tongue very nice. Overall this is a good drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 02:59:06 | More by chefhatt

DIM

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

a: This was a bright, moderately dark golden orange color with hints of purple-y pink. It poured with a short lived fizzy head.

s: Raspberries dominate. They aren't artificial or medicinal smelling, but they are sweeter than I expected. For some reason raspberry yogurt comes to mind. I couldn't really find much in the way of saison aromas.

t: Lots of sweet raspberries, I expected something earthier, mustier, or more tart in a saison. As the berries fade some sweet grains emerge. The aftertaste is a faint, tart berry flavor.

m: Kind of heavy nad syrupy.

o: Not bad overall, there just weren't any saison charcteristics to be found.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 21:11:02 | More by DIM

JoeBCBC

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass

A- Pours a hazy ambery orange color with a 1 finger soapy head that dies down to a thin film quickly.

S- Smells of raspberries, grain, and metal.

T- Raspberry tartness dominates, with a sort of grainy, metallic, magic marker aftertaste. There is also some residual sweetness and a tinge of hop bitterness.

M- light bodied and highly carbonated; the way this beer should probably be.

O- A nice one to drink one after the other on a hot summer day. Not a very complex beer, but refreshing enough.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 20:21:25 | More by JoeBCBC

JMad

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I drank this from a pint glass...

It pours a murky dark orange color with a soapy, foamy sky-rocketing head that clung to the glass. The smell consists of wheat, raspberry, a slight hint of metallic and grassy/ lemon hops. The taste is tart with flavors of wheat, some tart raspberry and metal with a slightly sour and grainy aftertaste. The beer is very light with a boatload of carbonation and a tart, dry finish. I really enjoyed this interesting take on the saison, the raspberry was a nice addition adding just a hint of tartness with nothing overpowering the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 04:32:35 | More by JMad

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Light raspberry-amber coloring is filled with a strong and rapid sense of effervesce. Even with a gentle pour the head dominated, an off-white ice berg sculpture towers 3 fingers high with a rock solid retention rate. Spongy dabs of modest coverage coats the glass for lace. Clarity becomes more dense with subsequent pours.

S: Even on the pour the raspberries were strongly evident, sweet and sugary with an almost fruit juice like aroma.

T: The flavor starts out sweet and sugary, quickly turning to a slight tartness of raspberries. The flavor appears very natural, nicely balanced with fruity tones and a low hop profile letting the natural raspberries shine. As a saison, better then average, as a fruit beer, good.

M: Active mouthful, bubbly carbonation. Nice slick feel of raspberry juice that was sweet upfront and tart on the swallow.

O: Not a fan of fruit beers, but if your gonna make one a saison style seems the way to go. While it loses something in translation saison wise, as a fruit flavored beer it works without being girlie or overbearing. Better then average consumption rate.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 00:01:35 | More by beerthulhu

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

My local trader, tone77, and I did another pick-up/drop-off the other day and this time our roles were reversed - I dropped off while he was at work. More bottles for me to keep the numbers aligned with The CANQuest (TM). So be it!

From the bottle: "Saison ale brewed with 100% natural raspberry juice".

My pour resulted in just better than a finger of foamy, cotton candy pink head with decent retention. Color was a hazy pinkish-amber. Nose was ... well, you had better like raspberries going into this one! This smelled like my late paternal grandmother's backyard raspberry patch! I poured a lot of this during the early-Spring Taste of PA fest and I can tell you, it is a real hit with a specific audience. A real panty peeler, if you get my drift. Mouthfeel was thick and full with a blast of raspberry tartness on the tongue. Finish was equally tart and highly refreshing. This would be an excellent beer for the summer, ABV notwithstanding.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 09:52:24 | More by woodychandler

Thanby

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy golden-sienna with a thick off-white head that laces and has a very slight purple color to it.

The nose had a solid amount of fresh raspberry, but it's not syrupy or overpowering like most fruit beers. A nice, light roasted caramel body comes through and ultimately has a dry note at the end.

First taste is a bit tart and slightly metallic. The body isn't as thick as I expected, but crisp and fresh. Some distinct malts are present, and I'm guessing the hops are citrusy enough that they get lost in the raspberry taste that surrounds everything.

Light body, very crisp and refreshing, lingering tartness. Overall a very nice refreshing and not overpowering (thankfully) raspberry beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 02:28:32 | More by Thanby

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle. Has a light brown color with pinkish hues and a 1/2 inch head. Smell is big on raspberries. Taste is also a bit heavy on the raspberry, a bit sourish, some lemon and hops are present. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall makes for an interesting and decent brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 15:14:55 | More by tone77

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

2.78/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into tulip

Pours a clouded auburn with a huge white head. Fades into cloudy film with plenty of lacing on the glass.

Some scents of wheat and caramel drizzled bread, but quickly dominated by raspberries from top to bottom in fairly overpowering fashion.

Bitter hops up front with bready malt and burnt crust. Tons of raspberries with juice and hops. Everything seems to clash together with fruit and malt, although the end result seems pretty tough right now. Finishes sweet, dry, and hoppy.

Medium body, higher carbonation, sticky and lingering on the tongue. Drinks okay, but definitely not something I'd get again.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 04:47:57 | More by xnicknj