Monkey Wrench Saison - Bethlehem Brew Works

magine

Pennsylvania

3.44/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poure into a Duvel glass.

Pours a cloudy golden orange, no head no lace. Not the best looks.

Brew smells of spicy yeasts, corriander and belgian fruits. Good nose.

Brew tastes pretty good; spicy and yeasts along with the corriander. A good tasting brew, just not a top tier saison. Its pretty good.

A little dissapointed with this one. Its pretty good, just not something to seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 03:03:01 | More by magine

mactrail

California

3.58/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big foam-up after popping the cork. Lots of suds and a very nice sprizzly mouthfeel. Hazy light amber in the tall Petrus glass. Quite rich on the tongue with loads of carbonation.

Flavors are tangy but slight. Yeasty, but not much hint of the Belgian flavors. Faintly fruity, grassy, a little touch of applejack. Wheaty like a Weisse, and slightly citrusy like a Wit. Has a kick at the end, not so much bitter, neither hops nor the Belgian stuff.

A pleasant quaff but not much for a Saison. More like a wandering and boozy version of a Wit. From the big bottle bought at Old Philly Ale House for $11.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 04:46:06 | More by mactrail

metter98

New York

3.18/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: The beer is clear dark golden yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that died down but consistently left a thin head covering the surface.
S: The aroma isn’t that strong and has hints of spices.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but isn’t quite as spicy and also has some hints of grainy malts.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a high amount of carbonation along with a bit of dryness in the finish.
O: This beer feels lighter bodied compared to other saisons and also has a weaker taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 12:21:31 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a crystal clear dark golden yellow (heading towards orange) in color. The beer has a two finger tall white head that reduces to a thin layer covering the entire surface of the beer with a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Significant lacing is observed.

S: The overall smell is quite mild for this beer, there are definitely some hints of spices along with just a light note of brett-like funkiness. Also there is a hint of honey sweetness.

T: The flavor is also quite mild with some hints of light spiciness (maybe coriander). Not much of the funkiness that I would expect for the style. Some sweetness upfront.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation. Dry in the finish.

O: Overall this beer is alright but nothing special and pales in comparison with some of the other saisons I have had recently. Unfortunately both the smell and the taste are a little too mild for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 21:51:54 | More by dbrauneis

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An enormous head on light yellow. Lacey. A little funky, and on the sweet side. Lemoney,honeyish, a soft though average mouthfeel, above average carbonation. Decent drinkability. Would like something a little bolder and tht would be more interesting.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 22:56:16 | More by northyorksammy

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

3.68/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle.

Pours hazy straw with almost all head in the glass. After a slow retreat a rocky head of porous white remained and settled to a solid skim coat with lots of ropey lacing.

Aromatics lead off with honey-drizzeled malt, spice, and loads of phenols. Bannana, bubblegum, cloves, and some cut grass.

Light bodied with a crisp mouthfeel and a sticky edge.

Sweet malt, spice-dusted biscuits, and bannanas start the palate. A mild bitterness steps forward with cloves and bubblegum following through.

Finishes a bit sweet with plenty of Belgiany phenols.

Tasty, but a bit ho-hum and certainly not dry enough for the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 23:34:51 | More by brewandbbq

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at Quotations, Media, PA

Kinda confused while reading some other reviews on this...either the recipe changed or this was mislabeled at the bar (possible since the Quotations staff doesn't exactly seem 100% on the ball). This was listed specifically as a raspberry saison, and that's definitely what it tasted like, though not many reviewers seem to be gleaning that from their respective sessions. Well...I'll just review it as it came to me.

Poured into a pint glass, a hazy, hazel brown with ruby tints, and a small head that receded to almost naught. Aroma was not too strong, but contained raspberry, toasted grains, and was slightly metallic, almost like a witbier. Raspberry up front in the taste, but not too overpowering; a leafy bitterness and a bit of musky hay follows soon after, providing some sense of balance, so that it doesn't come off too sweet. Light-medium mouthfeel, pretty mild, with a somewhat bland aftertaste, but still decent overall.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2011 11:13:45 | More by Rifugium

JerseyKirk

New Jersey

2.35/5  rDev -32.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A: Looked great. Poured a huge super carbonated white head. Unfiltered pale gold color.

S: Just ok...no Belgian yeast flavors that I love.

T: Alcohol city. It's boozy quality ruins this beer. I'm down with high alcohol beers but this ruins the palate cleansing qualities of saisons.

M: Highly carbed but just ok body.

O: Will never get again. I love saisons...this is not a good one.

Paired with Thai Curry Chicken and Thai Basil Beef.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 00:17:06 | More by JerseyKirk

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This brew pours out as a hazy golden color with a fluffy white head. The smell of the beer has a spicy yeasty aroma, there wasn't much of a funk or anything to it. The taste was good at first, as it warmed up it started getting very strange. It started showing some funky elements which I wasn't a fan of. The mouthfeel was pretty good, overall it started off well but by the end I wasn't really into it. The Raspberry Space Monkey was better.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 21:46:36 | More by Knapp85

OddNotion

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up on a complete whim, looked kind of interesting. Lets see.

Poured into my Fantome Tulip.

Appearance: Pours a reddish, golden, orange. Minimal head which is a little unexpected for a saison. Not bottle conditioned. Quite active bubbling.

Smell: A lot of raspberry upfront with the saison in the background playing a secondary role. The raspberry is almost medicinal in smell, not quite, but almost.

Taste: Very very sweet, all I taste is raspberries. I could see this being a huge hit with non craft drinkers and more down the path of those who like wine coolers. Honestly the raspberry is all that is there. I am not offended by it, but it seems there is no real beer flavor. More like a desert. While it is cold there is a good amount of metallic flavor.

Mouthfeel: Nice and light and bubbly, good for the style.

Overall: Nothing special but as I said I feel this is something for those who do not like beer. Maybe a good thing to show someone who is not in to beer but you want to show that it can be more than that colorless odorless BMC. If the underlying saison stood out more and the raspberry took more of a back seat this could be a very interesting beer. At this point it is more like raspberry juice.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 18:57:45 | More by OddNotion

Gavage

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a hazy yellowish orange color with a 3" head that hangs around while the glass gets emptied.

Smell: lemon and spices are pleasant on the nose.

Taste: wheat, banana, coriander, lemon zest, tart green apples, and a bit of late arriving funk makes this a decent saison. Bitternss is mild.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Very crisp throughout. Aftertaste is short.

Overall: easily drinkable, this saison goes down quickly in the bomber bottle. Decent flavors keeps it interesting. Worthy of a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 18:39:46 | More by Gavage

mattgreger

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer of the Night - Bethlehem Brew Works - Monkey Wrench Saison Ale - Saison/Farmhouse Ale - 7.00% ABV

Picked up at Wegmans Beer Store - Collegeville PA

The pour on this brew was suprising impressive. It had a hazy, golden yellow color that had a decent degree of carbonation. I had an amazingly huge, white head that lasted throughout the brew. It has some great sticky lacing that followed down glass.

This brew was had a decent aroma as well. It had some great yeast, and a nice grainly/grassy aroma as well. I can detect some nice fruit aromas too. At the end, as the brew has warmed, there was a touch of sweet caramel as well.

The flavor of the brew is goo as well. It has a nice yeasty flavor. As the brew warms, it has a funkiness, as someone else put it. Its good, its got a nice sweet flavor as the fruits come forward, but then it balances out, with a bit of a hop bitterness. There is also that touch of grainy/grass flavors as well.

This was a nice crisp brew. It has a nice carbonation for medium bodied brew. Its something I enjoyed greatly

Might not be the best respresenation of the style, but still a great brew overall, by Brew Works, and once again, I will continue to try other brews by this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 03:52:49 | More by mattgreger

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at Al's of Hamdpen in Enola, PA-served in a cervoise.

A creamy light golden color with slight medium amber accents, thick cap of white with visible carbonation and tight bead w/ lace that sticks ok. The smell is very belgian yeast driven with some fruit which has a banana odor nd lemon notes with slight pepper and toasted honey aroma. the feel is very good with big body and lively carbonation w/ moderate high effervescent presence w/ slight creamy texture and very dry slightly fruity finish.

The taste is good with slight bread and banana with a mild pepper accent and a goodly amount of citrus rind w/ the belgian yeastiness continuing throughout and slight creamy backdrop is created with mild bitter/dry finish. I was happy to try this and overall it is a tasty saison which is well brewed with slight belgian yeast flavor and subtle dry malt w/ some yeast, it is drinkable and overall solid.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2011 17:07:08 | More by Slatetank

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #47 (Dec 2010):

Very expressive pop of the cork leads to a tower of foam from a gentle pouring; hazed, pale golden color. Smells of salt-water taffy, lychee nuts and sun-burnt grass. Epic crispness, this is the kind of carbonation you want to see ... snappy with a bite. Very dry palate. Dry grassy grain and wild herb flavors mingle well in the beginning. Faint raw honey, white tea, light biscuit graininess and a chalky yeast are the core flavors here. Spicy herbal back end wraps up the bone-dry finish. Pretty complex and somewhat drinkable, and certainly within the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 23:15:39 | More by BeerAdvocate

rdub

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +24.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I must love saison's because this brew was fantastic except for the flaws I describe. The cork almost went through my ceiling. The fluffy white head was awesome but the color was a bit weird. Taste and aroma was kind of funky and very "Belgian". I loved the carbonation and mouthfeel. The 750 was gone in no time so the drinkability was there. Is it the best saison? No. Is it fun to drink and pretty tasty, yes.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 03:42:26 | More by rdub

zeff80

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a slightly cloudy, golden yellow color with tons of carbonation (maybe too much). It had a huge white head of bubbly foam that took quite awhile to recede.

S - It smelled of yeast, grains, caramel and some fruity aromas.

T - Good flavor - yeasty with a little funkiness, sweet caramel and grains. Just a touch of hop bitterness.

M - It was very crisp and sharp. Again, it was a little over carbonated. A medium bodied ale.

D - This is an okay saison.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2010 01:13:53 | More by zeff80

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appears a transparent light gold wth a 3 finger white head that quickly fizzles out. Tiny bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of subtle funk, mild cork, rubber, juicy fruit gum, vanilla, cloves, and grains of paradise.
Taste is of the aromas with an obvious Dupont yeast nod. Phenolic with spicy bubblegum and wheat standing out amongst the flavors.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, spritzy, earthy, mineral filled, a bit syrupy, and semi dry.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 02:01:59 | More by weeare138

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.38/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle. My experience with the draft version was sub optimal, let's see if this any better. First I nearly put am eye out with the cork suggesting this will fare better with carbonation than draft. Appearance is adequate for a saison, cloudy pale gold with a large fizzy white head that has nice retention. Aroma is strong spicy and sweet. Flavor fares a liitle better than draft with a stronger yeasty spicy body with sweet citrus and malt flavors quickly scrubbed away by extremely over active carbonation. Finish lingers with a slightly unpleasant wheat and grain taste yet however. Better than the draft version, yet still an average saison at best.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2010 00:18:09 | More by yourefragile

akorsak

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A half a tulip at TJ's (the keg kicked).

A: The saison is golden, clear, clearer than even a saison should be. The clear body makes it very bright. A finger of white head lasted for 3/4th of the glass.

S: The nose is very musty, chalky even, in its yeastiness. There aren't many other spices that stand out.

T: The saison is a little spicier based on my first sip. The yeastiness is still prevalent, creating the powdery musty flavor that the ale can't shake. Peppery spices and sweeter sugars do hang around but they aren't the centerpiece of the ale, they just can't shake the chalkiness.

M: The mouthfeel struggles to get started, chalky and musty and all.

D: Meh. It might work in a pinch but otherwise I wouldn't reach for one. There isn't enough saison-ness to stand out in a crowded field.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2010 01:50:13 | More by akorsak