Wheat Monkey - Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

Augustiner719

Connecticut

1.38/5  rDev -56.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

poured from a 12 oz bottle into a wheat beer glass:

Pours a very light, very clear orange yellow color, similar to bud light. Has basically no head and terrible retention. This is a poor effort so far. The aroma is muted, really just has a touch of light peach fruit, maybe some artificial sugar. The taste is really terrible. Has a budweiser corn taste to it that is gross. Almost tastes like keystone light that you threw up. Has the gross stomach acid taste to it. Might be the worst tasting beer i have had to date. I actually prefer warm keystone light to this. Mouthfeel is gross. too flat, too light, too bland and way to off for a wheat beer. Drinkability is not good either. Highest score in this category because its light and low abv, other than that you need to aviod this fucker.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 01:24:19 | More by Augustiner719

Winter

Wisconsin

2.3/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a murky yellow with a short-lived white head. Aroma consists of a cereal-like wheat malt, with feint hints of sour lemon and banana. Mouthfeel is medium in body and the heavy carbonation is sharp on the tongue. The taste is not appealing at all. Opens up with a bland wheat malt taste that lingers throughout. Some tart lemon appears midway with a tiny bit of hop bitterness. Finish is sour. Overall, not quite what I was expecting. I can't even say this is a good summer thirst quencher. With so many other options for this time of year, Lakefront's newest release falls short.

The best part about this beer is the purple cartoon monkey on the packaging. With a name like "Wheat Monkey" I was expecting it to taste more like a hefeweiss with some banana flavor from the yeast. Of course, this isn't a hefeweiss at all, and it clearly states so with "Wheat Ale" printed on the package. That's disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2009 02:12:35 | More by Winter

jrallen34

Illinois

2.33/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12oz bottle into my Rochefort glass.

Pours a light honey gold, one finger of white head, gone quickly with a filmy residue. Medium lacing...The aroma is super light and boring, only tiny aroma I get is a little skunked wheat...The taste is just as bad as the aroma, super light wheat, but plain with lots of skunk, light feel, not easy to drink.

Overall, this is terrible. Maybe a good beginner beer but nothing for even a moderately experienced craft drinker.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 22:15:25 | More by jrallen34

beagle75

Iowa

2.43/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a becker glass.

A: Hazy, light golden color with one finger of white foam head. Heavy ropey lacing remains on the glass and bubbles lazily climb throughout the column.

S: Mild wheat, faint herbaceous hops that seem a bit stale, and scatter-shot carbon dioxide that disrupts other qualities.

T: Begins dry, with immediate carbonic acidity that is pungent and dominating throughout the first act. The middle sees acidity that is slow to recede, exposing neutral malt that is unremarkable until a whiff of crusty wheat joins later. The finish also yields some faint bubble gum esters but no detectable bitterness.

M: Thin viscosity, wet and slightly acidic on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This wheat beer is likely to disappear completely amongst others of its style, with no distinguishing or particularly attractive features to set it apart. The harsh acidity that dominates its flavor profile volunteers some palate-scrubbing features, but ultimately goes overboard in its intensity. It lacks artful qualities, instead putting far too much emphasis on apology.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 00:26:05 | More by beagle75

tone77

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy golden color with a small head. Smell is of sour lemons. Tastes like it smells, sour lemons and not much else, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and is not very drinkable. Overall not a beer I would recomend.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 14:25:14 | More by tone77

KAdams

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Appearance - Pale yellow with some cloudiness. Weak white head that fizzles to nothing pretty quickly and minimal lacing.

Smell - Fruity and sweet with a good amount of wheat.

Taste - A little bitter because of the fruit (definitely lemons, maybe some other stuff in there too). Wheat takes a back seat to the bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Light and watery.

Drinkability - Meh. There are much better wheats out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 21:36:32 | More by KAdams

brdc

Wisconsin

2.53/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Fromt the sampler pack. Small capped bottle poured into a pilsner glass.

Light yellow colored, with a large white head that shows no retention, with minimal lacing.
Aroma is some wheat, faint cookie and cinnamon. Really faint. Very light, with minimal cookie and wheat taste. Very limited.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 01:50:05 | More by brdc

Strix

Wisconsin

2.55/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Cloudy golden.

Smell is grainy, with slight bready yeasty citrus notes.

Taste is a bit grainy, and very light. There were some citrus notes and some vague yeast, but overall pretty lacking in flavor.

Mouthfeel was pretty thin and weak.

Sorry to say, this came off pretty weak and uninteresting.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 02:18:46 | More by Strix

TheBigE5

Georgia

2.58/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured very nicely with a great golden hue. Very complex taste that accompanies the standard wheat flavor. Could be a hint of clove. To be honest, it just does not have the refreshing taste and finish that i enjoy about a quality wheat beer. To end on a positive, i enjoyed its unique mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 19:18:21 | More by TheBigE5

soze47

Massachusetts

2.68/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle marked third week of July, 2010 (2 1/2 months old). This is bottle 6/8 that I've tried from a Lakefront Variety pack and by far the weakest yet.

Appearance: Pale, hazy yellow. 2 finger head that went away quickly. Leave a very slight amount of lacing, but it slides down eventually. Not too much carbonation bubble activity on this one.

Aroma: Big wheaty malt off the bat with notes of herbal hops. Mostly a one-note smell.

Taste: Yup, straight wheat taste as the nose suggested with little else. The wheat fades quickly, leaving a trace second for the hops to come to the forefront. Ultimately, this is a quick ride on the palette that fades rather quickly.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body that is slightly crisp, but mostly watery.

Drinkability: Nothing offensive tasting that would prevent me from having another, but the watery flavor would most likely lead me to another session option.

Overall: As I said above, this is the weakest Lakefront offering I've had. Also, this style can vary dramatically, but there are way too many other great American Pale Wheats out there for me to ever come back to this one specifically.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 00:00:25 | More by soze47

CaptainIPA

Wisconsin

2.68/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a hazed pale golden color with a modest white head that fades to lacing. Active carbonation.

Aromas of wheat malt and citrus. Opens with modest pale and wheat malt flavors and a subtle snap of lemon citrus. Yeast edge surfaces with suggestions of orange peel and an ever-so-slight hint of coriander. Light bodied with expressive carbonation.
Finishes somewhat dry.

Unremarkable in both character and complexity; reserve for a summer "lawnmower pounder" at best.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 03:58:17 | More by CaptainIPA

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Devil's Backbone weizen glass.

Generally, I prefer Jethro Tull's "Steel Monkey", but I'll still give this beer a shot. It pours a clear somewhat pale straw topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises wheat and sweet flowers, both of which come through rather meekly. The taste converts the wheat into corn and sweetens things up decidedly. The flowers still come through, though, meek as ever. The body is a hefty-leaning light, with a light moderate carbonation and a wet feel. Overall, a kind of sad PWA, really one-dimensional in the wrong direction.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 23:43:08 | More by TMoney2591

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.86/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

This poured out as a very pale and clear looking light yellow color. The head was white with hardly any retention and no lacing at all. The smell of the beer is sweet with grain, some wheat and corn. The taste is similar to the nose here on this, the sweetness is there as well as the corn and a subtle breadiness also. The mouthfeel is very light, modestly carbonated and kind of watery. Overall the beer is decent but nothing something I would need to have again.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 02:56:41 | More by Knapp85

riversider76

New York

2.88/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a light golden with way too much head. Decent lacing when the head finally disappeared. Nose is grassy,with hints of lemon...Something not quite right.Body is light and carbonated, but dry, not crisp Taste is grainy, with some hints of fruit. tart finish. Barley average. Don't go out of your way....

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 23:57:49 | More by riversider76

Wisconsinality

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

12oz bottle poured into standard pint.

A- Pours a minimal half finger worth of head that recedes quickly and leaves no lacing behind. Slightly hazy due to the bottle being shook up by me.

S- Big hint of wheat, hops and a small amount of malt. Not really much else going on. Smells just a tad stale.

T- A big dose of wheat. Good amounts of malt and some floral notes.

M- Lighter bodied with a fair amount of carbonation. Just a slight amount of bitterness which I can't really pick up where it comes from.

D- An average beer that leaves much to be desired. There are much better Lakefront offerings, I suggest you seek them out first.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 02:27:45 | More by Wisconsinality

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

2.9/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I feel that giving this beer an average rating is a bit generous. The cloudy orange color and white cap looked good but the almost complete lack carbonation seemed peculiar. The aroma had some orange and lemon on top of the wheat which was light. The taste was unimpressive, the wheat and citrus seemed thin to the point I could almost taste the water. Thin, we has it. I have had several similar brews that were better examples of the style and just plain more enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 03:20:47 | More by DesMoinesMike

falloutsnow

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle from Hyvee in Omaha, NE
Bottled November 2011
Poured into a Weihenstephaner weizen glass

Lakefront's American Pale Wheat Ale is a fairly generic, light wheat beer designed for easy summer drinking. While it may go down easily, there's nothing particularly memorable or interesting about the beer, its mediocrity for both flavor and style a serious flaw. In one word: boring. I will not seek this out again.

Pours a fluffy 1cm head of fairly small bubbles, white in color. Head recedes to a very thin cap atop the beer throughout my sipping of it. Minimal lacing along the sides. Body is a golden yellow, opaque due to my pouring in of the yeast. Carbonation visible along the sides.

Aroma of faint wheat malt and yeast. Fairly nondescript, have to inhale deeply to discover even this.

Taste is similar to aroma, with wheat malt contributing some flavor and sweetness, tied together with a very mild yeastiness. Again, rather bland, though about average for this style.

Body is medium-light in heft, carbonation is moderate and causes the beer to foam up pleasantly on the palate. Easily drinkable, somewhat watery. Finish is semi-dry.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 01:49:34 | More by falloutsnow

errantnight

California

2.95/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

From my BotM Club.

Pours a hazy pale straw with a hint of orange. No lacing, poor retention.

Aroma is flat. Some cracker from the wheat malt.

On the palate this is thin and insubstantial. Prickly and mineral-y. Some wheat notes and a hint of esters, no hop character to speak of. The definition of a bland, boring APWA.

Eh.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 06:45:58 | More by errantnight

KI9A

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Slightly hazy, yellow. Fair head, dissapated fast.

S: Not much...

T: Same as above. Some cracker, some very light citrus.

M: Very light, fairly refreshing.

D: Meh. This style, "American pale wheat", is not even close to a German wheat. Pretty bland, maybe blander than an American adjunct lager ( BMC).

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2010 22:31:10 | More by KI9A

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.03/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Yellow with a half-inch of white foam that faded quickly leaving no lacing. Faintly wheat and lemongrass nose and taste, however the taste being the weaker of the two. Medium-light body, moderately carbonated. Neither bad nor outstanding. Drinkable, certainly. Overall, another fairly non-descript beer from the 8-sampler pack.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 21:35:18 | More by JackieTH

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Low ABV Summer patio beer with little to separate from the herd. Smells and tastes like a lager with the wheat not very noticeable in the flavours. No real complaints as it does what is made for ( entry level beer for BBQs and parties) but I fail to want to buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 02:12:01 | More by canucklehead

TheSarge

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Nice big fluffy bright white head, and retains decently. The body is bright gold in color with moderate amount of haze.

The aroma is light and arid. A hint of bubblegum and orange peel pretty much sums up the whole thing.

A little watery in the taste. There is a sour metallic flavor with a hint of Juicy Fruit gum.

Thin and crisp in the mouth feel. A good thirst quencher.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 21:27:11 | More by TheSarge

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: A crisp lemon coloring has a brilliant clarity and a dense high rate of effervesce. The head is spongy, a finger high, with a chalk white coloring. Retention is short lived with a clean lacing.

S: Lemon peels and dry wheat are to be had on the nose with a basic complexity and strength. So far average by most expectations.

T: The flavor is malted wheat and oranges, again as basic and vanilla as can be expected per style. Some lemony cascade hops appear later on and upon warming but seems to little to late. Neither strong in character for a wheat, much less a pale wheat with limited hopping and complexity.

M: The mouthful was crisp, one of the few bright points of this drink. Bubbly activity with a light-medium fullness does give a sharp feel on the tongue.

O: Mindless downer, wont give much second thought when consuming nor receive much praise during consumption. A basic wheat meant to delivery basic no thrill results. Manageable for a few.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 22:59:02 | More by beerthulhu

WesWes

New York

3.08/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours a hazy pale gold color with a towering white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is average. It has a dry, musty pale and wheat malt scent along with a horrible yeast aroma. It's bone dry with a touch of citrus. The taste is average as well. It has a light pale and wheat malt flavor along with a dry, citrusy finish. It's not overly tasty or complex and it does have an off-putting musty character. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a low bodied beer with too much carbonation. This is a forgettable wheat beer. It's light, but lacking flavor and is full of flaws.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2010 00:06:12 | More by WesWes

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

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

I tend to enjoy most beers that come from lakefront so this beer has a bit of an edge before it hits my lips. Plus the monkey on the label is awesome.

A: Golden and cloudy like most wheat beers. With a vigorous pour I got an inch of head that dissapated rather quickly.

S: Slightly fruity with a mild wheaty aroma.

T: Heavy biscuit flavor with hints of lemon and a slight hop bite towards the end.

M: Rather weak and limp in the mouth. Not offensive but not what you would expect from a wheat beer.

D: I can see myself polishing off a few of these. I may not pick it up on my own but if I'm at a party and it's available I'd drink it.

Lakefront can do better.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2009 02:48:53 | More by beerwolf77