Session Ale #23: Monkey GIRL Dunkelweizen
East End Brewing Company

 

It's back! Monkey Boy's long-lost sibling returns. And I'm the lucky beneficiary of this growler, filled yesterday.

A: The dunkelweizen is a darker amber color, clouded to the point of opacity. A large head, big through at least three pours, threatened to overflow. A few stray legs resulted.

S: Caramel and bread stand out, the darker side of this dunkel. Following the caramel, weizenbier sweetness ekes out, adding a mild banana and clove element. When cold, the caramel is overwhelming. As it warms, the clove slows replaces it.

T: More bready caramel. Wheat steps in almost immediately, adding a light tartness that seems at odds with the caramel. Clove, a dark anise-like bite, adds a needed dose of sweetness. A dash of bubblegum sweetness follows the clove, although that clove flavor is the winner. It's aniseedy taste overpowers even the caramel start. The finish brings the wheat back, a dry aspect that leaves plenty of tartness behind.

M: The mouthfeel is deceiving, striking out as a caramel-based ale until the wheat and clove come swooping in. Nice to have such a wheat-forward finish.

Currently rotating within the Scott Smith line of wheat ales released recently. This one pours a muddled amber with a thicket of tan head forming thick. Aroma has hints of raisin green apple but more clove/spiced side of the wheat beer spectrum not as dark as some of the dunkel weisse beers around this one has more of an amber color. Smells great banana clove as hinted above the yeast notes are working overtime. Flavor breadiness hints of fruit in combonations, I really enjoy this offering it's so sessionable homebrew feel in a good way. After all Scott never claimed to be anything more than a homebrewer gone wild, not as exciting as the Girl's Gone Wild series but for us beer geeks it gets our fixes compensated. Mouthfeel well carbonated not overdone extremely chuggable watch out you'll fall into a session with a few pints but don't be scared it's around 4.5 this year I believe. Overall experience is more than positive had two pints a Bocktown while visiting for lunch and ran into a fellow BA and old friend I used to work with growing up.

64 oz brewery filled growler into an oversized mug.

Pours a deep ruddy amber brown, with a finger of off-white foamy head. Retains with some thin fizzy bunching around the edges that leaves a decent amount of spotty foam down the sides of the mug. The aroma is mostly sweet and sticky, with crisp bread and ripe fruit being encompassed in some dark feeling roastiness, earthy hops, and spicy clove, which all combine to give this a deep twang in the nose.

The taste mirrors the aroma, being sticky sweet and roasty on the tongue with dark wheat, fruit (banana is really coming out here as well as a little orange), some earthy hops, and spicy clove pulling up the rear. Spicy dryness and leftover fruit lingers in the finish and stays stays mostly earthy and tangy throughout the entire profile. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a sharp creaminess that stays crisp on the tongue at first but then fans out into a smooth creamy flush across the back of the palate as you swallow. Solid feel here that keeps this very drinkable.

This was a solid take on a Dunkelweizen from East End, that while maybe a little hoppier than I would have expected, still posessed all of the delicious bready wheat, bananas, and clove flavor that I would expect from the style. Nicely done.

Dark brown with a wispy white head. Taste is malty, chocolate banana and clove. Not much unlike the franziskaner dunkel . Cola like carbonation. Lightly bitter. Medium bodied and easy drinking. Light on hops. Good beer once again from east end brewing

A dark brown body with orangish hues around the edges. About two fingers of off-white head with pretty good retention; leaves a little bit of lacing behind on my glass.

The smell has some slight roasted character, lots of sweetness, some wheat twang, and a good peppery aroma.

Right from the first sip I found myself impressed with this one. It reminds me a lot of the Monkey boy Hefeweizen in a lot of ways, but it is definitely different in a lot of ways too. Along with a wheat twang comes a slightly toasted malt flavor. There is both a peppery, coriander like flavor and also another spicy flavor. It tastes a little like a mild addition of anise, but I cannot put my finger on exactly what it is.

Medium bodied with a medium mouthfeel, sufficient.

Pretty drinkable. East End makes great beers in general, and also great wheat beers. This one is no exception.