Wooden Nickel 5th Anniversary Saison
East End Brewing Company

Wooden Nickel 5th Anniversary SaisonWooden Nickel 5th Anniversary Saison
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From:
East End Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
83
Avg:
3.63 | pDev: 15.15%
Reviews:
25
Ratings:
29
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 26, 2014
Added:
Mar 07, 2010
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Hojaminbag:
Photo of Hojaminbag
Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
The body of East End's Wooden Nickel Saison is a hazy orange with just a touch of sediment in it. The white head is thick but lacks great retention. It does manage to leave a few scraps of lacing behind though.

The aroma has a lot going on. A faint hint of hop bitterness, yeasty citrus fruits, anise, coriander and a good kick of funky saison yeast.

Wooden Nickel's flavor delivers a pretty good blend of everything I picked up in the aroma. Orange and lemon are especially noticeable, as is the slightly musty, funky saison yeast that is my favorite aspect about this beer. Orange and orange peel are probably the strongest flavor in Wooden Nickel. The hop bitterness is extremely slight, and it mixes nicely with coriander and anise. Both the coriander and anise are light, and only provide a little bit of depth to this beer. In other words, if you don't like anise don't worry.

The carbonation on this one was pretty high for me, but probably only moderate for a saison. The body is a little bit heavier than I expected also.

Wooden Nickel is very drinkable, which is a good thing considering the fact that it comes in a giant flip top bottle. This is a good, complex saison. Another successful brew from East End; I would love to try a barrel-aged version.
Apr 10, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by etrenty from District of Columbia

Jun 26, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Jan 10, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by vande from Illinois

Apr 14, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Exiled from Texas

Dec 08, 2011
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

3.97/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Another bottle courtesy of Deuane.

A - Pours slightly hazy golden yellow with a nice one finger tall white head leaving spotty lacing down the glass.

S - Smells of dry; chewy; yeast, lemons, oranges, light barn yard funk, and some light peppery spice. Pretty good so far.

T - Flavors are pretty similar to the nose. Starts off with some chewy yeast slowly giving way to a mix of light fruitiness; mostly lemon and orange; light funk, and some peppery spice. This one dries the pallet out pretty quickly. The finish is a mix of chewiness and light spice, lingering for a short period of time.

M - Medium-Light body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Spicy, dry, feel with plenty of it lingering through the finish.

O - Pretty good. I didn't notice any carbonation problems in this bottle like others mentioned. It still had plenty of flavor and it tasted pretty good.
Aug 10, 2011
Photo of yourefragile
Reviewed by yourefragile from District of Columbia

3.43/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
1L swingtop bottle shared recently.

Pours a hazed golden orange with a frothy bright white head. No carbonation issues apparent. Aroma is fruiter than expected, mildly tart, lemon zest, citrus, etc. Mild grassy hops and bready malt with expected Belgian yeast. Flavor is refreshing and crisp but overall boring. Fruit and tangy citrus dominate with a light tart presence in the finish. Fruit is dominating any other spice or yeast flavors. Doesn't taste so much like a traditional saison as more of a generic Belgian style ale. Thick bodied with mild carbonation. Refreshing, flavorful and no real offensive notes; but not a great example of a saison.
Apr 27, 2011
Photo of Huhzubendah
Reviewed by Huhzubendah from District of Columbia

3.42/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
1L Bottle shared at a tasting today.

The appearance is hazy and light orange hued. The beer appears a but lifeless and still in the glass, with virtually no head or lacing. The aroma brings scents of slightly musty citrus and alcohol. Flavor is ok. I find it a bit bland, especially in the finish. Slightly undercarbonated, the feel is average. Overall, a mediocre brew. At least it comes in a giant vessel.
Apr 17, 2011
Photo of nhindian
Reviewed by nhindian from Pennsylvania

2.92/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
1L bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

A - At first, it was looking like this beer wouldn't have a carbonation issue, as it quickly built about a 1-finger head (granted, it was a rough pour to help stimulate some of that), but it didn't get any bigger than that and it quickly died down. The body is hazy with a bright, golden orange hue to it. I can't see any carbonation streams rising from the nucleation point, which is a bad sign. There is some lacing, however; thin, wispy strips of foam lay tightly against the glass.

S - The nose on this is very dry, even compared to some other crisp saisons. A decent helping of lemon, orange rind, coriander, and grass come through. Quite Belgian with a good amount of spice to it. This was probably the best aspect of this beer...

T - At first, this beer doesn't taste bad at all. It's a bit heavier than I would've preferred, but it has a tasty flavor full of fruit, spice, and almost bready malt and yeast. But being that it's so heavy, the lack of carbonation is that much more noticeable. The orange, lemon, and coriander especially really needs some carbonation to make it real crisp, but there's nothing here.

M - As such, the mouthfeel takes a big hit here. I'm not sure if the heaviness comes from the beer itself or its lack of carbonation, but it just sits in the mouth and isn't very appetizing. In a saison, I'm looking for an almost biting finish of carbonation; that something extra to make it dry and crisp, but there's an unfortunate absence of this here.

D - The drinkability is low on this beer, which is a shame given the promise that the nose brings. Carbonation is a big, big aspect for saisons, so having this be so flat is a disappointment. One of the few, if only, misses I've had from East End.
Mar 16, 2011
Photo of SpdKilz
Reviewed by SpdKilz from Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
A big thanks to DavoleBomb for this extra. Cheers!

Appearance - Pours into my SA Perfect Pint with a hazy golden orange color...based on reading recent reviews I was afraid this may be flat. My fears were confirmed. Zero head.

Smell - Smells pretty good to be honest. Lemon zest, peppery spices, funk, and breadiness.

Taste - Similar to the nose though I taste a heavy yeasty ester flavor. Coriander, clove, and pepper.

Mouthfeel - Watery, no bubbles, flat.

Drinkability - Obviously not very drinkable for the fact this is 98% flat. I wish I could have tried it in its prime because the smell and taste seem up to par but having no carbonation makes this undrinkable.
Feb 17, 2011
Photo of OWSLEY069
Reviewed by OWSLEY069 from Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a hazy orange-ish color with a small white head. In the aroma, earthy, small fruit, and yeasty notes. In the taste, spicy and earthy, with a pinch of tartness. A spice bite and medium to light bodied mouthfeel, with a dry, small tart yeastiness in the aftertaste. Nice earth and fruitiness, hints of yeasty tartness, although a bit flat.
Feb 12, 2011
Photo of Marty30
Reviewed by Marty30 from Pennsylvania

2.94/5  rDev -19%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
1 Liter flip top bottle bought at the 2010 Gratitude release.served Into a tulip glass taken from fridge and sat at room temp for about 20 mins.

A. A hazy golden straw color with absolutely no head and no carbination,nothing at all. No lacing what so ever.poured very aggresively to try to muster something.

S. Some lemon at first belgian yeast some bready notes also little hint of funk.

T. I taste the lemon upfront and seems like some sour grapes. sweet at first then somewhat bitter at the end.

M. This is what kills this beer for me the most It is just flat with decent medium body not much else to say.

D. Not very drinkable at this point I wish I could have had this fresh. My opinion is that it lost so much being in the bottle its in, wouldnt recommened this.
Feb 06, 2011
Photo of jampics2
Reviewed by jampics2 from Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A big one liter bottle brought to the first Cleveland Beer Advocate tasting by yours truly. This was poured into a tasting glass and consumed at a table set-up in the middle of the Buckeye Brewing Company brewhouse.

What a great place to sample a warehouse saison! The beer looks nice in the glass - it's got a great orangeish yellow hazy body with just a film of head. If the head was better, this would score more like a 4.5 or even 5, as the color and clarity are perfect.

The nose is bright, lively and a touch spicy. There are notes of orange and coriander and even a touch of bubblegum. Pepper and lemon add depth and punctuation, and the grassy hops make this earthy. There's no real funk that I can pick out, but the yeast esters add a lot of depth.

Wooden Nickel is a flavorful beer that just falls short of greatness. The orange and lemon notes set the stage as a tropical base, then the yeasty esters and touch of hops blow up the taste in a great way. There are notes of spicy pepper and coriander, and perhaps a touch of licorice as well. The yeast is spicy and tart without adding any basement or funkiness.

The mouthfeel was the worst part of the experience, as it was a touch flat and almost syrupy. That said, the flavors were great and ended in just a touch of noticeable alcohol coupled with nice spices and lingering citrus. This is an enjoyable saison - I remember loving it at the Gratitude release it was first served at. I wish I had picked up more of this wonderful beer. If the carbonation had held up, this would be in the top 10% of American Saisons. Nice one, Scott!
Nov 23, 2010
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
1 liter flip-top bottle into several glasses.

Pours a hazed apricot, with a smallish head of frothy and bubbly bright-white head. Not a whole lot of retention to the look, as this leaves some very light spotty lacing back here and pretty much goes completely dead looking after a bit. The aroma smells of lots of soft fleshy fruit, spice, sweet bready wheat, and some earthy and grassy hop character. A little bit of light warmth is showing itself in the nose as well.

The taste is a bit more assertive with the hops, with an earthy bitterness that prickles the tongue. A sweet combo of fruit and bready malt gives this some balance between finishing with a dry mix of yeast and spice which completely parches the backend of the profile. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a mellow creaminess to the carbonation. This may start out a little flatter at first but I thought that it expanded out in the mouth well and actually gathered up some sharpness to itself in spots that helped bring those hops out. There is some very light warmth present but any alcohol seems mostly confined to the heft of the body.

This was good, being a well made American Saison with a decent complexity and fairly drinkable nature to it. I will concede that there seemed to be a slight issue with loss of carbonation in the bottle (which was most apparent to me from the look) but I didn't feel that the mouthfeel was as negatively impacted as some others did that I shared the bottle with. I would like to see some variations on this down the road at some point.
Nov 12, 2010
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Reviewed from notes. Picked this bottle up at Capone's.

Pours a moderate orange color with a tiny white head. The nose brings some sweetness and a mild citrus presence. The taste doesn't bring all that much yeast and just has a bit of sweet malt. Some really pale amounts of citrus. Feel is a bit cloying. Drinkability is average, and this doesn't really have all that many characteristics of a good saison.
Nov 10, 2010
Photo of craytonic
Reviewed by craytonic from District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Ruby-orange body with a large head, darker than the normal saison

Smell: Light funk, peach, coriander, clove, lemon, bananas, garden aromas, pepper, yeast, orange with some floral hops

Taste: light funk, coriander, lemon grass, honey, garden herbs, yeast, orange. A bit like a hefeweizen, a bit sweet, and a bit bready.

Mouthfeel: Slightly below-average carbonation, which is good for a saison.

Drinkability: Not sure how big this bottle was but it disappeared. This is a good saison, and a great american saison
Oct 14, 2010
Photo of dpnelson1978
Reviewed by dpnelson1978 from Minnesota

2.46/5  rDev -32.2%
look: 1 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
1L bottle into glass tulip.
45°F

Reviewer's note: I suspect this bottle had a sealing issue. There was very little pop when the swing top was removed, there was virtually no head (a contradiction to other previous reviews), and the mouth is virtually flat, though not completely.

A: Golden body with thick clouds and no head, lacing, or cover. Lots of floating particulate matter as well. Pretty poor really, but this could easily be a carbonation issue due to a defect in the rubber seal.

S: Belgian yeast full of spicy phenols and a noticeable lemon citrus. Hop character is slightly floral, but extremely light. Subdued raisin character on the back end. Complex, but lacking power.

T: Tart lemon citrus without much of the typical lactic twang. Very light grainy backbone, and little to no aftertaste. The flavor isn't bad, but I think the lack of carbonation is affecting the way I taste.

M: Light body, with no carbonation. It was half way there, but the lack of carbonation prevents the crispness I crave.

D: Honestly, even with so many carbonation related defects the beer continues to go down much better than many beers I have tasted. Drinking the entire bottle wasn't a problem.

O: I don't have easy access to this beer, but I will definitely trade for it again. The Illustration Strong Dark Ale was very good, and this one has plenty of promise. I'll update my review when I get another crack at it.
Sep 28, 2010
Photo of Stigs
Reviewed by Stigs from Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
opened this tonight, because it was cold and we had a power outage...split and served in Stone Levitation glasses

A - solid finger of dense, creamy off-white foam settles on top of a very hazy, dark gold colored beer. big layer of sediment in the last two pours.

S - bold fruits, banana and some lemon...yeasty with some sweet esters. touch of grassy hop finish.

T - good balance with an initial fruity banana bite followed by a light spice...what keeps this from heading toward Hefeweizen territory is a very pleasant and sharp grassy hop bite near the end.

M - medium to thickish body, very creamy with that typical EEB "im here, now leave me alone" level of carbonation.

D - well, this has come around a little bit (especially flavor wise) since the release...nice hop bite is still there and the fruits are a bit subdued. pretty yummy, just lacks that refreshing crispness of my favorite saisons.
Sep 23, 2010
Photo of Mora2000
Reviewed by Mora2000 from Texas

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Exiled for sharing this bit 1L bottle.

The beer pours a hazy brownish-yellow color with a white head. The aroma is a mix of yeast, pepper, lemon citrus and coriander. The flavor is pepper, coriander, lemons, oranges and yeast, Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation. An interesting beer, almost like a combination of a saison and wibier. Glad I got to try it.
Sep 07, 2010
Photo of cpetrone84
Reviewed by cpetrone84 from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A-pours a hazy golden yellow color with a thick creamy white head.

S-the nose is big, a little peppery spice to it with a good bit of lemon, banana, and notes of honey. soft sour notes accompanied by a touch of peach.

T-great flavor, well balanced spice with soft golden fruits. good lemon tartness to it with some sweet honey behind.

M-smooth, soft, lighter body, great carbonation level, moderate to strong, holding the body throughout, clean crisp finish with no bite.

D-very tasty and well balanced with a great feel to it. not too spicy but enough to add the complexity you want to see, could use some more of the earthy saison yeast but very tasty brew.
Aug 09, 2010
Wooden Nickel 5th Anniversary Saison from East End Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 29 ratings