Monkey Wrench Strong Ale
Daleside Brewery
- From:
- Daleside Brewery
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- English Strong Ale
Ranked #18 - ABV:
- 5.3%
- Score:
- 86
Ranked #24,801 - Avg:
- 3.84 | pDev: 7.03%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 61
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jun 22, 2025
- Added:
- Apr 01, 2003
- Wants:
- 3
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
No description / notes.
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Ratings by DarrellK:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England
3.86/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.86/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
served on cask at this years CAMRA Stockport Beer and cider festival
Pours a nice brown body with good off white head
Aroma is Nutty and malty
Flavour is molasses and wheat
Jun 22, 2025Pours a nice brown body with good off white head
Aroma is Nutty and malty
Flavour is molasses and wheat
Reviewed by vinicole from England
3.77/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Cask. Sparkler used. Darkish chestnut with a creamy head. Lacing to the base.
A lightly roasted malt aroma with distant hop.
Sweet initially and then a charred bitterness to follow. Some toffee and toast.
Cask conditioned feel. Medium to full bodied.
A nice finish to Spring this year.
Apr 26, 2025A lightly roasted malt aroma with distant hop.
Sweet initially and then a charred bitterness to follow. Some toffee and toast.
Cask conditioned feel. Medium to full bodied.
A nice finish to Spring this year.
Reviewed by Andrewharemza from Australia
3.28/5 rDev -14.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.28/5 rDev -14.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Nutty brown. Beige head. Fine aroma of dark caramel toffee, Similar taste and aftertaste. Complex and good. Watery and maybe metallic.worth a try if you can get it.
Jul 04, 2015
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina
3.54/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.54/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours a hazy chestnut brown color with a modest head that leaves dots of lacing
Smell: Brown bread, toffee, tea and banana
Taste: Brown bread and toffee, up front, with developing banana and dried apple tones; tea-like hop flavors arrive in the middle, but the finish is very malty
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Overall: The problem with these English beers is that the are over-priced and un-dated so they sit around on the shelf for years at end and oxidize; that seems to be the case here and I expect a fresher sample would be much more enjoyable, particularly on cask
Jun 12, 2015Smell: Brown bread, toffee, tea and banana
Taste: Brown bread and toffee, up front, with developing banana and dried apple tones; tea-like hop flavors arrive in the middle, but the finish is very malty
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Overall: The problem with these English beers is that the are over-priced and un-dated so they sit around on the shelf for years at end and oxidize; that seems to be the case here and I expect a fresher sample would be much more enjoyable, particularly on cask
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England
3.85/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.85/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Hand pulled pint at a Spoons in Tamworth before a Grimsby Town night match on 27th March 2012.
Ruby/mid-brown coloured brew with an off-white head of closely knit bubbles. Aroma was both malty and fruity.
Taste wise: it was again malty and fruity, a drier hop bitterness comes late on the palate but this is a primary a malty brew. Body depth is good and the alcohol sits well within the whole feel.
Apr 07, 2012Ruby/mid-brown coloured brew with an off-white head of closely knit bubbles. Aroma was both malty and fruity.
Taste wise: it was again malty and fruity, a drier hop bitterness comes late on the palate but this is a primary a malty brew. Body depth is good and the alcohol sits well within the whole feel.
Reviewed by Blueribbon666 from Ohio
4.32/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.32/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Review from notes.
Pours a dark, dusky rich brown into dimpled mug with very little head at all. Smells of malt, biscuit and a bit of hop back in the way back.
Taste/Mouthfeel, wow very good mouthfeel, warm and rich almost like a scotch ale with the bit of sweetness that's evident before a warm, clean finish. The abv seems higher than the 5.3% listed, not that it's boozy but rather warming.
Took a flyer on this single pint while buying other things and went back within a week to get several more as they went down great at a summer pig roast right from the bottle. Love a good hearty English brew especially the darker stuff, where I feel the English stuff really shines. Recommended!
Mar 11, 2012Pours a dark, dusky rich brown into dimpled mug with very little head at all. Smells of malt, biscuit and a bit of hop back in the way back.
Taste/Mouthfeel, wow very good mouthfeel, warm and rich almost like a scotch ale with the bit of sweetness that's evident before a warm, clean finish. The abv seems higher than the 5.3% listed, not that it's boozy but rather warming.
Took a flyer on this single pint while buying other things and went back within a week to get several more as they went down great at a summer pig roast right from the bottle. Love a good hearty English brew especially the darker stuff, where I feel the English stuff really shines. Recommended!
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia
4.08/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear dark copper colour with some yeast buildup visible. Smooth, creamy, light tan head.
Rich, malty aroma with plenty of vibrant yeast esters. Nice nutty caramel note.
Rounded, toffee malt with some biscuit and bread. Solid fruit character with additional burnished toffee and some earthy hops. Really good.
Medium body with moderate carbonation. Dry finish.
A classic English ale with lots of big maltiness and great esters. The light hop character adds a nice dry finish. Very good.
Oct 16, 2011Rich, malty aroma with plenty of vibrant yeast esters. Nice nutty caramel note.
Rounded, toffee malt with some biscuit and bread. Solid fruit character with additional burnished toffee and some earthy hops. Really good.
Medium body with moderate carbonation. Dry finish.
A classic English ale with lots of big maltiness and great esters. The light hop character adds a nice dry finish. Very good.
Reviewed by shanblur from Indiana
3.55/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
3.55/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
No freshness date. Poured from 500cc bottle into a pint glass.
A - Mahogany colored with a minimal off white head which leaves minimal lacing. Multiple floaties in the glass.
S - Raisin, caramel, toffee and dark fruits.
T - Similar to the smell, with the addition of bready malts. Faint hops.
M - A bit thin and watery.
Not a bad beer. Could have been a little denser. I also prefer my strong ales to be stronger in the ABV.
Sep 06, 2011A - Mahogany colored with a minimal off white head which leaves minimal lacing. Multiple floaties in the glass.
S - Raisin, caramel, toffee and dark fruits.
T - Similar to the smell, with the addition of bready malts. Faint hops.
M - A bit thin and watery.
Not a bad beer. Could have been a little denser. I also prefer my strong ales to be stronger in the ABV.
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia
4.07/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
4.07/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Purchase from Sackville Cellars in Rozelle, an oft forgotten little Sydney bottleshop that can have some interestingly overlooked beers.
Pours a hazed and deep red-brown mahogany hue, almost ruby in the light, with a fine and full head of off-white. Lacing is firm and strong, leaving wonderful cascades down the inside of the glass. Body is a bit thin, but the carbonation, such as it is, is rather fine and pleasant. Looks good.
Nose is wonderful—gorgeous melange of chocolate malts giving a dry cacao character, with a big dollop of gooey English blackberries. It's all dark, but fresh and surprisingly crisp. Lovely nose.
Slightly thinner on the palate, with a roasted cacao flavour dominant, along with a green berry-leaf rustic roughness. Blackberry overtones come in late again, with a lingering huskiness. It doesn't manage to fulfill every facet of the tongue, but it's tasty.
A nice beer, and a slightly more elaborate one than you often get from a British brewery. While I appreciate a really good mild English ale every now and then, I'd prefer one like this with just that little bit more oomph.
May 19, 2011Pours a hazed and deep red-brown mahogany hue, almost ruby in the light, with a fine and full head of off-white. Lacing is firm and strong, leaving wonderful cascades down the inside of the glass. Body is a bit thin, but the carbonation, such as it is, is rather fine and pleasant. Looks good.
Nose is wonderful—gorgeous melange of chocolate malts giving a dry cacao character, with a big dollop of gooey English blackberries. It's all dark, but fresh and surprisingly crisp. Lovely nose.
Slightly thinner on the palate, with a roasted cacao flavour dominant, along with a green berry-leaf rustic roughness. Blackberry overtones come in late again, with a lingering huskiness. It doesn't manage to fulfill every facet of the tongue, but it's tasty.
A nice beer, and a slightly more elaborate one than you often get from a British brewery. While I appreciate a really good mild English ale every now and then, I'd prefer one like this with just that little bit more oomph.
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