Monkey Wrench Strong Ale
Daleside Brewery

Monkey Wrench Strong AleMonkey Wrench Strong Ale
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From:
Daleside Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Strong Ale
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 7.03%
Reviews:
59
Ratings:
70
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 03, 2021
Added:
Apr 01, 2003
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Rated: 4.47 by Daneve76 from Australia

Jun 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by jakea from Wisconsin

Mar 03, 2016
Photo of Andrewharemza
Reviewed by Andrewharemza from Australia

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
Photo of brentk56
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
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, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by buzzy from Pennsylvania

Dec 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 07, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 09, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by DarrellK from Florida

Sep 13, 2012
Photo of BlackHaddock
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England

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, 2012
Photo of Blueribbon666
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
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, 2012
 
 
Rated: 4 by LJWalker from Indiana

Feb 01, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Doppelbockulus from Florida

Jan 27, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Nov 28, 2011
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

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, 2011
Photo of shanblur
Reviewed by shanblur from Indiana

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, 2011
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

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, 2011
Photo of Brenden
Reviewed by Brenden from Ohio

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
There's an interesting blurb about a monkey who faced injustice in olden days. This beer is dedicated to the memory of said moneky and to monkeys everywhere.

This beer is a dark brown color with some red filling out the body. A creamy light tan head is compact. After it dissipates, it leaves a tight foam that sticks some good lacing around.
The aroma is light and, while good, takes a little bit of effort to draw out. What I do get is some toasted malts with a caramel touch and a nice, earthy smell.
A bit more comes out in the flavor, especially as it warms, drawing out particularly a bit of toffee sweetness, a touch of licorice, and a light but steady hops and malts balance. A touch of very soft (white) fruits sits underneath, and there's a bite of something peppery as well just nipping the tongue.
The body is a light medium, a fair balance of crisp and smooth without being particularly either. Not bad, but not terribly interesting.
i've never seen this beer on shelves in Toledo, so I was glad to have a chance to try it at the One 2 Lounge in Sylvania Friday night.
Apr 04, 2011
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.77/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
"1998 Cask Ale Winner". Good to know, but it's a moot point when I'm drinking it from a 500 ml bottle. The label also recommends serving at 54°F; that I can control. On to the beer:

Light brown color, almost amber. The head develops an inch thick, then drops to a ring of whte lace. The aroma brings an interesting collection of baker's chocolate, soft yeast, and notes of banana.

It's tasty. It brings a nutty flavor and the sweetness you'd find in a raisin. As I go along further, I'm getting a cola flavor. Tea-like hops in the back. It has a lighter mouthfeel than expected, probably because the "strong" labeling of this beer has me expecting a richer sense. Carbonation is low, and the beer itself is easy to approach.

It feels good to get away from the hops after a pint of Monkey Wrench. Imagine what the high definition version (cask) would yield.
Jan 19, 2011
Monkey Wrench Strong Ale from Daleside Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 70 ratings