East End Monkey Boy

Brewed by East End Brewing Company
Style: German Hefeweizen
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

From growler. I admit that I’m biased towards really good Hefeweizens, and they’re hard to find fresh. Aroma is that of a German wheat, which is not always the case with the style when brewed in the U.S. IMO. Soft yeasty esters, bit of bubblegum and nice banana clove aroma. There’s a good amount of lemony citrus, too, perhaps from the wheat or some acid malt. Mild carbonic gaseousness, too. Light bitter hop smell, but no sulfur which seems to happen a lot with wheats. Golden-yellow cloudy body, with a big creamy-foamy lacing white head that lasts the whole beer. Medium watery body, right for the style, with medium to almost effervescent carbonation - even after 30 hours in the growler. Smooth drinking and goes down easy. Starts with a nice banana-bubblegum sweetness and mild grainy wheat taste. Light to medium acidity, partly from carbonation and a light taste of lemon. Mild clove spicyness with a chalky and chewy finish, with nice mild bitterness that rounds out the banana sweetness perfectly. After is smooth with light bubblegum-clove chalky bitterness and light yeasty character. Awesome Hefeweizen, and probably only the second East End beer my wife really, really enjoyed (she’s not into hops that much). Great job, Scott. Glad I got some before it disappears, and I hope it’ll be back again.

Sampled on draft at the Map Room this beer poured a hazy yellow-golden color with a medium sized white head. The aroma was strong banana and light citrus with a bready undertone. The flavor was tart yet sweet and lightly bitter with strong banana, moderate citrus and a touch of clove. The finish was long with banana and clove. The mouthfeel was fairly thick. Very well done.

On tap at the Pints for Pets Brewfest. Cloudy gold with a thin white head. Smells of banana bread and spices. Thin, bubbly mouthfeel. Spicy, bready sweet taste with strong clove and banana notes. Quite drinkable. I’m not a fan of wheat beers for the most part, but this one was damned tasty. One of the best American wheats I’ve had in a long time.

This was exceptional. Wonderful light aroma of spice and banana. Light yellow with a pillowly head. Flavor was spice and clove. Very light and refreshing

Draft sample at Pints for Pets. Pours hazy yellow with white head. Nose is skunk and banana and spice.. Slightly watery, but good, solid hefe flavor, banana and clove. Great Hefe.

On tap at Six N Save. Pours a slightly cloudy pale straw color with a thick foamy head. Tons of banana in the nose. Some coriander and spicy yeast as well. The flavor was very sweet with cloves and bananas. A decent carbonation to it and an overall pretty creamy mouthfeel. The spice and fruit play nicely together on the palate. This is a pretty solid Hefe.

From a growler, thanks Scott! In the beginning as you pour it from the east end jug, it seems to be a perfect example of this style. Lacks any of the notorious american wheat attributes. Very nice candy aroma. Clean and fresh on the olfactory. Perfectly cloudy vanilla yella with a creamy looking thin head. Palate is chewy and certainly not watered down. Friendly and fun. Appealing in the most wheaty-est of ways. IMHO probably could use a little more tingly carbonation, but it is not lacking in that department. Good example of a hefe that is not overly spice, simple and beautiful. Finish is banana, bubblegum and vanilla all the way. No hint of bitterness what so ever! Another winner from the East End of Pittsburgh.

Draft Sample @ Brewery. Growler Hours. Poured hazy yellow. Big white fluffy head. Aroma of banana notes, light citrus, sweet bread. Flavor was sweet in the front. Banana notes, citrus notes, pepper, floral notes all mesh very well. Medium bodied. Nicely balanced and complex. Nice finish with spices tingling my tongue. Creamy mouthfeel. Easily could drink this all day.