Selins Grove Hoppy Monk

Brewed by Selins Grove Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Ale
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania USA

Date: 07/25/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

muddy orange, fine white head, lots of drippy lace, light sweet fruity aroma, light malt flavor, nice fruity esters, spices complement and balance the sweetness from the fruit,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Draft. Unfiltered orange/rust color, white foamy head. Dusty, earthy yeast nose, with a wonderful spiced dough scent - "rooty". Rich and sweet up front, turning quickly bitter and dry and starchy over the middle. Thick and vinuous, quite hoppy but not leafy or dank, more dry and bitter. Incredible yeast character reminds me of St Bernardus actually, with a dusty, earthy yogurt sourness to the yeast as well as some bark and dark spices. Like a Belgian IPA with a heavy ABT yeast. Great stuff.

2006 Growler from Kramer17801 consumed over the course of 6 or 7 days, late February.
Served in my Nashoba valley wine glass, it appears a moderately bright orange and marigold, with some light, lemon-yellow hues and a deep tinge of brass. High amount of clarity (having allowed it to settle), but still unfiltered. Fairly vigorous pour produces a medium-sized off-white head, very surprising amount of retention, taking in to consideration that this is a brewpub draught beer from a growler. Eventually it fades to ring, leaving a sticky film behind on the glass.
The nose is intensely doughy. It reminds me of freshly prepared white bread dough and almost EXACTLY like preparing yeast for bread (dry bread yeast and honey mixed in water). Bits and pieces of spicy hops, and very large amounts of estery fruit notes. Peaches, heavy bananas, light nectarines and pears. As Kramer says, this is similar to Orval, though it is difficult to compare, having never had the pre-brett addition Orval. Probably a bit too much doughiness and raw yeast for me, in the end, but it’s a wonderful and successful attempt.
Flavor is very spicy to begin with, with a lilacy/perfumey hoppiness, a zesty sourdough and spicy peach-nectarine flavor. Fine bubbled carbonation adds a certain spritziness to it that is pleasant on the palate, while light pilsner malt stickiness adds more soothing texture.
Of all the times I drank it, the oldest sample drunk from the last pour of the growler at about 7 days old was the most interesting. Poignant, spicy yeast and spicy hops, with delicate fruits.

Draft @ Selins Grove. Pours a bright, slightly hazy golden-copper color; off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Not overly hoppy in the aroma: some citrus and lime present, zesty, with some toastiness, crackers, and bread underneath. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: chewy Belgian sugars, sweet maltiness (a basic Belgian golden ale underneath) with a thin perimeter of mineral bitterness; touches of citrus, but as fleeting as in the aroma. Medium finish: breadiness, candy sugar, and some light citrus and minerals.

On tap at brewpub. Slightly cloudy orange pour under a small head that settles to a thin film. Yeasty nose with lots of fruitiness and hops. Accents of tangerine, orange peel and wheat. Nice complex flavor, lots of yeastyness and fruit with a long dry hoppy finish. Pretty close to an Orval clone in my opinion. Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel, very fine bubbled carbonation gives a full mouthfeel. I was initially scared when they mentioned locally grown hops as I think that it can lead to a very mongrel hop profile, but the big malt and heavy yeast flavors covers up any shortcomings well. One of my favorites from these guys.

Courtesy dsnowden. Thanks for sharing Dan!! Pours a cloudy, glowing orange with a medium, frothy, but quickly diminishing off white head. smells of spices, yeast, nutmeg, hops, orange citrus, and a little coriander too. The hops are more noticeable in the taste than in the nose. Definitely a pretty big spice character going on mixed with the citrus. the orange and the nutmeg seemed to be a good supporting cast for the hops. I’m glad this beer was hoppy because if it wasnt it would be quite boring and would resemble a Belgian tripel. The finish is pretty long, very yeasty, slightly bitter, and hoppy. The hops definitely leave theri mark here. Interesting beer. A treat.

On tap at the brewpub. Aroma grazes in some slightly fruity esters and a bit of grassiness. Pours a hazed gold, with a rim in white. Flavor is good, but it’s quiet. There’s a touch of almond-sweetness and pale yellow fruits, joined with a kiss of minty hops. However, the amount of hops didn’t live up to my expectations. The body is exquisite. Dry, crisp, balanced and heavily drinkable. A nice beer in that regard, but the flavor depth and intensity could be more. Otherwise a nice beer.

Growler from kramer. Thanks Jason! Pours a layered golden amber with a small white head and a little lace. Nose is fruit, yeast, dough and light hops.Smalls much nicer after is has some time to breathe and warm up. Flavor is more fruit, a solid yeast presence throughout, some light hops. Finish is relatively dry with a bit of caramel sweetness and citrus. Very nice, easy drinking brew. Wish I had local access to this brewery.