Spirit Animal
Monday Night Brewing

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From:
Monday Night Brewing
 
Georgia, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 10.26%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
33
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 12, 2019
Added:
Jul 04, 2015
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  9
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Dactrius:
Photo of Dactrius
Rated by Dactrius from Netherlands Antilles

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Sep 25, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of GarrettB
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado

3.87/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
October 17th, 2015 - The fill title here is a mouthful: Black Tie Series Spirit Animal Sour Ale Aged on Toasted French Oak. As an ardent beer drinker I almost feel like I'm studying a wine label, not a beer label. But the experience deserves a proper introduction. With a nod to Mr. Klinkenberg on Reddit for the beer trade, I start by probing the nose and taking in a high and twangy aroma. I'd default to calling this apple cider vinegar here, but that doesn't quite fit the bill. Instead the smell is drier, and more like a white balsamic vinegar and a dry white wine. I also smell some elderflower, and deeper still, a touch of green olive and the refreshing (and in San Diego, familiar) smell of beach sand. This last observation segues nicely into my first impression of the flavor which expresses the salinity of a gose and the brine of an olive in a martini. A touch of tangerine too, but it's luxurious and quite fancy, conjuring mages of Mediterranean gardens accented with palmero fruits. And after the long and complex citrus recedes, there is a long redolent flavor of olive oil and martinis. Exquisite.
Dec 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by GABrew from Georgia

Oct 27, 2016
Photo of Jadjunk
Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia

3.64/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
"Inside every well-made beer is an animal that represents it. A spirit animal, if you will. Crouching below the surface, hidden in the bubbles, prowling in the tan of the yeast of Spirit Animal, is a wolf. Wild and untamed, this sour ale echoes a time when beer was fermented in the open air under the moonlight." Brewed in the style of an American Wild Ale aged on oak and rose hips, available in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft. Another entry in the Black Tie Reserve series.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a tulip glass.

(Appearance) Pours a crisp, foamy head of a soapy white color over a densely hazy golden amber body with light carbonation. Retention is average and lacing is light and patchy. 3.5

(Smell) Wheat and cracker malts blended with a soft biscuit undertone blended with a peppery and lactic sourness generating pithy citrus fruit notes and raw vegetal bitterness. The rose hips intensify this bitterness and create slightly more depth. The french oak barrel aging creates a slight depth of rich tannins that detract somewhat from the focus of this ale. Potency is moderate. 3.75

(Taste) Cracker and malted wheat body with a modest sweetness meets a moderate acidic tanginess with a very transparent impact of oak smack right on top that trails the beer from beginning to end. The impact of rose hips are not nearly as well felt in the flavor as were detectable in the aroma. Moderately dry finish with a trailing sourness, light body, high cleanliness and lingering impact of rich toasted oak tannins. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Texture is smooth, silky, moderately acidic and moderately dry. Carbonation is modest, generating a mild frothiness and a medium crisp finish. Body is light/medium for the style, light/medium overall. Balance is slightly sour acidic and oaky over sweet. Alcohol presence is light and there are no off characters. 3.75

(Overall) A moderately bitter sour ale that alone would seem to do a decent job as a simple but efficient sour, quaffable ale. The integration of french oak seems to be the most questionable part of this beer, as it stands very transparent and easily detectable against the simple malt body that as a components it almost distracts. One could argue that this beer would otherwise not be memorable without this less common ingredient, and that french oak particularly does imbue amongst the richest and most assertive oak tannins in beer, and is not commonly used in brewing due because it can be easily overdone, and such indulgence is in question for this ale. Overall, it's an interesting, but muddy kitchen-sink style sour recipe with risky experimentation that may be less appreciated for its warm (at best) reception overall than more. I, for one, don't feel the need to revisit this again. 3.75

Monday Night Brewing's
Spirit Animal
3.64/5.00
Sep 10, 2016
Photo of JordanlikesAles
Reviewed by JordanlikesAles from Georgia

3.77/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours an opaque, pale orange with thin and bubbly white head. The aroma is an odd blend of sour, grape & rubber. The flavor is more sour & lemon oriented with a strange but not displeasing, rubber tire flavor that I’ve never experienced before. Not quite as sour as a gose, but along the same lines with the addition of wild yeast that really adds a different dimension to this beer. Glad I tried this. It really starts to tame & get better as it warms in the brandy snifter I’m drinking it from
May 01, 2016
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.38/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Bottle share. Very light and effervescent. Medium copper body, thin head. Saison, pale ale, IPA, all rolled into one. Interesting..... and mild, gender bender
Jan 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.63 by mschantz from Colorado

Jan 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.52 by richj1970 from Alabama

Dec 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.96 by parris from Massachusetts

Nov 11, 2015
Photo of jhavs
Reviewed by jhavs from New York

4.35/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pint on tap at the Crystal Beer Parlor in Savannah. Pleasantly tart, crisp, and refreshing. The aroma and flavor were similar, sweet tartness with a bit of basement funk. Thick foamy white head that bubbles out pretty quickly.
Nov 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.77 by StevenNebulous from Georgia

Oct 20, 2015
Photo of AgentMunky
Reviewed by AgentMunky from New York

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a Bear Republic tasting. Best by 26 December 2015.
4/4/4/4.25/3.75
A: Hazy gold with light head.
S: It smells likes peaches and passionfruit. And lactic acid.
T: Yum! Strong wheat base, kind of sweet malt, but with a lot else going on. Acetic more than lactic. Vinegar topnotes over a fruity-tart
M: Smackworthy and delicious.
O: Almost delicious, but not quite.
Oct 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.52 by justinm4bama from Alabama

Sep 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by ajdemma from New York

Sep 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.9 by chrismattlin from Ohio

Sep 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.81 by Domvan from Texas

Sep 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4.1 by sendbeer from Georgia

Sep 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.87 by LauraGG from Georgia

Aug 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.97 by thatoneguymike from Georgia

Aug 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Extol from Georgia

Aug 09, 2015
Spirit Animal from Monday Night Brewing
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 33 ratings