Live Transmission Milkshake IPA | Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

2.58/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Sadness.
I would leave it at that but I can't.
This is a beer that should never have been made, let alone sold after its completion.
The nose is nice enough but the first hint of oncoming trouble is the head, which is huge in a cheap way, turning into dishwasher liquid looking grossness. And then the taste. This medicine-mixed-with-cotton-candy thingy that is sold under the auspices of beer is not what I think of when I think of the craft of brewing. This is now entering yuppy-geek territory, without much care about the integrity of beer making.
No. Never again.
Sadness.

 581 characters

3.31/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

So Chris Truskey was given one job. One. Buy some good Canadian beer when I arrive in Toronto. Meathead goes to the Beer Store and gets me a Milkshake IPA. I guess Diary Queen was closed. Anyway I had this first without reading the label and was taken aback. Can’t say I enjoyed it. Kudos to the brewery for being adventurous, but the tea/coconut taste didn’t work for me. I hate to review poorly as the execution of the the beer was good, where I failed was sending someone illiterate to buy beer

 508 characters

3.96/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tallboy can from the LCBO; dated Apr 2 2018 and served barely chilled.

Pours a hazy light golden colour, with nearly two fingers of puffy, off-white foam situated atop. It wilts at a steady pace for the next 4-5 minutes or so, eventually leaving behind a bumpy cap and a wide collar of froth; a beautiful band of webby lace has also been imprinted onto the glass. The aroma reminds me of an orange Creamsicle, but with coconut in place of vanilla. Other than that, I'm getting some bubble gum, papaya and some vaguely floral hop character.

Pretty tasty stuff; I'm still getting the orange Creamsicle vibe, with milk sugar and orange coming through at the forefront. Coconut is also discernible, along with lesser notes of grapefruit and apricot, with floral hop bitterness and some tea-leafy astringency rounding out the profile nicely. Lactose sweetness and orange candy fade into a rather coconut-forward finish; more coconut oil in the aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with moderate carbonation levels that provide a decent bite; the texture itself is soft, slick and very smooth, making for a brew that slides down the hatch with exceptional ease.

Final Grade: 3.96, a B+. Flying Monkeys' Live Transmission is a reasonably well-executed milkshake IPA - I'm not real big on coconut, which is admittedly a prominent aspect of the flavour profile, yet I still found this to make for an enjoyable quaff in spite of my own bias. It's not something I'd want to drink in large quantities - the ample coconut and overall sweetness make sure of that - but it's still something I'm sure I'll return to here and there over the course of the summer.

 1,644 characters

2.67/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Hard to rate, because although it more or less delivers on its promise of a "milkshake IPA", ultimately I didn't enjoy it.

Can from LCBO. Hazy yellow-orange colour. Sweet orange and coconut (oil) on the nose; smells like a cream/lotion at times. Taste is a hop bitterness backed by sweetness from the lactose; hint of orange peel comes out as it warms.

A unique offering that I didn't care for but could see others enjoying. Worth trying once.

 445 characters

2/5  rDev -45.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.25

I am not sure what words would be best to describe this beer...medicinal, unpleasant, horrible, none seem to meet the reaction that my mouth had to the taste of this beer.

It started out well, with a nice color, good head retention and a good nose. I got some vanilla and other florals.

The taste is well off. It tastes like that horrible antibiotic banana stuff from when you were a kid. Bitter, soapy, medicine, and really just unpleasant.

I have had unpleasant beers before, this may rank among the worst of the worst.

 526 characters

3.03/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

4.8/5  rDev +29.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

LCBO Toronto can. The mad brewers at Flying Monkeys have done it again. Orange Sorbet beer? Yes and it works.
Orange (sort of) straw color, medium haze. 2 finger head in a pint glass. Plenty carbonated, somewhat short-lived lacing.
Orange and hop nose, coconut is there too. Sweetness from the lactose but there is hop bite to balance.
If you know their Chocolate Manifesto, the milk theme is on full display here, this time in orange.
Great stuff. Adventurous and well worth the effort. I'm giving this a good score.

 518 characters

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

decent addition to the lactose crowd, and not unexpected. Smooth and somewhat tasty stuff. Not too hoppy tasting and very drinkable. Fresh LCBO release.

 152 characters

3.94/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery "Live Transmission Milkshake IPA"
473 ml can without production codes or freshness dating
$3.69 @ King of Prussia Beer Outlet, King of Prussia, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: I think this is the first "milkshake IPA" that I've had that actually said milkshake on the label. Interesting. It's poured a cloudy deep gold and orange body beneath a fluffy head of white. For some reason I thought it might be a little more cloudy, but OK. The aroma is citrusy and resinous. There also seems to be a note of vanilla. It's not the brightest aroma but it'll do. On to the flavor... citrusy followed quickly by coconut (not vanilla, sorry), and then some raspy pine. There's some grapefruit in there, and orange, and just citrus pith. The coconut is really interesting, and it comes off as really tropical. It's sweetish, but certainly not sweet, and a very firm bitterness backs it and carries over into the finish where it completely sticks out. It lingers for quite some time. Have I missed anything? Let me give it another sip... well, I forgot to mention the malt, which is just basic. There's no caramel malt to it or anything like that. There might be some wheat, and probably oats, but all I'm getting is a grainy, lightly sweet malt base. Ahh, I just looked at the label, it lists "...orange peel, grapefruit, and a soft coconut white tea... dry-hopped with Citrus, Idaho 7, and Mosaic hops." And now that I know that I'm finding some berry from the Mosaic. The white tea was a waste though, white tea doesn't taste like anything, and they may have just as well used coconut flavoring because that's exactly what's on that white tea. Overall I think it's got a great taste to it though. It seems a little out of balance with such a heavy bitterness, but somehow that works out in the end. In the mouth it's medium in body and somewhat dextrinous - and I just realized that this has lactose in it and that's probably got something to do with the way the bitterness lingers because the acids probably bind to it and then the lactose sticks on your palate. It's also possible that the tea itself is lending some bitterness but I'm not sure. Back to the mouthfeel though, it's good. It's got a moderate, fine-bubbled carbonation that gives it a little zest at first but then lets it become creamy and smooth. That's about it. Oh wait, I forgot the head retention and lacing... the head retention was pretty good, and the lacing is very good. It's a good looking pint of beer.
Review# 6,330

 2,523 characters

3.47/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz. can into a Heady Topper stemless snifter.

My first experience with a "milkshake" IPA. Looks way less milkshake-y than a NE IPA actually. Nose is bright citrus, mint and mango. Really crisp and refreshing. But the mint is very prominent here. Beer opens citrus, coconut, pineapple and mint. Mellow and creamy in the middle with a brisk piney hop bitterness at the finish. Pretty tasty though again, the mintyness is very prominent. Body is light with ample carbonation. For a milkshake description, I would think this would be a bit smoother. Prickly on the palate and goes down crisp and bone dry.

Not bad but I don't know what distinguishes this from other solid IPAs besides the big mint flavor.

 707 characters

3.52/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.8/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

3.15/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

From a 473ml can served almost straight from the fridge at 9 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Canned on May 16, 2018 – making this 7+ weeks old. I recently picked this up from the local LCBO. My expectations are about average given my previous experience with the brewery and the ongoing milkshake IPA fad.

Look: The beer pours a hazy gold with 6cm of frothy, white head that dissipates into solid cap within 4+ minutes. Great lacing and retention. Excellent! The clarity is clearer than I expected.

Smell: Moderate strength and slightly sweet. Hop-forward with notes of strong coconut, fresh dill, mild sweet orange, and some resin. Initially I find the aroma inviting, but the coconut ends up too strong and makes me think of body lotion. There's a faint malt at the back but it's difficult to discern from the sweet coconut. The dry nose has notes of sweet coconut and malt.

Taste: Follows the aroma with moderate strength, bitter-ish balance, and pronounced perceived bitterness. The palate opens up with a dominant coconut that makes a bit of room for other notes of fresh dill, citrus (sweet orange & grapefruit), and resin (pine), however it takes over again before long. The medium length finish is bitter-ish and of moderate strength with notes of coconut, sweet orange, and dill.

Feel: Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. Creamy, smooth, and wet with a trace of alcohol warming. No astringency or harshness of any kind.

Overall: Flying Monkeys' Live Transmission is at best a decent beer even if I don't think it's balanced. The coconut is assertive and I find it gets in the way of the other ingredients whereas the lactose decreases drinkability by adding body and sweetness. Those are my two issues with this brew and they're deal-breakers. I'm thinking back to Dogfish Head's Lupu Luau IPA which was exceptional in the way it incorporated coconut. I'm all for experimentation but it doesn't come together here. I suppose it's worth a try for the curious minds.

 1,991 characters

3.44/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

4.17/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

3.84/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

3.73/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

4.19/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.09/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Straw with a light haze, lots of carbonation and a finger of white head.

Smells of tangerines, pineapple, catnip and green leaf, with hints of coconut.

Tastes of yellow gummy candy, pineapple, citrus, coconut, tangerine and hints of green leaf. Little bitterness on the finish.

Medium body, with moderate to high carbonation.

Very fruity, very unique, I really am enjoying this brew. I got it in Orillia yesterday, drinking in Muskoka, April 8th, 2018.

 458 characters

3.28/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Can from the lcbo for around $3

31 characters

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is the second "milkshake IPA" I've had in a row that actually has a clear gold body. The thick, creamy meringue-like head leaves chunky layers of lace on the glass.

Smell is slightly spicy and dank of orange and faint cannabis.

Taste is semi-tart lemon and bitter orange rind with a slight lactose and vanilla accented sort of biscuit and Sweet Tarts, delivered via soft, mildly frothy body with a tangy, semi-dry finish.

 428 characters

3.74/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.71/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a one pint can on June 29, 2018. Brewed with lactose sugar, grapefruit, orange peel and coconut white tea. Better than I expected.

 167 characters