Nimbus Old Monkeyshine
Nimbus Brewing Company

Nimbus Old MonkeyshineNimbus Old Monkeyshine
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From:
Nimbus Brewing Company
 
Arizona, United States
Style:
English Strong Ale
ABV:
8.2%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 11.84%
Reviews:
102
Ratings:
207
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 21, 2018
Added:
Oct 02, 2002
Wants:
  21
Gots:
  27
Our Old Monkeyshine Ale is an exceptional example of a true, traditional-style English Pub beer. Nimbus Old Monkeyshine Ale is medium bodied and possesses a distinct, dark roasted flavor. Its sweet malty taste is derived from liberal use of seven varieties of specialty malts and a touch of brown sugar. Our Old Monkeyshine Ale is dark in color, beginning with a slight caramel malt overtone and rounded with a relatively dry finish from its English Kent Goldings hops. The hops aroma is mildly subdued and the bitterness is just enough to balance the profile of this beer.

Nimbus Old Monkeyshine Ale is a true premium ale and is priced accordingly. We're so proud of this beer for its body, taste, alcohol content and drinking enjoyment, it may just become our signature beer. Be warned: its wonderful malty sweetness camouflages the 8.2% alcohol by volume content. It's a winner!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by aeturtle:
Photo of aeturtle
Reviewed by aeturtle from Arizona

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Medium bodied.
No bitterness or hop aroma.
Nice richness in flavor almost like brown sugar hints of vanilla.
Decent head and head retention
Nice brown molasses coloring.
Covers up it ABV very well.
Good example of the style, almost too easy to drink for what it is.
Sep 14, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of mothmanscott
Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia

4.02/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From notes 10/5/12: Pours a clear dark brown with 2 fingers of moderately lasting, frothy, variously bubbled, tan head that leaves widely distributed but chunky lace. Aroma is dark roasted and toasted malts, pumpernickel bread, cocoa, faint dark fruit, some cherry, roasted nuts and a hint of apple. Aroma becomes even more rich as the brew warms with the cocoa, roasted nuts and cherry coming forward. Taste is rich with a nice balance of sweet and bitter with bitter leading the dance. Dark roast, bready malts, cocoa and dark fruits leading the way with caramel, brown sugar, cherry and a hoppy bite throughout the menagerie with little dominance. Aftertaste is bitter, lightly sweet, and mildly astringent. To date this is the best American produced English Strong Ale to flow across my palate. Mouthfeel is on the high side of medium bodied with an appropriate carbonation for the style. Creamy and very smooth.
Dec 21, 2018
Photo of andrewh995
Reviewed by andrewh995 from Arizona

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a deep dark brown with hints of purple and an off white head. Smells of dark fruits, chocolate, and malt. Tastes of sweet dark fruits (plums mostly), roastiness, some mild chocolate flavors, and nuttiness. Medium in body and medium-light in carbonation. Overall a very tasty strong ale.
Feb 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.88 by GeorgeAKeim from Oregon

Aug 27, 2017
 
Rated: 3.9 by 6thstreetbrewpub from District of Columbia

Aug 20, 2017
Photo of NeilSilber1
Reviewed by NeilSilber1 from California

4.35/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours dark with fading head. Smell notes of chocolate and brown sugar with taste of imperial stout and Belgium strong. Great brew! A bit harsh = English strong ale at 8.2%.
May 27, 2017
Photo of TIG_show
Reviewed by TIG_show from Arizona

2.38/5  rDev -37.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
I love supporting local breweries and here is another Arizona beer. I'm nit sure what it is but I'm not in love with this one. I've had in on draft before and thought it was okay, but drinking it now, I realize it may not just be for me. No dominating flavors and an aftertaste of burnt malt?
Feb 23, 2017
Photo of detgfrsh
Reviewed by detgfrsh from Texas

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From a 12oz bottle dated March 2016. Pours an opaque brown with lots of fluffy head. Smell is very malty: chocolate, nut, and brown sugar notes. Medium feel, plenty of carbonation. Smooth, sweet malt taste with a touch of hops. A little sweet for my taste, but well done overall.
Feb 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.85 by Spreetaper from New York

Nov 21, 2016
Photo of erk0607
Reviewed by erk0607 from Colorado

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Look: Dark oak with a slightly reddish/tan foam head that lingers and turns into long lived lacing.
Smell: Roasty malts first and foremost with raspberry truffle and chocolate malt notes that follow. Also has a slight alcohol smell that does not show up in the taste. Noticeable smell, you don't have to sniff around for it.
Taste: Smooth, dark, roasty malt forward. Some hop presence, but nothing overbearing. Like a medium to low strength barleywine. Toffee and creme brûlée notes as well.
Feel: Intermediate body with a creamy mouthfeel (probably 55-60F at this point). Just enough carbonation to make it interesting but not overbearing
Overall: Good, not my style, but won't knock it for that because the quality is all there.
Nov 04, 2016
Photo of SaCkErZ9
Reviewed by SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

3.66/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Served on draft at the Cascades Lounge in the Loews Hotel Ventana Canyon, Tucson AZ. Arrives a dark, ruddy brown color with a nice white head on top. Aromas of pineapple and mango and some floral hops. ABV is also present in the nose. Flavor is pretty good on this one. A little hoppy, which I like. Not a fan of malt bombs. A nice beer overall.
Jul 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by Thirstygoat from Illinois

Jul 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by hockeypuck from Maine

Jul 03, 2016
Photo of GarthDanielson
Reviewed by GarthDanielson from Virginia

3.92/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a bottle into a shaker pint, the beer is a very dark, mahogany tinted brown coloring, with a low profile, foamy, clingy, off-white head. Aromas of toffee, molasses, brown sugar, candi sugar, subtle earthy tones, and hints of booze. Flavors are rich and roasted forward, heavily sweet, with notes of toffee, caramel, molasses, and hints of chocolate. The roasted overtones provide a bitterness to counterbalance the rich and sweet characteristics on the palate. Highlights of sugary sweetness, both brown sugar and candi sugar, keep this almost like a rich piece of candy. The body is smooth and big, almost creamy, but with a slick feel. The aftertaste is slightly boozy, heavy, and richly sweet in toffee and roasted notes. Smooth, slick, slightly dry finish. Solid linger of rich caramel and toffee, slightly cloying. Solid beer.
Jan 31, 2016
Photo of tigg924
Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts

3.59/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours hazy, chestnut brown with 1/4 inch head. Taste is a lot of raisin, brown sugar, and toasted malt. No hop presence at all. Good if I wanted a malt forward beer. Tasty but that said there are other beers in the style that I prefer.
Nov 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by SDStoutly

Oct 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.88 by hozersr from Pennsylvania

Oct 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.47 by zekeman17 from Pennsylvania

Oct 10, 2015
Photo of Hhhcubed
Rated by Hhhcubed from California

4.14/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Nice offering. Nice aroma. Solid malt and hop complexion. Stands out in Tucson.
Oct 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.33 by kiki3drt292 from California

Sep 23, 2015
Nimbus Old Monkeyshine from Nimbus Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 207 ratings