The Monolith
McMenamins Inc.

I had this beer on-tap in a schooner at the McMenamins Queen Anne in Seattle.

Appearance: rich orange hue with a light haze and a finger of creamy ivory foam. Very enticing.

Smell: sweet and malty with a surprisingly subdued hop character for the style.

Taste: very malty indeed with plenty of sweetness and a wet, grassy hop character. Bitterness is present but is low for the sweetness level here. Not terrible, but not my favorite.

Mouthfeel: big body with a good carbonation and a nice creaminess indeed.

Overall: as pretty as it is, and as creamy, this is an imperial IPA that just kind of falls flat for me in the IPA category.

Served to me on-tap at the brewery in a pint glass, this beer draws a clear, medium amber/copper color with a nice, creamy/frothy looking white head that's about 1/2 to 2/3 of an inch thick when first poured that settles to a medium sized ring lining the inside of the glass along with some small cluster spots of surface foam dotting the beer's surface and petty nice lacing in the inside of the glass. Aromas of somewhat bready, slightly toasted caramel malt sweetness along with big citrus and some cantaloupe hops as well. Has a slightly toasted, fairly bready/biscuity, caramel malt sweetness that gives way to the aforementioned citrus and cantaloupe hop bitterness that also has some earthy and piney notes. Good balance of flavor a here. Has a fairly crisp, yet smooth, slightly chewy, medium to full bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Has a clean and fairly dry finish. Another beer I am glad I got the chance to try on this trip to Seattle.

Eric