Monkey Butter
Jaden James Brewery

I poured Jaden James Monkey Butter from a 16oz. can, privately canned at Discount Drinks, in Wyandotte Mi. The beer poured a deep, strong coffee black, with weak head and lacing, possibly because it was not brewery canned. The nose is quite good, with a strong, salty peanut butter front and center, notes of milk sweetness and roasted malt dancing about. A taste confirms these flavors, and adds chocolate notes and subdued hops. The mouthfeel is balanced and palatable... taste overall is quite good, and varied during each sip. An inhale of peanut butter that washes down with malt and milk on the finish... far more complex than a typical peanut butter stout or porter. Monkey Butter is enjoyable and a fine example of a peanut butter brew.

 

How in the hell did this get a rating of 4.1 exceptional? I drink alot of porters and stouts and this is by far the nastiest one ever. Canned on 3/6/18. The first thing you notice when popping the can is the smell. Definitely not peanuts or peanut butter. Kind of cross between nutella and a dirty shoe. It unfortunately taste exactly how it smells and even after drinking several other "good" beers after this, the horrible taste wouldn't go away. So many excellent porters on the market, buy any of those and forget about this garbage.

 

12 ounce can, packaged on 2/5/2018. Poured into wide mouth jar-glass. Even after a careful pour with previous knowledge of a big head, this beer has a fat 4 finger head. Beer looks a deep mahogany. The nose is nutty. I can't say for sure peanuts but full of chunky nut butter. Cracker malts and smaller whiffs of chocolate too. More nuttiness and chocolate on the taste, some smooth caramel too. Bitter finish which I'm assuming is from the nuts. I get a weird salinity at the finish too, it's not quite a deal breaker. Mouthfeel is medium to light bodied but where it should be for easy drinking. The nose is this beer's strongest point and it does it well. Ironic to say that nuts don't spoil any head retention.

Pours a huge, frothy head - unmanageable from a single pour, actually. Brew is a dark nutty brown.

Nose is strongly peanut-focused. Some chocolate, toast, and banana also creeps through.

Really nice balance on the palate, with plenty of peanut flavor, but also some chocolate, banana, cola, and caramel.

Smooth and rich mouthfeel; slick but still lively.

This is a very good beer. Peanut butter porters are somewhat gimmicky, but this is a very good one.

 

12 ounce can into pint glass, canned on 12/14/2017. Pours slightly hazy nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of peanut butter, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark/brown bread, light coffee/herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Okay aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt and peanut butter notes; with solid strength. Weird metallic/phenolic/plasticy notes in the aromas, a little overwhelming. Taste of peanut butter, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark/brown bread, light coffee/herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal hop and roast bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of peanut butter, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark/brown bread, light coffee/herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Weird metallic/phenolic/plasticy notes after the finish in flavors; but not overwhelming. Nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and peanut butter flavors; with a nice roasted bitter/sweet balance; and zero cloying/acrid flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and slightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 5.4%. Overall this is a pretty good flavored English porter style. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and peanut butter flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter/drying finish. There is obviously something wrong here, but I still enjoyed it. Worth giving another shot on a future batch. A nicely enjoyable offering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served on tap. Aroma is big on powdered peanut butter, with coffee and chocolate notes. The chocolate and coffee take more of a prominent role in the flavor, with the peanut butter adding pleasant and welcome addition. Good, smooth feel and finish.