Socrates' Philosophies & Hypotheses
Monkish Brewing Co.

 

 

Super cloudy pale yellow-orange with close to two fingers of yellowed head. Modest retention leaves thin sheets of lacing.

Orange citrus, lemon, meadow flowers and white wine in the aroma.

Much more muted taste, albeit with a nice grassy bitterness in the finish.

Full bodied with a nice tight fizz.

A solid brew, easy drinking with good balance, but, IMO, doesn’t meet its potential. Like every Monkish I’ve tried, the taste doesn’t rise to the level of its nose and lacks the pop the best NEIPAs — even here in a turbid-as-fuck triple.

WOW!! Underrated.

It begins with the now too common pour of a modern American version of an IPA. The entire contents of a pint can were emptied into a clear glass liter mug. A copious amount of stark white foam was resultant. At least it's beer head, not just foam. The beer is lemon-amber in color, dull and rather murky. Likely, not much barley malt was put into this one. The aroma is nicely sharp with hops, some citrus and some pine references there. That's all for the nose. The taste is much like the smell, only better. The citrus and pine notes hit the taste buds immediately and stay strong through the finish. There's some sort of starchy sweetness that adds smoothness and body, whilst providing a counterbalance to the hop bite. The sizable ABV only augments the sweetness and the hop bite, amazingly, both. The head lasted until the vessel was empty, except for some nice glass lacing. This almost has it all, with a sharp and somewhat complex hop bite that never gets bitter, a sweetly starched backbone that provides a plain taste contrast as well as it provides a rich and smooth mouthfeel and a remarkable integration of a significant ABV into the overall flavor. Its only fault is that by relying on oats, it gets a little sticky, gradually. Not something that's noticed immediately, but it's accumulated and certainly there for the last few ounces. Lastly, the old argument from an IPA traditionalist: Nothing replaces barley in the recipe of this style. As good as this is, the complex earthy sweetness barley and barley malt add to this style just can't be replaced.

 

On tap, pours a very hazy light orange. Head of off-white foam leaves thick sheets of lacing. Smell and taste feature tropical fruits, citrus and dank. Very drinkable, not at all boozy. Amazing.

 

A true NEIPA from a diagonally opposite West Coast brewery. Hazy juicy light yellow goodness in the glass, rich tropical fruit nose. The mouthfeel is pulpy, fresh-squeezed. Flavors of papaya and orange with just a subtle bitter accent in the finish to keep you honest. The fact that this Triple IPA has a 10.3% ABV without the slightest hint of booze is a tribute to an excellent Southern Cali brewer.

Sweet tropical hoppy, slightly malty, and an earthy, orange citrus nose on this one! Taste follows with a hoppy and orange juicy citrus bitter finish. I'm glad the Galaxy used here is a bit restrained. Good stuff!

 

Canned on 1/25/23; consumed on 3/6/23

Pours a vaguely hazed, burnt golden body topped with multiple fingers of dense, soapy, eggshell-white foam; good head retention yields a slim layer of cap, modest, frothy collar, and a generous array of webby/spotty lacing spattered along the walls of the glass.

Aromas of lime, pine, and papaya open, with grapefruit and longering aspects of green strawberry fading into a soft malt backing over time.

Taste brings slick resins into ripe guava upfront, with hints of pine trailing to tinges of juicy pineapple and passionfruit zest over the mid-palate as a growing overtone of boggy dankness linger on the finish.

Mouthfeel shows a medium body and an airy fluff of moderate-full carbonation, dispersing slick resins through a subtle prickle over the mid-palate as a creamy glide fades to a wispy bitterness on the finish.

Muddied between New England and West Coast styles, earthy resins alternate with dank tropical fruits in a a slick, noncommittal hop exposition, drinking well below its ABV while lacking the implicit impact expected of the TIPA style.

 

 

10 weeks old. Can to wine glass.

L: Pours a full and hazy yellow with a fluffy white head that dissipates rather quickly and leaves a bit of lacing. No floaters.

S: Fresh citrus fruits, especially lemon and orange. Slightly grassy.

T: Candied citrus fruit. Again the focus is on lemon and orange. Grapefruit and blood orange are there, too. The first sip is quite sweet, the finish bitter. Subtle herbal notes and a tickling zestiness appear as it warms.

F: Very juicy. A bit sticky. Medium carbonation. Slightly sharp.

O: Doesn't smell like a TIPA, but drinks like one. Very citrus-forward with a fresh smell and a candied taste. Even though it's sweeter than most other Monkish IPAs it's just as juicy and drinkable thanks to its nice balance. Great beer. Very complex.