Water Balloon Street Fighter
Monkish Brewing Co.

Canned on 6/23/22; consumed on 7/20/22

Pours an opaque, milky pale gold body topped with three fingers of fluffy, soapy, white foam; good head retention yields a creamy finger of cap, moderate, frothy collar, and a healthy spatter of webby lacing strewn across the walls of the glass.

Aromas of grapefruit are underscored by a touch of honey upfront as passionfruit and limeade develop into peaking, dank melon, while ripe guava delivers more pronounced strawberry esters and mushy, weed-laden mango on the back end of the bouquet.

Taste opens to musty lime zest trailed by an earthy, subtle pineapple; passionfruit zest over the mid-palate rounds to briefly dank, creamy melon and pithy papaya on the back end.

Mouthfeel brings a body on the lighter end of medium and a plush, silky, moderate carbonation; juicy brightness pronounces over the palate, a light grit washing over wispy sensations of a rawer, hop twang as silky resins remain taut through a back end finishing at a delicately airy, boggy harmony.

The casually juicy contrast of the profile is nearly unmatched, layered yet effortless texture delineating citrus waves over boggy resins in support of peak plushness brilliantly attenuated character across the palate.

 

Sweet pineapple, orange citrus, tropical hoppy, and tropical dank nose on this one! Taste follows with an orange/grapefruit juice citrus-ness upfront and then a hoppy and an almost earthy dank bitterness on the finish. The bitterness lingers on the back of the throat just a tad too long. As it warms, this intensifies and it interferes with enjoying the end of the swallow. Maybe slightly overcooked with the Simcoe? It does, however, have that classic Monkish mouthfeel...good!

Batch 2 canned 12/9/21! Sweet tropical hoppy, orange juicy citrus, and citrus-dank nose on this one! Taste follows with a orange-grapefruit citrus and tropical hoppy bitter swallow...this lingers for a bit as it warms, but is much more balanced than batch 1. That TDH goodness is dialed in here...and the addition of simcoe is more tamed in this batch. This is juicy-soft on the palate and Good stuff!

 

 

 

CAN
Glowing milky goldenrod; pineapple + cantaloupe with some tangerine nose; slight honey grain, fresh OJ, mango + passionfruit, dank greenery, fresh apricot + ripe peach, lime zest, touch of dried pineapple, and slightly sprucey end; thick smooth, oily, clean, no burn.

4.25 4.25 4.25 4.5 4.25

Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe

5 weeks in the can. Big luscious nose leads to lots of sticky tropical. The lusher sides of all 3 hops - not so much Citra grapefruit, Mosaic berry, or Simcoe cat - with ganga and big orchard fruit threads. And the body is striking - sits full + oily, with no booze or hop burn.There’s some serious depth of flavor, but it’s one big hit, so I’m wondering what the fuss is about this brewery. It’s very, very good, but not quite near the best from OH or EQ.

The only real NEIPA brewer on the West Coast, I suspect...

 

 

The brew was canned 9/27/19. It is a triple dry hopped DIPA with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe. I know that it will be best in a week or perhaps even a couple, but since I have a couple of them, figured it would be worth it to see how it changes over time.
L: Immediately on the pour I can tell this is a murky offering. The color is light honey yellow and totally opaque. Very minimal head yielded from the pour, amounting to just above a finger, comprising of tiny bubbles that dissipated rapidly. Lacing is bar-none.
S: Very stonefruity on the nose with hints of lemon, grapefruit and pineapple. Also get notes of yeast, and last but far from least, hops. You can definitely tell this bad boy is dry-hopped to the max.
T: It is interesting. The first couple sips, I was thinking that it sure needed some more time in the can. But the more I have of it, the more I start to think that it is actually drinking surprisingly well right now. It is hoppy, with lemon and orange really claiming stake on the palate. Mango, pineapple, papaya and green apple are also present and a biscuity yeast finish lingers to the after taste. Really nice balance of fruit flavor with an abundance of hop character on the finish. It is not bitter though, just an earthy hop flavor.
F: Medium in body and in weight. The booze is very well hidden, and the carbonation is moderate. It isn't as fluffy and soft as other Monkish offerings, but for being triple dry-hopped, it's pretty dang smooth.
O: The more I have, the more I am surprised by how much I am liking it just after a couple of days from canning. It is hoppy sure, but also brings flavors that I love from the likes of Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic. It wouldn't call it green tasting, but I do think even another week or so will round it out even more. I am very much enjoying it, and I am glad I am able to try. Plus, the can art is legit. Cheers!