Flying Monkeys Netherworld Cascadian Dark Ale - Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery

smakawhat

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a Carlsberg tulip tall pint glass. From notes.

A very dark walnut black body with a very yellow three finger head. Big retention on the head, with circular rings of lace.

Nose is a great citrus grapefruit zest and flesh. Hop forward almost west coast sense, maybe even north west style. Little roast character it seems, but a great hop front. Incredibly fruity.

Palate does an almost 180 on the hop front. Hop angle comes out with juice orange and tea herbal bitters. Malt roast character a little bit on the finish, with a good black tea like finish. Light bodied palate with some juicy character.

Overall I have never had a black ipa smell and taste like this and be so varied. It seems liie a mix of American and English IPA style in a black ale. Very memorable, love it!

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 20:03:00 | More by smakawhat

slitherySOB

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown colour with about two fingers of an offwhite head that disipates rathery quickly. Smells of cocoa, earthy/citrus hops, roasted malt, coffee and sweet molasses. The taste follows the smell with chocolate and cocoa. Reminds me a bit of a stout. Little bit of coffee bitterness. Some caramel and malt sweetness. Bitter, earthy and citrus hops. Slightly grassy aftertaste. Roasted, bready malts and a bit of nuttyness. Medium light, carbonated, dry mouthfeel. Definitly worth having again.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 14:17:42 | More by slitherySOB

beesy

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint glass. Thanks again Colt for including it in the last box! The label on this bottle is awesome - def keeping it around.

A - pours a medium brown color with a one finger kahki colored head. Head dissipated almost immediately leaving a small puddle of foam left in the center of the glass.

S - predominantly cocoa and chocolate, slightly roasty with some coffee character. Molasses. Doughnut. I am surprised there's not much in the way of hops except some earthyness.

T - the nose follows the aroma with lots of chocolate and cocoa - very stoutish. Some coffee with some caramel sweetness. Still not getting much in flavor hops except a slight grassy, earthly profile. Nutty. Slightly bready and malty. A nice, fairly clean, firm biterness linger slightly providing depth without wrecking my palate.

M - medium-light bodied.

D - somewhat high for me. Consumed most of the bottle during the review.

Overall, a nice beer. They could just call it a hoppy stout instead and almost get away with it. I would like to have seen some more flavor hops in it. A nice citrus profile would go well with the dark grains in this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 00:49:39 | More by beesy

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle smuggled home from Toronto in my luggage. Bottled 5/25/12. Served in a Red Brick snifter. 

Pours a deep, near black brown with a thick two finger dark cream head. Semi opaque, allowing light through around the edges. Plenty of lacing left caked on the glass. 

Smells great. Some orangey hops immediately give way to smokey malts. 

Taste is the expected mix of citrus hoppy and roasty malts. Well balanced. 

Medium feel with light to moderate carbonation. No noticeable alcohol. Nice dry roasty hoppy finish. 

Based on the couple brews I tried from Flying Monkeys, I'm gonna need to try more. Nothing show stopping in the Netherworld but it's quite good and very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 00:55:45 | More by ThickNStout

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

355 mL bottle from the LCBO; packaged March 6th of this year.

Pours an opaque brown colour, with deep crimson highlights. Three fingers of light, tan-coloured head erupt at the surface, lasting a good long while before thinning out to a creamy cap, and leaving lots of sticky lacing behind on the sides of the glass as it dissipates. Pleasant, hoppy aroma with notes of grapefruit and pine, as well as some roasted biscuit malts in the background. Nice smells, but a little weak in intensity.

Very tasty stuff, with a good balance between hops and malts. The bitter, herbal flavours of the piney, grapefruit-y hops are strong without being overbearing, so that the malty dark chocolate and roasted coffee notes are unlikely to be lost in the mix. Bitter, roasty aftertaste that makes me want to take another sip. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel somewhere between creamy and oily.

Final Grade: 4.08, a very respectable A-. I don't get around to drinking black ales that often, mostly because they're just not particularly easy to find around here. So when I say that this is the best one I've ever tried, that statement must obviously be taken with a grain of salt. Still, from what I know of the style this is at the very least a solid example, if not an outstanding one.

I'm very satisfied with this purchase; Flying Monkeys still has never disappointed me. This is sessionable enough, but I think their Hoptical Illusion might fit that niche a bit better for me as it comes across as a bit lighter. This stuff, on the other hand, is the sort of brew where two would be enough for the night (before moving onto something else, anyway). Still, I would happily recommend Netherworld to anyone looking for a quality Ontario black ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 07:50:33 | More by thehyperduck

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a cola brown color, with clear tinges around the outskirts of my glass, but otherwise cloudy. The head isn't really thick, but what there is, is dense, tan in color and retains decently. The lacing is excellent, leaving behind a mountainous landscape of a fine bubbly film! Overall a good looking beer...

S- Malt right upfront, with rich dark aromas of chocolate, toffee, and even a sweetness that reminds me of a handcrafted root beer syrup. There is also some toasted nuttiness....no real bitterness is noted.

T- The flavors are quite different from what I smelled. Gone is the sweet root beer and in is a distinctive bitterness that kind of lingers throughout the taste. I find there is also more of an Earthy, herbal quality that tastes the way pine and/or cedar would smell. The toffee malt sweetness is still there, but is well balanced with the bitterness.

M- Solid medium body, with a decent amount of carbonation, and it isn't really creamy, but not offensive either. It feels like some sort of liquid dark rye bread on my palate...it's a good mouthfeel I have to say.

O- This is a well balanced, flavorful, and aromatic beer that I think would appeal to a larger group of beer drinkers. The alcohol, which is over 6%, is kept to a minimum, and I think this would pair well with a variety of foods, such as the Colby cheddar that I had with it. A great beer from a reputable brewer of Ontario!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 23:30:51 | More by ChrisCage

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

355 mL bottle poured into a sleeve. An undated bottle, though purchased within a week of being put on the shelves at the MLCC.

A: Deep brown and virtually opaque with a tan head that laces well.
S: Seducing roasted malts with tons of chocolate, cocoa and coffee notes with a light bit of grapefruit from the hops in behind it. Clearly this is a so called Black IPA that leans more to the hoppy porter realm of the spectrum.
T: A mixed bag. There are some moments where the beer is delectable. A sharp bitter bite that plays with a caramel sweetness with a little bit of coffee an d roasted malts in there. Surprisingly, the hops (although very evident) are a secondary player in the flavour game. Citrusy hops are evident though the roasted flavours come through first. The mixed bag though is that there are a few mouthfuls where and acrid roasted notes through, reminding me of chewing on charcoal. If this had occurred more often, this beer would easily have been a drain pour. Those mouthfuls were disgusting...
M: As above. At times acrid, bitter and sweet.
O: With the exception of those 10-12 sips of charcoal, a good beer I would have liked to try again, save my fear of the burnt flavour...

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 21:34:03 | More by kjyost

Kartoffeln

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Pours russet-tinged black, opaque with a nice, sizeable head of dense dark tan foam. Good retention, gradually dissipating to patches of frothy tan foam and leaving some lacing.

S: Grapefruity Cascade hops dominate the nose with some floral backing, black coffee, and biscuit and roasted malts rounded out by hints of butteriness, black molasses, and cocoa.

T: Cascade hops throughout as expected, with slightly sweet biscuit and roasted malts with a strong black coffee character. Sharply piney hops (probably Chinook) towards the end with another burst of Cascade grapefruit.

M: Medium-bodied with smooth, pinprick carbonation and some chewiness. I know that the hoppiness is entirely to-style, but it throws out any semblance of balance and feels excessively astringent.

D: High quality example of this style, but not personally my thing so I'll err on the side of generosity. I've just never gotten the appeal of these American ale styles that are just English ale styles loaded with citric American hops. If you like that, though, grab this brew ASAP.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 21:25:05 | More by Kartoffeln

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled Oct.11/2011. Could have sworn I reviewed this before but I guess not.

Deep brown, ruby highlights, one finger of tan head sticky with some lace. Smell is of coffee and chocolate, citrus and lots of roasted malts, fairly hoppy with bittersweet notes. Lots of hops and citrus up front followed by roasted malt, very chocolatey, coffee, bittersweet bakers chocolate, lots of grapefruit and tangerine in the finish with some pine. Medium lively carbonation, full body, some good hop oil feel, nice weight. This is pretty good, nice mix of hops and roast, this was far better than I remember it being don't know if it was a recipe tweak or the freshness that made this a solid drinker, will revisit this from time to time gladly.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 19:16:58 | More by peensteen

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

355ml bottle poured into pint glass 14/10/11

A dark cola with a two finger dark tan head that retains fairly well leaving a giant ring of lace followed by random lace

S citric hops are hard to miss, faint coffee and some milk chocolate

T faint pine on top of what I smell, hoppy for sure with and the finish is where the dark roast comes out with faint espresso taking the coffees place. I

M light for the color with a nice bitter bite to it, flavors linger for ever

O solid beer with a great combo of dark malts and hops, worth seeking out if your a fan of hops or roast (like that will narrow it down)

straight up good beer, I love this style and hope they will keep improving on their version of it. thanks liamt07 for sending this one my way

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 03:19:26 | More by wordemupg

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - deep cola brown-black, thumb of mocha head held its own and left drips of sticky lacing all down the glass
S - nostril tingling aromas of citrus, roasted coffee beans, sweet molasses, and a bit of a boozy burn
T - rich espresso and some chocolate up front, then as it settles the nice bitter citrus hops ring through nicely with some toffee sweetness on the end, a very interesting flavour mix
M - medium to heavy, smooth with a bitterness that builds to a comfortable level
O - some big and opposing flavour that balance and work very well together, a fine example of a style that is thankfully gaining popularity from craft brewers

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 02:58:26 | More by joemcgrath27

Antikythera

New York

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pretty, pretty label. The goth in me is going squee.

A: dark, with a milky-coffee-coloured head. Very dark. If I hold it up to the light I see a refracted rim of red at the bottom of the glass, and that's it. Nothing else gets through. Nerd humour time: there's an equation in astrophysics called Beer's Law. It has to do with how much light is transmitted through stuff. Fun fact.

S: Iron. Protein? Yummy. Malty and nutty.

T: caramel and smoke, but not sweet. Almost more bitterness than I like. I've never had this hoppy fruity flavour from such a dark beer before. The caramel goes away and the smoke comes out as the glass warms up.

M: rich, creamy. A tiny bit of fizzy tang that goes away fast.

O: really nice. Maybe a little too bitter for me, but I'd drink it again.

NOTE: Now I really understand what 'lacing' means. The beer is gone but my glass looks like an old brown doily.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2011 23:30:52 | More by Antikythera

Retail1LO

Pennsylvania

1.78/5  rDev -53.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Got this as an extra in a trade with a BA in Nova Scotia for some Peche Mortel. Truthfully, I'd rather be drinking Peche Mortel. Poured this from a bottle into a pint glass. Poured with virtually zero head. A mostly opaque brown fluid, lifting this to my face for the first time produced a whiff of I don't know what. Was almost, herbal. The first taste was the third to last. I just can't do this one. Yuck.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 00:57:51 | More by Retail1LO

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark dark brown colour, finger of mocha head with solid retention and some nice sheeting lacing.

S - The chocolate and espresso notes dominate and the citrus hops come through nicely on the finish.

T - Quality take on the black IPA with the bitter citrus hops grasping your tastebuds off the top and the chocolate malts coming through and lingering nicely on the finish. The bitterness is not overwhelming, and the chocolate and espresso notes come off more on the sweet side.

M - Medium bodied, filling the tongue nicely, but a tad prickly on the way down. Finishes surprisingly wet.

O - Certainly an easy drinking black IPA with some bold flavours that will leave you wanting more. Glad I had an opportunity to try it.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 23:16:07 | More by andrenaline

dgilks

Australia

4.4/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very dark brown colour with a big, fluffy tan head. Good head retention.

Big, sharp piney aroma with some mild citrus notes. Quite sweet malt but that works here with some nice caramel and sweet chocolate tones.

A well balanced combination of chocolatey, nutty malt and piney, citrusy hops. Good, medium bitterness.

Medium full body with moderately low carbonation. Good.

A really solid beer and one of my favourites of the trip so far. Fantastically hoppy with a small dose of chocolatey malt.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 22:07:00 | More by dgilks

MasterSki

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from peensteen. Served in a CCBW pint glass.

A - A finger and a half of dark tan creamy foam that has very good retention. Body is dark brown at first blush, but reveals transparency and some raisin coloration when held to the light. Splotchy lace lingers on the sides of the glass.

S - Smells good too - roasted malts, molasses, light coffee, and chocolate mingle with some floral and piney hops.

T - Hmmm. Very bitter, chalky, and astringent. Sweetness is largely gone, and what remains is herbs, pine, and stale coffee. There's a faint kiss of vanilla at the tip of the tongue but it's gone in a flash. Not my cup of tea.

M - Somewhat watery, medium-light body, moderate carbonation tingle, and a dry roasty finish. Texture is smooth and pleasant, and alcohol isn't present.

D - I much prefer Smashbomb to this offering. A little more sugar would have gone a long way as the bitterness and astringency gets fatiguing. I struggled a little with my 12oz bottle and don't think I could have had another.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 19:03:42 | More by MasterSki

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sampled this at Le Mondial yesterday.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: A nice brown-black bodywith a slightly tan head.

Smell: Roasted aroma with some hops though no bitterness shines through.

Taste: Roasted but not aggressive. Hops are present but more in the form of orange fruit notes.

Mouthfeel: A full body with decent carbonation and quite pleasant.

Overall: A nice stab at the style but i would have liked a bit more hops. Still worth a try though.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 12:01:01 | More by papat444

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - pours dark brown with ruby tints and topped by 5 cm of dense tan-coloured head that lasts for quite a while.

Smell - lots of roasty malt aromas - chocolate malt and coffee - and a noticeable citric hoppiness - lemon - breaking through the dark malt.

Taste - Deep roasted malt flavours of chocolate, coffee and toffee blend well with assertive hops. The aftertaste is mildly bitter with a deep lingering coffee flavour.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 22:55:39 | More by

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a nice dark brown/amber colour to it. It has a nice tan head that dies down moderatly and has nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of roasted malts with a bit of caramel and chocolate. I also sense some pine notes from the hops.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a nice pine and citrus flavour coming from the hops. The malts also add a nice sweetness and roasty character. It has a nice dry finish with bitterness.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice balance of hops and malts.

Drinkability: It's a smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavours and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 18:52:00 | More by SebD

Roke87

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

355 mL bottle, chilled and poured into a Duvel tulip.

Appearance- Poured a massive three finger off white head that very slowly dissipates to a think lacing that leaves a good amount of spotting throughout on the glass. It does kind of resemble a porter having a dark brown colour but still lets enough light through.

Smell- Lots of pine and hops smells right away with some dark roasted malts coming through eventually in the end. Not too much going on in the smells department but for an “almost pale ale” it suits the bill.

Taste- Pine flavours and earthy hops definitely dominate the palette, with the roasted malts coming through in the finish, a slight bitterness thrown in there as well from the hops.

Mouthfeel- Well carbonated, light-medium bodied ale that goes down surprisingly smooth, hides the 6.5% ABV very well.

Overall- All in all a very good brew from Flying Monkeys, has those great hop flavours that hopheads crave, but still has that dark roasted malt taste that the stout/porter crowd can appreciate. Happy that I can find this beer at the local LCBO on a regular basis, and kind of surprised such a great beer is crafted in Ontario, would definitely buy this one again.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 03:24:55 | More by Roke87

yesyouam

New York

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Flying Monkeys Netherworld CDA is a very dim reddish brown beer with a cappuccino colored head that's foamy and bubbly. It leaves excellent lace on the glass. It has a heavy citrus aroma with a good dose of dark roast coffee. It's medium-by-light bodied, foamy and smooth. The crunchy, astringent finish leaves the mouth dry. The flavor is a good dose of citrus bitterness. Dark, roasted tones rumble underneath. Bitter grapefruit and tangerine last well after the swallow. This is a bold and flavorful beer that's fun to drink, but too tongue crushing to be a session ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 15:03:50 | More by yesyouam

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

My first cascadian dark ale, now I've never been a fan of IPAs so I dunno, but you don't become a BA if you have a closed mind.

Appearance: Has the appearance of a Porter, a very dark brown, almost black body that boasts a finger and a half of creamy head. The head makes a bit of lace and sticks around exceptionally well.

Smell: Nothing really bad to complain about, dark roasted porter smelling malts that take the shotgun seat to a big dose of pine and grapefruit hops. It's strange, and I'm probably only giving the extra .5 because it's my first example of the style but it checks out here.

Taste: Hops, Smoke, Hops. Starts with pine hops with a smokey undertone that then get thrown into the back seat by creamy smokey malt who then in turn gets pulled over by the pine hops older brother, grapefruit hops. I normally don't like beer this hoppy, but the well roasted malts really takes the overwhelming bitter wind out of it's sails.

Mouthfeel: The thing I like the best about this beer is the hops don't cloy or stick at the back of my tongue. I know they are there but the well roasted malt seems to battle them to a perfect draw. Carbonation falls a bit flat though near the end and the hops still need to be pulled back a bit.

Overall: Solid, certainly not something I'd want to drink daily but all and all I was pleased. It was far easier going down then any IPA I've had, that's for sure. I'm almost left wondering what kind of dish you could cook with this stuff, given it's balance of hops and smoke.

Final Thoughts: All in all, this was a good experience and I'm glad to see that cascadian dark ale isn't on my unpalatable style list. I don't think the style itself is quite my cup of tea, but I wouldn't say it's something I'd actively avoid. Thumbs Up.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 00:49:42 | More by TheHammer

SgtStout

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Holly Hops Batman!

The colour is dark brown, nearly black but not opaque. It poured with a head of about one and a half fingers but this quickly dissipated.

The smell was a weird mix of strong pine, some spiciness, some moss/earthy smell, and what I swear was a distinct and strong "herbal" **cough cough** smell.

The taste was hops from start to finish. There was very little discernible malt. Lots of pine/citris flavours with a strong bitter finish.

Really interesting beer but not something I would probably keep around.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 14:50:46 | More by SgtStout

HosP

Indiana

2.63/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured 12oz into pint glass. First taste of Flying Monkeys.

A- Pours very dark. Light comes in around the edges to reveal dark amber colors. Creamy off white head, recedes down to a nice cap on the beer.

S- Not as much to the aroma as I'd like. Slight piney hop aroma. Mixed in are some roasted malts, subtle caramel hints.

T- Again like the nose, would like the flavors to come out more. Hops come out first with some citrus, piney flavors. Citrus hop come through a tad more. Malts come out at the end. Roasted coffee flavors mostly. Again flavors are very subdued.

M- Close to being lighter in body. Lots of carbonation in the mouth.

D- If the flavors were a little more powerful, this would be a nice black IPA. Compared to others, this is my least favorite. Don't know if this may be a little older, would like to try a fresh one to see if I get a different feel.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2011 02:43:59 | More by HosP

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz from the LCBO, pours a dark brown with garnet highlights, a couple fingers of tan head die down to a few whisps which leave patches of lacing down the glass.

Nose is a little bland, citrus hops, cold coffee, roast malts, hints of butter. Sessionable, competent ale.. this time - I've had some bad bottles. Roasted malts, coffee, hints of anise, pine and citrus hops, moderate bitterness in the finish. A little on the thin side, could use some malt complexity and depth to balance out the finish. Pleasant enough and the only of its kind in the LCBO.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 02:58:11 | More by ritzkiss