Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA - Shipyard Brewing Co.

khooke

2.3/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

From bottle, poured into pint glass.

A: golden orange/amber. pours with thin 1/2 finger head. leaves evenly dispersed lacing from head

S: pineapple, apple, fresh cut grass

T: malty, quite bitter, no aftertaste sweetness like from other American IPAs. Bitter lingers too much in mouth. Unplaceable funkiness in flavor, almost unpleasant - like just gone off sliced sandwich meat

M: bitterness is lasting from first taste through to aftertaste. lingers in mouth

Overall:ok, not great. Funkiness is kind of unpleasant. I wonder if the one I had had not travelled well? Would be prepared to try another one. The fruity notes in the aroma I loved, but the taste just didn't match up with the smell.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 05:12:17 | More by khooke

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

2.36/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25

12 oz bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A: Pours a very murky dark copper color. The head is a fairly pretty one finger offwhite color with nicely even texturing and lacing. Retention isn't great, though.

S: At first, it seems like it has an okay amount of hops, both grapefruity and piny/peppery. After a while, the malt aroma pops up with strong caramel, biscuit, toffee, and even brown sugar. Malty, but actually pretty solid. Has Shipyard done it? Have they actually brewed a decent American IPA?

T: Erm...no. The malt backbone is not too bad here - a bit sweet, but it features nice flavors of brown sugar, nuts, and toffee; kind of like a strong ale in a way. However, the overuse of both crystal malts and buttery yeast hurts its quality. The finish is very bitter without any distinct hop flavors - actually, it might be a bit plasticky in flavor. If the malt profile hinders things, then the generic finishing bitterness ruins things utterly. Meh.

M: A bit on the coarse side through the maltiness, the carbonation, and the hop bitterness. The malts really prick the tongue in a slightly unpleasant way, and the hops are too astringent for their lack of flavors. At least it's not undrinkable.

O: I half-hoped for a okay American IPA here, what I got was a blah English strong ale. A pairing with sharp cheddar cheese could make this one more palatable, but I don't care to drink it again to find out. Seriously brewers, us IPA drinkers don't want generic bitterness and massive amounts of crystal malt in the name of 'balance', we want complex hop flavors with a nonintrusive malt backbone. Next!

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 21:31:09 | More by ThisWangsChung

vicg12

New York

2.61/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Not a very good IPA. The malts and the hops clash terribly, big let down on this beer. Head is good, two finger. Nice copper color, and pretty nice lacing. The biggest let down is just the taste. This beer is just a sub-standard IPA all around. It's almost not an IPA, although I'm not sure what I would call it. Starts off with a strong malty taste then abruptly ends and finishes with a gross, grasses, moldy hop taste. FAIL Shipyard.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 20:52:50 | More by vicg12

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Sounds like what I call my--

We interrupt this poor, crude joke for a semi-serious review. This stuff pours a lightly hazy auburn-amber topped by a finger of off-cream foam. The nose comprises pine sap, mild menthol, light Connecticut tobacco, rubber, and a touch of sweet toffee. The taste focuses on the pine, the tobacco, and the toffee, though some vinyl pops its head in from time to time as well. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a drying finish. Overall, this IPA seems to wanna try too hard, but instead ends up failing more than anything. The hops are strong, but they're dirty- and rubbery-tasting, making the whole experience a generally negative one.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 01:05:37 | More by TMoney2591

BostonHops

Massachusetts

2.88/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

22oz bottle served in a pint glass.

pours a mostly clear, gold / medium amber tone while yielding about a 1" off-white head; average retention and lacing for the style. nose is middling with subdued notes of citric hops and a touch of pine, then malt. not quite up to par with what one tends to look for in a top-notch IPA.

flavor follows with more of the same. not bad by any means, just sort of 'meh'... some citrus and grassy hops, caramel malt in the background, maybe a hint of pine. medium bodied mouthfeel with average carbonation.

overall? ho-hum. again, not a terrible beer just not as vibrant and flavorful as i was hoping; in a style brimming with top notch offerings i find this one to be a little lackluster.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 04:32:45 | More by BostonHops

TOhoy

California

2.9/5  rDev -15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

Being that I live in California and the IPAs here are extremely bitter, I've become a bit bias with IPAs. I expect a nice hoppy beer! This beer was a major let down! Not the usually IPA I'm used too. It was closer to a bud light the a nice hoppy/ bitter west coast IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 15:20:27 | More by TOhoy

BeTheBall

Massachusetts

2.93/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured a dark copper color with ample head and carbonation. Smell was both bready and hoppy at the same time? Taste was slightly bitter, with earthy overtones that mute the hops for me to some degree. IMO it should feature hops more, but my taste is for that West Coast IPA profile. Mouthfeel was good.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 13:01:15 | More by BeTheBall

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.95/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours a two-finger off-white head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Clear amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Grapefruit hop nose and flavor is grapefruit with hints of caramel, a lingering, bitter finish. $5.00 for a 22oz bottle from Market Basket Concord, NH.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 22:21:19 | More by jdhilt

DovaliHops

California

2.98/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear golden amber color with a small white head that disappears quickly. Scent is...wow...just what I was expecting from a Shipyard beer...a whole lotta nothin. It blew me away when I tried XXXX IPA on draft and could hardly detect any hop profile. This one struggles with the same issues. Somewhat spicy notes that unfortunately remind me of Pumpkin Head. Light caramel malt. Taste is a notch up above the nose, but not much. This really isn't that good. Just bland with a drop of hop resin and a dash of lemon juice for the citrus. The lingering bitter flavor is the best part of this IPA. Mouthfeel is light bodied and nicely carbonated. Drinkability is mediocre, as it is tolerable...but would much rather drink at least 20 other IPAs that I can grab at my local BevMo (and I live in Fresno, where we get the shittiest distribution out of anyone). Overall, the spice notes remind me of Pumpkin Head, and the hops are extremely lacking. Shipyard disappoints, once again. Disclaimer: I really root for this brewery, as I try everything they put out with hopes that they step up their game. I really like Smashed Pumpkin, and that's about it. C'mon Shipyard!

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 06:09:52 | More by DovaliHops

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.98/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On-tap 5/18/2012 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub, in Pawtucket, RI served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep golden brown color with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, some hops and some citrus.

T: The taste starts out with a harsh bitterness that lacks the hops flavor that an IPA should have. Then a hearty malt character comes in along with some caramel and citrus sweetness but there’s not much balance. The after-taste is slightly bitter.

M: Crisp but not smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Not very tasty, doesn’t go down well, not too filling, decent kick, not the best representation of style, this is flat out not a very good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2012 01:00:31 | More by TheManiacalOne

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

2.98/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap today at the Portland Pie Co.
Comes to the table a deep amber color with a decent sized off white head that shows moderate retention and lacing. Smells of bitter citrus with a bit of butterscotch and a caramel. Wow the flavor is something else all right. Intensely bitter citrus with lots of sweet caramel and butterscotch. Medium to thin body with a moderate level of carbonation and a bitter harsh citrus did I say bitter mouthfeel. I really don't know why this company is still in business. This is an aggressively bitter IPA reminiscent of the mid 90's when micros were trying to one up each other in the IBU wars. Very harsh bitterness with lots of astringency to go around too much buttery ringwood character and not enough hop aroma. Late hops should be used more here as well as a diacetyl rest.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2012 18:30:50 | More by johnnnniee

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Into a pint glass:

A: copper colored body yielding a one finger white head. Some sporadic ringy lacing was left. There was some light carbonation moving at a moderate pace.

S: spicy hops with some citrus in the back.

T: wasn't any different from the smell.

M: medium, sticky aftertaste and a bitter finish. The carbonation had about an average sort of feel on the mouth.

O: this beer was about an average IPA. Nothing special, but nothing bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 17:05:41 | More by kangarooAdam59

rdilauro

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I try to make a habit in not reviewing any beer that I dislike or have nothing good to say about it.
I've enjoyed my Shipyard brews in the past so I was anxious to give this one a try.

It poured a bit of a rusty golden amber with small average head. There was a definite aroma of hops with this one. With my first sip, I could feel and see Hops.... but as the beer finished, that bitterness turned me into a flowered fruity sweetness. Not that the beer was sweet, but it was too fruity for my inkling.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 17:01:30 | More by rdilauro

JamesMN

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Best buy date on bottle: December 2012.

Appearance: Super hazy orange glowing hue with a two finger soapy off-white head.

Aroma: Really sweet hops with a candy-like astringency with a bit of lemon peel. Caramel malt under all that hop funk.

Taste: Incredibly bitter from start to finish with no regard for your palate. Not getting any real hop flavor in there, just bitterness. Not really enough malt to back up the hops. Just a hint of caramel and crystal barley. Pretty watery for 6.9% ABV as well.

Mouthfeel: Just above thin in body with somewhat excessive carbonation and decent drinkability.

Final Thoughts: Somehow the brewers at Shipyard have managed to extract all the bitterness from their hops without any of the flavor that makes hopheads rejoice. Would I drink it again? No.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 22:45:35 | More by JamesMN

womencantsail

California

3.08/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear orange color with a tall off-white head. The nose is grassy and a touch vegetal. Not off to a good start. Some sweet malt in the form of bread and toffee. Light citrus peel on the finish. The flavor is also somewhat vegetal and grassy. Fairly bitter, a touch of metal, and some bread. Straw, light toffee, and some toasted malt. Really just an unimpressive hop profile and beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 07:22:57 | More by womencantsail

mdaschaf

Washington

3.1/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Flatbread Pizza in Portsmouth NH.

A: Monkey fist was a dark amber/copper color with a small off-white head that had decent retention and left some thin lacing.

S: A little bit of citrus, rather nondescript though, a little orange. There was some caramel and a little bit of bread.

T: Not as hop forward as I was hoping, they seemed a little faded really. The caramel was forward with the light citrus and grass taking a back seat.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: Was hoping for a bit better, it was just ok. Have had pale ales that are hoppier, including one earlier the same day I had this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2012 21:10:49 | More by mdaschaf

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Been busy and going through plenty of notes. Had this one 2 weeks ago I believe. This is yet another entry in the hot and upcoming series - Free Beers From Worrrk.

Pours into a pint glass a hazy darkish orange. An off-white head retains pretty well leaving some lace on the way down.

A bit of a weak scent, some earthy and light fruity hops with some bready and sweet malts, okay strength.

Taste is a slight improvement but pretty much average east coast IPA. A bit of hop bitterness, but mostly overrun by toffee and caramel malts. Hops bring some earthy, light grapefruit, grassiness. A bit of biscuit malt in the finish.

Mouthfeel is pretty smooth and full with lowish carbonation.

Not bad, but nothing about this will enthrall you methinks.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 18:34:55 | More by Chico1985

SPThirtyThree

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

A: Pours 3 fingers of khaki head atop a copper orange, hazy beer. The cap settles in large, lacy globs.

S: Pine and citrus. Sweet and spicy, with notes of juniper, pineapple, caramel, raisins, and fig. Biscuity melanoidins are present, but also more harsh fusels, and I think also a hint of diacetyl. Warrior hops. The smell is good cold, but develops unpleasant notes at warmer temperatures.

T: Not as sweet or fruity as the nose suggested. It's fairly dry, with a sharp astringency from the hops. The first few sips taste just like eating a hop pellet, but thankfully, halfway into the beer, the flavor improves, as sweet, malty backbone finally peeks through.

M: Bitter, from the start through the aftertaste. Medium body, somewhat creamy.

Overall, the beer looks and smells delicious, but the taste is a letdown. It's harsh and unbalanced. It's definitely drinkable, but not memorable.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 22:55:30 | More by SPThirtyThree

tubeboy

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear amber with a small head that settles quickly. A hint of citrus and grassy hops with an overall American style IPA smell. The smell drops off quickly like the head though. I appreciate the beer in the mouth with a bitterness you would expect but the aftertaste is almost like grapefruit rind. I love a highly hopped beer but this finish is too much for my tastes. This beer has a nice body to it and I enjoyed the contrast with the head while it lasted. I may give this beer another chance if I find it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 23:32:55 | More by tubeboy

curasowa

New York

3.15/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Clear, copper color with one finger of head that fades with chunky lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malt, a little butter and a subdued hop aroma, mostly an earthy, woody smell with some lemon rind notes.

Taste: Here and gone before you know it. A bit of malt, some bitterness and then a fast and fairly clean, for an IPA, finish. A nice, full body upfront with a with an almost creamy mouth feel, then a strong kick of spicy hops before the quick finish.

The Rest: I'm not really sure how i feel about this one. It has a great, full-bodied malt base, which I like in an IPA, but the hop profile isn't very interesting. Decent, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 00:30:31 | More by curasowa

GoldHorde

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

What expectations am I to steel myself for when opening a bottle of an IPA labeled "Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA"?

Googling "monkey fist" gives you four views:
a) rope knot used for lifting heavy weights
b) nautical 18th century rope knot used as a sailor's weapon
c) rope knot used in tavern/pub brawls
d) a marine lifeline between lifeboats; used as a unity symbol in the hobo community

Well ok, so it is not open to a diverse wide view definition. One can ONLY assume the soul of this beer lies withing the culture of navy sailors, merchant mariners, longshoremen and the corresponding hardy brawls fueled by rum are staked out somewhere in this beer. I picture Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" staking racist hearts at Five Points here rather than Marlon Brando's union thugs fingering greedy labor monies in "The Waterfront".

And, oh yes, the beer...

POUR: Amber haze
AROMA: Musty malt
HEAD: Two fingers fading with respectable lace
FLAVOR: Musty, long held in a hold somewhere
AFTERTASTE: Hop kick hangs and rings thru the musty malt like a ship's bell calling for boarding.

Can't say I'll have it again - but I'll remember it!

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 06:47:19 | More by GoldHorde

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.19/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I poured this chilled into a mug from a 12oz brown botttle

The color is deep amber with significant haze and thick cream with very good retention and fine bead. The smell is very piney/fruity with slight hint yeast with citrus accent, there is a light band-aid tinge. The feel is tangy, astringent with medicinal and high amount of carbonations with malt support and light spicy dry finish.

This has more of an English IPA flavor with yeast tangy aspect both fruity and piney up front in the hop flavors yet slight caramel from the malt with astringency and medicinal qualities coming through near the end and grassy pine tinged hop flavor leading to a more astringent and band-aid-like flavor near the end. The beer is not horrible but not great, just consider the source and I give it a fair rating since I am familiar with the brand so I did not expect a west-coast hop bomb, but it has a lot of off flavors so only try this if you are curious

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 02:35:05 | More by Slatetank

mactrail

California

3.2/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Clear amber in the tall glass with a big head. A light floral scent with some lime peel. Hops in the nose with more of a resin smell. Quite light bodied with lots of carbonation. Very tart on the tongue and a little woody or astringent.

Very distinct grapefruit in this one, though less of the terminally bitter peel. Citric and slightly sweet to complete the grapefruit flavor. The aftertaste is just like chewing on grapefruit section membranes, and lasts long after you've finished sipping.

To me, it's more drinkable than a lot of IPAs, but it's a lighter style for sure. An unusual variation that wears thin for me. 22 oz bottle from Litticker's in Ocean Beach.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 06:26:12 | More by mactrail

bishopdc0

Maine

3.2/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pick up one of these as a local new beer to try.

Poured into my pilsner glass, not sure why i chose it but there you go. The beer is pale amber in color with a dense white head. As I move it around the head floats and remains.

The aroma is sweet spicy hops with hints of caramel malts. The aroma isn't over the top but very pleasant.

The taste is a a classic english style ipa. The flavor is an initial burst of earthy hops. The hops remain and there is a spicy flavor that pokes in as the beer finishes. The end is bitter but is smooth. Not my favorite ipa but a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 00:23:19 | More by bishopdc0

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a murky medium golden orange in color with some creamsicle colored highlights and light to moderate amounts of gentle visible carbonation. The beer has a three quarter finger tall slightly creamy beige head that slowly fades to a very thin film covering the entire surface of the beer with a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate amounts of yeasty (Belgian) aromas with much lighter amounts of citrus hops and pine hops.

T: Starts out with a moderate amount of pale malts and just a bit of sweetness. Next there are light to moderate amounts of citrus/lemon and pine hops. Moderate amounts of lingering bitterness. Moderate amounts of yeast as well.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly sticky in the finish.

O: This is an OK beer but tastes a little more like a Belgian IPA than an American IPA - though that might be because of the yeastiness.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 02:43:19 | More by dbrauneis