Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA - Shipyard Brewing Co.

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a small snifter. Off-white head, moderate retention on a golden/amber body with high clarity. Lacing is mainly clear and oily. Aroma has citrusy hop presence, slight phenols, some malty sweetness in the background. Taste dominated by pine-like hop bitterness, slight alcohol and some caramel malts. Good IPA, packs a nice hop punch, maybe the alcohol is a little to pronounced to make this one special.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2012 03:17:51 | More by KickbacksSteve

taez555

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Sea Dog brewpub in Northborough MA.

Pours a hazy opaque tan body with small white head.

Nose is nice a resiny and malt.

Taste is medfull bodied and very rich. Immediate big hop and resin grapefruit taste with firm caramel malt backbone. Lots of citrus rind, lemon, grapefruit peel, etc. Very bitter with a strong but balanced backbone. Ends with a lingering bitterness.

Nothing crazy, but a very solid DIPA. Id gladly have this again

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2012 16:37:02 | More by taez555

Alohaneen

3.75/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First glance, I see a very golden, unclear beer. The color is appetizing. The smell is of sweetness or a type of honey. The taste is that of a true IPA but with unique flavors from the sweet honey. The finish, is complete and satisfying! This is a great beer!

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2012 01:19:42 | More by Alohaneen

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

2.98/5  rDev -12.9%
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

kylehay2004

Florida

3.58/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: 2 finger off white head on a deep crimson hazy body. Nice lacing.

S: caramel malts, with hops providing a mild citrus and earthy hops.

T: very piney with earthy and a slightly grassy hop flavor. Malts are mild but nicely represented.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: typical piney IPA but full flavored. Well balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2012 01:59:42 | More by kylehay2004

mdaschaf

Washington

3.1/5  rDev -9.4%
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

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.98/5  rDev -12.9%
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

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.19/5  rDev -6.7%
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

SPThirtyThree

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -8.5%
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

vicg12

New York

2.61/5  rDev -23.7%
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

SerialHiker

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a darker caramel orange copperish color…a nice rich color, I can see some bubbles in the middle…head is a light khaki, creamy and thin, but consistent…(3.5/5)

Smell: English yeast galore with this one…piney, woodsy and citrus hops, particularly pink grapefruit, hit my nose next…overall though, this has a heavy aroma, full of that musty yeast smell…there’s almost like a taffy candy aroma without the sweetness (if that makes sense)…mild caramel, earthy malts round things out a bit…as it warms, a piney bite becomes more apparent…(3.75/5)

Taste: English yeast and piney hops bitterness hit the tongue right away and lasts through the after taste…there’s a noticeable pink grapefruit flavor and bitterness that sneaks up about half way through the taste and also extends into the after taste…this brew is very musty, earthy, mildly piney with a caramel and citrus lightness that keeps it from going too the extreme…though it’s boarderline…(3.5/5)

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body…kinda light on the carbonation as well…it’s doesn’t really fluff up much on my palate, though I do get some heavy dank/mild woodsy/light lemony residual bitterness…it’s got a heavy feel for having a light body, with dank/woodsy bitterness and earthy malt resting all over my palate...(3.25/5)

Overall: This is good, not great…the flavor, while at first I didn’t particularly like, has grown on me…could it be the 6.9% ABV? Maybe…classic English style IPA’s aren’t usually my bag, but this one has a pink grapefruit thing happening that I’m really digging…it gives some zest…it’s easy to recommend, though it may not be my favorite, I could easily drink a few of these in one sitting, laughing, talking over old trail stories…(3.5/5)

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 02:03:50 | More by SerialHiker

CorvetteMike

Rhode Island

3.31/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

From bottle to glass copper color with nice head.
a: Copper color, 2 finger width head
s: Light pine smell
t: Malty taste, very bitter
m: Bitterness becomes stronger with each sip
o: Too bitter for my taste

Sampled this beer while on vacation in Florida, will not buy any more.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 02:57:00 | More by CorvetteMike

TOhoy

California

2.9/5  rDev -15.2%
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

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Monkey Fist IPA opens to a bright, citrusy, hoppy nose, full of pink grapefruit, grapefruit rind, and lemon oil, with lesser bits of dandelion stem, grass, mint, and eucalyptus in the background. Good levels of brown and confectioner’s sugar add sweetness to combat the bitter hops, and fruit esters bring in touches of orange, berry, and apricot. There’s also a light toast crust and cracker backing, somewhat helping to earth the beer. As a whole, the nose is heavily geared toward hops, which are present in a good variety and potency, showcasing a good selection. But as a whole, the beer seems fairly tame, edging out slightly in the hops, but not necessarily distinguishing itself from the field, and the sugars could have used a boost, especially in the fruit esters.

On the tongue, the beer is immediately hoppy, with pine resin, grapefruit rind, dandelion stem, lemon oil, mint, anise, and eucalyptus first and foremost, the flavors here much more bitter than they seemed on the nose. Brown sugar helps bring the bitterness into perspective, joined by small touches of orange, berry, and apricot fruit esters. Toast crust, cracker, and Grape Nuts cereal notes from the grains add more earthiness. Towards the end of the mouthful, as the sugars die off, the taste is largely hops, coming across as tart and, because of the lack of other notes, simultaneously watery. The aftertaste is a continuation of this hop-only note, the sugars and most of the grains having completely died off. Mouthfeel is medium-light to medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, there are good hop flavors in here, and especially for fans of the more bitter side of hops, there’s much in here to enjoy. The beer as a whole, however, feels watery and weak, as if a truckload of hops had been added to a rather standard ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 19:33:26 | More by jondeelee

GoldHorde

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -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

SSSBR1509

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Smell: Very hoppy floral notes, Quite a bit of citrus notes following, not too much malt but its still there slightly

Mouthfeel: Slightly thick for an IPA, medium carbonation

Taste: very earthy and strong citrus notes, it has a slight maltness to it but the hops are defiantly on the forefront of the pallet

Overall: I like the strong hoppyness from this IPA i wish there was a bit more malt to balance it all out and make this beer more session-able. Its most definitely not my favorite IPA but its not the worst . Still a good beer over all

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 23:42:47 | More by SSSBR1509

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle > Pint Glass
A - Pours a rustic yellow color, solid 1 finger head, good and thick with nice lacing.
S - A sweet hint of malt mixed with some strong hop smells, pine and floral being prominent, as well as some wheaty flour
T - Big bitter hops, some citurs, the flour taste is present here, not awful but different.
M - Bitterness hangs on to your pallate, but has a medium feel.
O - Not bad, I dont know why some people hate shipyard, they're a solid brewery to me, and this is a different, but good offering from them.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 23:04:24 | More by Omnium

JamesMN

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -12.3%
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

zeff80

Missouri

3.54/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a clear, copper color with a one-finger, off-white head of foam. It left some sudsy trails of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of pine and burnt toast maltiness.

T - Very malty and sweet. Some toasty notes with a strong piney bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied IPA.

O - This is okay. A little too malty for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 22:58:56 | More by zeff80

DJED69

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Let me start by saying I have always found Shipyard brews a bit underwhelming. Usually fair, unexciting versions of a particular style. So, when a friend dropped off a few Monkey Fist IPAs and raved about it, I was hoping for something out of the norm. This beer is solid. Best Ive tried from Shipyard. Has a great hop nose. Really looks good in the glass. Copper color and decent head. First taste. Hmmmm. Where is all that hoppiness that smells fantastic? Ok, again. Bitter and there are hops. Malt too. As the beer warms I find I'm enjoying it more. Bitterness still present, but now hops and malt are evening out. Definitely a bit more English vs American in style. Reminds me a little of a Yards IPA. In the end, I enjoyed this one. Drink it cool, not cold. Would revisit a fresh batch as mine was near end of enjoy by date. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 17:32:41 | More by DJED69

jesus808

California

3.63/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

This is a quite peculiar beer. From the prestigious brewery and wonderfully fun label, it's assumed that this beer is going to shine. But sadly it never does. What works against this is that I've recently re-tried Long Hammer and Latitude 48, which are pretty darn good IPAs for the cost. I wanted, even expected more here, but got what I paid for: $5 bomber. Copper color, decent head, subtle lacing, and a solid piney flavor. The other elements are missed such as the citrus aromas so prevelent in American IPAs. Then again, the label says its a more UK style, so expect that when you pour this in your Masson jar.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 09:12:15 | More by jesus808

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

2.36/5  rDev -31%
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

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.49/5  rDev +31.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA has a thick, creamy, off-white head, lots of thick lacing left on the glass, and a hazy, orange-yellow-gold appearance, with bubble streams and a descending cloud after one swishes the bottom contents of the bottle. Some tiny brown specs are seen floating about. The aroma is of a full, piney, bready hop oil, and the flavor is of pine, hop oil, sugar, bread, bread crust, light brown sugar, toffee, grapefruit, and light caramel. Mouthfeel is medium, soft, and slick, and Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA finishes dry, bitter, and fairly drinkable. Overall, this is an outstanding beer! Get some soon!

RJT

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 15:19:40 | More by RonaldTheriot

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy beige color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of tropical fruit, some hops. Taste is a good hop/malt balance, some bitterness, a bit of tropical fruits. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 01:02:36 | More by tone77

khooke

2.3/5  rDev -32.7%
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