Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA - Shipyard Brewing Co.

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -9.6%
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

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

decent ipa. pours clear and orange, with a big white head that leaves hefty lacing. the nose is sweet hops, some floral notes and some warm fruit as well, but hops are the dominant aroma. the flavor too is on the sweet end of the hop spectrum. light pale malt profile comes in beind the hops. the flavor would be better without so much residual sugar, this beer felt way too sweet and not enough bitter to be a good american ipa, but it isnt bad, just sort of fruit juicy. feel isnt as crisp as id like it as a result, but the carbonation is good and the body is a sticky medium. nothing special here, but its priced cheaply and the abv makes it a good bang for your buck beer. people hate on shipyard, but i dont think any of their beers are that bad.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 20:21:58 | More by StonedTrippin

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -16.9%
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

mpedara429

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Clear and copper in color. Two fingers of off white head with spotty lacing.

S: Pretty big smell of caramel malt, buttery biscuit, and pine. A hint of booze in the smell.

T: Very similar to the nose. Some hints of floral and earthy notes as it warms. Good hop bitterness that is balanced out by the malt.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation. A little bit oily. Hoppy bitterness sticks in the mouth after it goes down.

O: Lots of times, beer can be about the price point. I would love to drink $3 dollar 12 oz.'ers all the time, but sometimes a $1 dollar beer can be enjoyable. For the approximate $1 price point this is a great beer and beats most of the competition.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 23:35:05 | More by mpedara429

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +2%
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

GeckoPunk

Connecticut

3.48/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

There's a reason this beer has 0 Wants and 7 Gots. This Double IPA is a solid "average" in my books. I poured this beer into Abita's "Purple Haze" pint glass so it was tough to rate the appearance as the glass is tinted purple.

A - Hazy Amber with 1 finger slightly off-white head, leaving fine lacing on the inside of the glass.

S - Citrousy pine, grapefruit, typical American I/IIPA smell.

T - Tangy, bitter citrous astringency. It has a tart hoppiness to it that lingers for a little while. The hops are more up-front than the slightly caramel malts in the background.

M - Average body and mouthfeel. Carbonation was good, not too bubbly or too flat.

O - Not bad for the price. I can honestly say that you get what you pay for with this beer. I paid $5 for a bomber and I must admit, it's not worth any less, or any more than what I bought it for. I might get it in the future, but that may be a while... Many more to come before this one again.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 23:30:44 | More by GeckoPunk

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is pretty tangy and citric-centric IPA. The hop tones aren't as prevalent as I would like and the whole thing comes out as unbalanced and not as good as an IPA should be. Decent to drink and comes out as drinkable, but not really all that great. Once and that's it for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 14:24:20 | More by RblWthACoz

UCLABrewN84

California

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best before 1/2013.

Pours a murky dark orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Thin rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, and some citrus zest aromas. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is drinkable but basic in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 03:48:17 | More by UCLABrewN84

donmonkey1

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Cloudy orangish-copper, great thick foamy off white head, great lacing.

Smell: Grapefruit/citrus

Taste: Same as smell but with floral and a little pine added.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, would like a little more carbonation.

This is a fantastic beer. This would satisfy anybody with a hop cravin'.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 19:55:04 | More by donmonkey1

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA, Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland, Maine.

I haven't anything from Shipyard in quite a long time. What caused me to buy this one? Maybe it's the Monkey. Everyone loves monkeys, and I'm certainly not immune. Although it's a bit too pervasive in the beer world. There are actually two beers out there called "Monkey Knife Fight IPA". I'm not sure which one is supposed to be "the good one". But, back to Shipyard…

Hazy, coppery/amber coloring, big, white head, slims down slowly, leaves lace.

Aroma: Particularly pungent hoppiness, plenty of grapefruit, citrus, pine, all the usual suspects. Aggressive, lively, likable.

Taste: In the mouth, all that and more. Bitter, even tart, hop attack fairly pummels the palate. The mouthfeel and the texture is a bit too thin to sustain the assault, however. It all comes of as watery, to it's disadvantage. There's a funky twist to this, something from the yeast, as well as hops, perhaps. Here's a bottle where I could use some gobbledygook, for I'd love any kind of additional information.

A bit too acerbic and astringent in the finish. Lighter than medium bodied. hmmm, it's not bad, really, but I'm having a hard time liking it.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 07:25:17 | More by feloniousmonk

TheSixthRing

California

4.08/5  rDev +19%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a semi-hazy, orange amber with an off-white, 2 finger head. Excellent retention, resulting in a lace that's incredibly thick and with supurb stick.

Smell - Notes of apricot and citrus hops, with a subtle caramel undertone.

Taste - Starts with citrus and floral hops with a strong caramel malt underbelly providing an even balance throughout. Midtaste a touch of orange pith creeps in and tilts the the balance toward hop bitterness all the way through the finish and into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full body, but soft and smooth on the palate. Almost creamy, and entirely drinkable.

Overall - Drinks much closer to a hybrid American/English IPA or maybe even an ESB, with a soft mouthfeel and a good balance of malt sweetness to hop bitterness. Frankly, I'm miffed by the cumulative score this beer gotten here on BA. Yeah, it's not your classic American hop bomb, but it displays excellent balance, a nice, layered flavor profile, and a smooth, soft and entirely drinkable mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 23:39:07 | More by TheSixthRing

LiquidPoem

3.23/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice golden amber color with a decent sized bubbly head. Lots of lingering lace as sipped. It's brewed with Warrior, Glacier and Cascade hops apparently, all of which blend together well in the aroma field; Sweet and flowery but with a bit of skunk too. The first sip was kind of watery but as the beer warmed slightly more flavor appeared. It has a lot of hop character and resin but still seems kind of watery to me. Not overly bitter, kind of peppery on the tongue. Overall this is not a bad beer by any means but nothing I found to be exceptional. However it was thoroughly enjoyed for what it was.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 21:03:31 | More by LiquidPoem

KarlosT

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this beer at the Amesbury Beer Festival on Sep 22 2012.

Most of the beers were served from bottles into small 3oz plastic pixie cups.

Although I took notes on the 20+ different beers that I tried, it is difficult to remember all of the details associated with each beer. My apologies to readers of these notes. However, I did pay attention to my overall scores, and noted what I thought were unique positives and negatives w/ each beer.

Note that for me:
< 2.5 = probably would not finish the beer
3.0 = drinkable beer, but likely would not buy again or look for
>3.5 = will try to buy again in the future

Liked the hops, but found it just a bit too bitter for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 14:53:28 | More by KarlosT

CloudStrife

New York

3.58/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Twist off.

A: Pours an slightly opaque darkened goldish copper with a 2.5 finger head. Turns rocky after a few minutes leaving a little lacing. Only a little bit if visible carbonation. Head lasts as a nice covering.

S: Has a fairly malty aroma, not as hop forward as most IPA's. More of a dark fruity smell from the malt.

T: Not overpowering in the hops category as most IPA's at this level. However that does make it fairly balanced. Does keep a nice lingering hop aftertaste reminding you its an IPA.

M: Pretty smooth, with an easy drinking feel. Sneaks up on you a little. Average carbonation. Not too sticky of a mouthfeel.

Overall would be a great introduction into IPA's. Reminds me more of a light yet hoppy red ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 01:10:46 | More by CloudStrife

taez555

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +16.6%
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

barnzy78

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, pours a hazy amber color. Fluffy off-white head holds good retention and leaves some nice chunky lacing on the glass. Aromas are citric hop, pine, malty caramel - pretty typical for an IPA. Tastes seem off balance at first. Loads of hops, pungent, grapefruit, pine, slightly herbal, but there is a sweet malty, caramely backbone there that tries to keep up with the hop overload. Mouth-feel is resiny and sticky hops, good carbonation. Overall, this one grew on me the more I drank. For being rather pungent and bitter, I though it was still pretty decent.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 03:12:03 | More by barnzy78

Alohaneen

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%
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

BostonHops

Massachusetts

2.88/5  rDev -16%
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

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clean orange-ish color with an off white head. In the aroma, mellow citrus to pine hops. In the taste, a mellow hop and a balance maltiness, to a dry pine hop end. A small hop bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a dry pine to small citrus hop in the aftertaste. A nice hop presence, yet still kind of malty.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 16:17:30 | More by OWSLEY069

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Rocky thick head that leaves extensive streaky lace. Dirty copper color.

Excellent fresh, raw and floral hop aroma--very inviting. Pale malt base nose.

Lots of raw hop bite almost immediately on tongue. Neutral body, with an above average carbonation level. An IPA lovers' IPA. Long aftertaste of peppery bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 17:50:54 | More by smcolw

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a clear golden color with a white head on top. The lacing is sticky and had a decent retention. The smell of the beer is hoppy, with a bit of malt on the nose as well. The taste of the beer has a sharp hop bitterness to it, with just a touch of malts in there too. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice amount of carbonation. Overall this IPA was more impressive than I expected it to be. Probably one of Shipyards best beers I would have to say.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 21:57:49 | More by Knapp85

womencantsail

California

3.08/5  rDev -10.2%
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

Arithmeticus

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured chilled in 4-oz taster, in shifts

A: orange copper, semicloudy; decent head; very good carb action; good amount of lacing
S: light aroma of hops (orange and citrus overtones)
T: the orange/citrus element really comes through; intense, and complex, with a nice alignment of sweetness and bitterness, but perhaps tipped against the malt side of the equation; no bass notes -- all treble (sharp, piercing flavor)
M: velvety, quite nice

A good, distinctive IPA

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 00:25:01 | More by Arithmeticus

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

2.98/5  rDev -13.1%
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

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.95/5  rDev -14%
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