Monkeynaut IPA - Straight To Ale

brentk56

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Arrives with a modest head laying on top of the clear amber liquid; streaks of lace are left behind

Smell: Caramel and herbal, pney hops; a little spicy

Taste: The malt lays down a caramel backbone, with the resinous, piney hops building through mid-palate; nicely balanced into the finish with a leafy, spicy character

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A bit more like a hoppy amber than an IPA but still quite good

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2012 13:42:59 | More by brentk56

oberon

North Carolina

4.01/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the can into a standard pint glass a clear amber/copper with a nice one finger slight off white head atop that lasted for quite awhile.Aromas of citric hops over top of a hefty caramel/biscuit malt base,the hops win out with the deep citric and resiny notes.Grapefruit and a nd pine resin really hit nicely at the onset of the beer,the maltiness is pretty big holding up nicely to the hops and adding mild caramel sweetness.This is a "bigger" standard IPA,big hops with quite a malt base that hold up to it.

Serving type: can

05-07-2013 21:15:01 | More by oberon

MasterSki

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to the d0b for the share. Served in a FoBAB taster pint.

A - A finger-plus of creamy foam slowly settles to a cap, leaving minimal lace - nice retention. Transparent amber body with tiny bubbles visible.

S - Fairly malt-forward, with sugary and crackery notes balanced by herbs and grapefruit rind. A hint of brown sugar flavor in there as well. Definitely an East Coast IPA.

T - Taste has quite a bit of lemony citrus, as well as mild pine and herbal notes. Some sugar cookie malts balance things out before giving way to fairly high bitterness in the finish. Again, quite East Coast in terms of balance and alpha acids.

M - Smooth, creamy, medium body, with some resinous residual hop oils, and a dry, toasty finish. Pleasant moderate carbonation.

D - Solid IPA, and quite impressive for Alabama.

Serving type: can

05-25-2012 18:45:54 | More by MasterSki

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Bulbman for sending this one my way!! This poured out as a clear looking orange color. Tere is a nice looking white head on top. The retention is good and the lacing is scattered. The smell of the beer is bright and lively with hops. Really nice citrusy aromas on this beer. The taste of the beer has a nice hoppy flavor as well, subtle lemon and orange flavors with a sweet maltiness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, it's slick and kind of oily. The carbonation is good here too. Overall the beer is very good. Much better than I expected.

Serving type: can

01-29-2013 23:52:00 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks Jim for the generous post-fest freebie. Awesome can graphic of a reluctant and/or awestruck primate astronaut.

Color is a saturated dark orange with bright clarity, with lasting foam and drippy concentric rings of sticky lace. A floating island veil of skim hovers for the remainder of the glass.

Some herbal greens and funky citrus rind notes in the aroma, slightly dank in that wet green way.

Moderately bitter at first with a balanced supporting caramel malt middle, lingering orange peel and citrus notes throughout. Medium bodied with light carbonation, nice hoppy aftertaste that lingers. One for the deep south hopheads...

Serving type: can

05-31-2012 01:28:10 | More by emerge077

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.48/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a golden orange color with good carbonation leaving a nice white cap

S: Plenty of citrus and flowers with a big blend of bread and caramel.

T: Caramel malt and breadiness hosts citrus notes with a light pine needle, light booze and hop bite to remind you it is an IPA. The finish is moderatley bitter but sweet, sticky and syrupy like extract

M: Nice, balanced,a little to sweet, what seems to be faded hops, caramel and orange zest sit on the palate

O: Clean it up and balance it out a bit

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2012 12:22:06 | More by barleywinefiend

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a tulip glass)
A-This beer pours a clear deep orange body with a slow microcarbonation that supports a thick creamy beige head.

S- The full aroma of dried citrus hops comes through even during the pour. There are some spice hop notes that are layered underneath.

T- The dry green citrus pith hops has a slight sweetness in the caramel malt that follows. There is a sweetness hint that lingers with the green spicy note to the hops, but little bitterness. The nice pungency stains the tongue after each sip.

M- The medium-full body has a creamy texture and no alcohol heat noticed. The tight little fizz enhances the hop flavor

O- The full big delicious IPA has a big pungent floral flavor with some nice spice character to add depth. The malt sweetness is just enough to keep this beer dry but support the hops flavor. Thanks to Coldchill for this brew.

Serving type: can

01-08-2013 16:05:50 | More by rhoadsrage

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Growler obtained from unclejedi out of the blue. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 3/4" beige head over the clear coppery amber brew. Head recedes at an average pace, with lots of sticky lacing. Aroma is fruity pine.

Taste is sweet upfront, start to see the pine from very early, which carries through to the close, with some fruitiness apparent in the middle and ramping down towards the close. Mouthfeel is quite smooth, and drinkability is very nice as well. An all-around good brew, glad o have the pleasure to visit this part of Alabama.

Serving type: growler

08-15-2010 00:29:00 | More by ppoitras

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to PALMEJ1 for sending this one.

Pours a slightly hazy, dark copper color with burnt orange edges and a two finger frothy white head that slowly settles into a thick, lasting ring. Good retention with large streaks of soapy lacing left behind.

Slightly earthy floral hop aroma with grass and resinous pine followed by subtle citrus and a sweet malt backbone. Hints of grapefruit, orange peel, biscuit, caramel and toffee provide sweetness that counters the dank, sticky hops. Nice balance in the nose but the malt character is a bit stronger than I prefer.

Full bodied with a blast of dank, sticky hops providing a decent amount of dry bitterness that lingers over the citrus fruit and sweet malt notes into a dry finish. Fresh juicy hops with earthy grass, bitter pine needle and resinous oils followed by a prominent grapefruit presence before the caramel malt sweetness comes on in the back end. A little bit of bread, biscuit and caramel rounding things out in the finish. Very faint boozy sweetness but the high ABV is well masked. There's a bit more malt flavor than I prefer, but this is an extremely drinkable beer with good hop flavor.

Serving type: can

05-06-2013 07:50:54 | More by corby112

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This was an unexpected gift from longtime friends, UncleJedI and PurpleHatJoan, on our most recent get-together, this time in Madison, WI for the GTMW. Many thanks!

Nothing on the CAN of note other than the graphic of the screeching monkey. If Bitter Ameri[CAN]'s monkey was bitter, this little guy is outraged!

I am getting used to a spray from the Crack as I open a craft CAN, so this was business as usual. I employed an inverted Glug, resulting in two-plus fingers of dense, foamy tan head with great retention. The nose was big with pine hops, reminding me of the upcoming "Repo Man" tribute album on Ameri[CAN] Laundromat Records. I was a pre-order, so mine will come with a pine tree air freshener since you find one in every car. Color was a deep amber with NE-quality clarity. Mouthfeel was dense, viscous with a taste of caramel malt and pine hops on the tongue. Beautiful! Finish was semi-dry with the hops winning the battle with the caramel malt, but just barely. This is a really good AIPA and my thanks again for the present! Lots of nice sticky lacing remained. I would definitely give this some cooler space.

Serving type: can

08-28-2012 00:44:12 | More by woodychandler

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a ghetto growler purchased from Highland package Store in Birmingham. Pours a slightly hazy orange amber with a swirly head. Very nice citrusy aromas with some floral notes as well and some leafy hops near the end. A touch of pine rounds it out. The tangerine, orange, and lemon notes play nicely with the sweet malt here. Just lovely. Very smooth in the mouth with similar notes as found in the nose, but slightly more muted here. Still very nice citrus and a good leafy bitterness on the finish. Very smooth with a creamy note, and good clean, pure flavors. Another solid Alabama IPA- maybe this is a trend.

Serving type: growler

07-25-2011 00:14:59 | More by Georgiabeer

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the J. Clyde into a shaker pint.

A: Clear amber body, a shade darker than medium; practically no head, but the whisp of off-white bubbles sticks around throughout. Not a great pour, but not an ugly beer.

S: Pungent piney hops dominate, backed up by some toasty malt. Decent.

T: Pine and grapefruit hops lead things off, followed by some nicely understated caramel malt. Cleanly bitter finish, with a touch of chalky yeast. Enjoyable.

M: Smooth medium body with ample, fairly lively carbonation.

D: Fairly clean and balanced. Not quite juicy enough to make me thirsty for more, but definitely not a struggle to finish.

Notes: This one was recommended to me by the bartender after he informed me that the Good People Pale Ale had kicked. While I don't think that this beer was up to the same standard as the one I wanted, it was a tasty brew nonetheless. It's great to see more quality beers coming out of Alabama.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2011 19:51:53 | More by woosterbill

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another in a long line of beers provided by the legendary woodychandler. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has an orangeish color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of piney hops. Taste is piney hops, bitter up front, malts kicking in towards the finish. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer, but I was not blown away by it.

Serving type: can

09-06-2012 20:11:25 | More by tone77

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. can delivered from Alabama to Portland by none other than unclejedi ~ thanks again, Jim! No dating on the can, but I received it on 11/30 & figure it was pretty fresh.

Label shows a screaming 'monkeynaut', a tribute to our poor primate friend/'space explorer' who's still stuck in an endless orbit, I suppose. NASA meet PETA. PETA, NASA... whatever. That Straight to Ale hails from Huntsville (Rocket City!) is cool nonetheless...

A: Lovely caramel/copper with a superb head of stocky cream (soap suds) and endless lacing, sticking top to bottom. Pour is almost clear, exploiting a lazy carbonation.

S: Grassy aroma of green hops, but not a thrilling/inviting - just a 'pleasant' one. Somewhat flowery and honey-like. Grassy and citrus fruit. Good strength.

T: Citrus orange and a mango/pineapple fruitiness. Cakey and lots of caramel, all covered with piney & spicy hops, pithy bitterness lasts a while. Slightly metallic in the finish.

M:Started a little thin but filled out nicely. Smooth, not overly carbonated - even a little heavy/sticky in the finish.

O: One of those beer that's good on all accounts and somehow garners an even better overall score. Would I drink this frequently if I lived in Alabama, I'd be having this... ALL. THE. TIME.

Serving type: can

12-17-2012 17:19:40 | More by msubulldog25

prototypic

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Many thanks to kkipple for the can! You’re the man!

Monkeynaut pours an attractive copper color. It’s very clear. No haze at all. Backlighting gives it a nice orange tint. A really nice off-white head covers it. It’s big, standing over two and a half fingers tall. Retention was very good. I’m not sure it will completely disappear. Lacing was very sticky and thick as it trailed down the glass.

The nose is alright. It could use a little more strength. It kicks off with a little more caramel malt than I’d like. That’s definitely the base. Smells a little sugary and quite sweet. That’s a bit of a cracker-ish scent in there, as well. Hops are easily noted and have primarily a citric scent. Lemon, grapefruit, and light orange are noted. There’s a good dose of pine that follows. Alcohol is blended pretty well and isn’t all that noticeable. Smells pretty good.

The flavor is about on par with the nose. The malt base is caramel. It is sweet and is quite prominent in the flavor. Not my favorite thing. There are some sugar cookie and cracker notes, as well. Hops jump into the mix early. They are mostly citric. Grapefruit, lemon, and orange are all noted. Piney notes follow. It’s a little bitter, but it’s pretty well balanced given the strong malt base. Alcohol isn’t too much of a factor. It’s there, but isn’t too strong. Finishes with a nicely balanced mix of caramel, citric, and piney flavors.

Monkeynaut has a medium body. Carbonation seems active, but the bubbles feel rather light. The feel is pretty nice and smooth. It’s relatively easy drinking. If the flavor were just a little better, drinkability would be excellent.

Monkeynaut is an okay release from Straight to Ale. It’s a little malt heavy for my taste, but it’s not bad. Especially considering…it’s from ALABAMA! That’s a fact you just can’t ignore. Knowing that, I’m thrilled for the entire state of Alabama. Good things appear to be happening there. Worth a try? Most definitely. Thanks, Dan!

Serving type: can

10-21-2012 03:00:04 | More by prototypic

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the J. Clyde. From notes. Reviewed 9 June 2011. Listed as 7.3%.

A: Clearish, orange, no head. Pretty.

S: Orange peel, citrus juice, resiny hops.

T: Really nice. Well-balanced. Fruity (lots of grapefruit) with perfectly balanced piney hops. The maintaste is sweetish (from both fruit and malt). The aftertaste is bitterly hoppy, but not dry.

M: Robust, lightly carbonated, and good -- there's nothing to criticize.

O: Good American IPA. Strong, drinkable, and pleasurable. Recommended. Would drink again.

EDIT 25 January 2013: Poured from a 12 ounce can into a tulip glass (thanks to xxcarpxx!). Might be a little old.

No real change, except that this iteration is less hoppy and more sweet. Creamy with fruit and a lightly bitter aftertaste. I still really like it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2011 15:11:45 | More by AgentMunky

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Canned around late October.

Pours a muddy copper color, tan coloured head. no real lacing to be had. Bright citrus aroma, some tropical fruits and slight bready malts. Bitter front, citrus, pine and resins. Creamy, slick, oily medium feel. Good, easy drinking IPA...Thanks Jamie!

Serving type: can

11-11-2012 22:59:26 | More by EgadBananas

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Amber brew with foamy head. 4.0

Pine and resinous citrus. Toffee malts. Pretty dank. 4.0

Moderately bitter. Orange, pine, and grapefruit. Toffee malts make for great balance. 4.0

Smooth, yet brushy. Excellent feel. 4.5

Tasty sample I had from my buddy's growler. An oily hop wonder without all of the extra sweetness or bitterness.

Serving type: growler

06-14-2012 03:29:57 | More by thecheapies

elgiacomo

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz can, no date but told it was around 2 weeks old. Served at around 40F.

Pours lightly hazy amber with a huge foamy off-white head that eventually recedes to a small foamy cap and leaves some clumpy lacing behind. Had to pour this in multiple stages due to the excessive carbonation/head.

Aroma is a big citrus blast, mostly orange, sweet pink grapefruit, a bit floral and piney, some yeasty/bready and caramel notes as well. Very good strength.

Flavor is strong citrus hops, orange, tangerine and grapefruit, some pine, a bit of caramel/bready malt in the middle offering just a bit of sweetness, finishes with strong bitterness and a tiny bit of alcohol. Malt picks up a bit as it warms.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, a bit oily, very sharp, strong carbonation.

Very nice IPA. Extremely citrusy which I love. The yeasty notes in the aroma and extreme carbonation knock it down a peg, but still very enjoyable overall.

Serving type: can

07-15-2012 18:41:00 | More by elgiacomo

kkipple

South Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanx to Unclejedi for this one, drunk 8.21.2010 in Buford, GA at the Meat Meet.

A. Pours a reddish walnut, with a spotty, inconsistent head, speckles of lace. Still in the glass, but it *was* from a growler...

S. Fairly standard pale-ish ale, (Cascade, Centennial?) with some decent hop character, but not West Coast at all.. more reserved and leaves room for the sweet biscuity malt. More like an Imperial APA here, but not bad.

T. Big red malt character, lots of Cascade, bitters carry on from the start to finish, sort of "standard", short and clean finish, sweet in all the good places... does not take any chances, nor does it really stick around as interesting, but is quite solid and has no off flavors. A good start, to me, but this can be made better.

M / D. Fine carbonation, even via growler, mouthfeel is medium-ish, feels bigger than it actually is... still, not hard to put back.

Monkeynaut is a fine beer, but as a flagship sort of thing, really needs to (imo) find its own character and stake a claim. It's rather pedestrian, and while there are no real flaws, it doesn't stick in your head and make you think "This is Alabama beer." Given that this is a less than year old outfit, these issues could be easily addressed. I look forward to seeing what Straight to Ale does in the future!

Serving type: growler

08-22-2010 04:18:15 | More by kkipple

NODAK

Tennessee

4.48/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The aroma initially seems quite citric, but there's certainly a good candied malt sweetness there as well. It's sort of a tug of war between the two.

Pours a nice red color in my tall glass, darker than most IPA's are usually expected to be. Head is pretty nice and fluffy, and lacing is ample.

Initially, the citric hops that were perceptible in the nose are present and lead the beer off....but then there's quite a sweet, candied fruit sweetness that takes over. I definitely don't associate this taste with caramel or toffee....it's definitely fruit and just sweet. It's different for an IPA and I do enjoy it for a change up. The finish has a bit of astringent, citrus peel bitterness that ends the beer and lingers a bit afterwards.

This was really easy going down and due to the qualities listed above, it seems a bit different than most IPAs, which is a style where beers sometimes really do seem alike. I enjoyed it.

Serving type: growler

08-05-2012 01:28:58 | More by NODAK

GPHarris

Alabama

4.23/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a - poured a three-fingers thick light tan head into an english pub glass. the body was a bright copper color.
s - big piney hops with some nice caramel sweetness.
t - up front big-time with piney hops but there is a nice balance here too.
m - medium thickness, creamy.
o - loved this beer in a can, so quaffable.

Serving type: can

06-18-2012 14:57:45 | More by GPHarris

sommersb

Tennessee

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tasted On: 08-28-2012
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 12 oz. can
Glassware: Signature glass
Purchased: Single from Publix, Huntsville

The pour yields a crazy huge off-white head, filling my glass 90% full with foam. Once I can see the beer it's a clear and bright copper color. Lacing and head retention are excellent.

Smells are big and hoppy, giving off lots of citrus and pine aromas. Other aromas include caramel malts and alcohol. The taste also dominated by the bittering hops and citrus like grapefruit. The malts make a showing, but this one is mainly focused on hops.

Body is full, but the super-high carbonation is annoying. The finish is bitter and strong and leaves tastes of earthy, piney and citrus hops.

Overall a very flavorful IPA, but this can had some quality issues marring it.

Serving type: can

08-29-2012 02:06:52 | More by sommersb

match1112

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a: translucent copper body with three fingers worth of thick creamy off white head. head retention is about average for an ipa and lacing is spotty.

s: pine needles and bread.

t: nice bready malt body up front, then turns to dry bitter pine needles.

m: starts out with a medium feel thanks in part to the pine resin, but finishes with kinda thin watery feel to it.

o: decent and easy drinkin but far from something i would want to keep stocked all the time.

Serving type: can

12-30-2012 19:59:11 | More by match1112

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The last of my three 'bama beers from my friend's vacation. Thanks again Jen!

A. Pours a thick copper with a very small head that leaves small flecks of residual lacing.

S. I didn't detect a whole lot in the nose. Some floral hop character as well as caramel malt as it warms.

T. Raw hop bitterness upfront - tastes like a slightly subdued version of very fresh hop buds. There is a slight sweetness that mellows out the bitterness. As it warms, the sweetness shines through more. A bit of burnt orange peel as well.

M. Thick and creamy with a medium level of carbonation.

D. An IPA that isn't over the top and develops as it warms. While I wouldn't drink most IPAs all night, I could put a couple of these back happily.

Serving type: growler

07-09-2010 03:28:20 | More by BeerAndBourbon