
Feeding The Fanatics by Monkish brewing is a 7.1% ABV India Pale Ale brewed with Citra, Simcoe, and Amarillo hops.
Label:
None!
==Introduction==
Released as a taproom exclusive, Monkish has changed its ways for the better good. Since the beginning, they were a brewery exclusive to the Belgian styles of brewing. They even had a sign that used to say NO IPAs! Until recently, they have tested their brewing art and applied to making IPAs. They somehow stumbled upon an east coast secret of hazy New England style IPAs. Essentially, the orange juice and tropical fruit and pulpy hop bombs. I say that because the beers are so hazy and so juicy that they are exactly like if you are drinking juice. Since I tried King JJJuliusss by Tree House a while back, I have an idea of what they are about. Especially since Heady Topper as well. This combined with the fact that Monkish has been releasing IPA cans exclusively at the brewery and creating a very coveted market, their IPAs are extraordinary. Unfortunately, for me, I think I have lost interest in waiting for can releases. You see, it has become very hyped up that people are actually staying overnight on some Fridays before can releases in order to get a chance at a 4 pack of gold. They pretty much sell out really quick. So, when they said they would release one of their IPAs on tap only and growler fill option, I had to see what this “hype” was all about. The name alone describes how big their IPAs have become. They have to feed the masses or “fanatics” like a cult of IPA praise that there really is not enough of these delicious beers to feed the other masses that do not want to camp out for beer releases. Monkish is a gold mine! Essentially, to the degree that they are most likely Pliny and Heady Topper hype killers at this point until other breweries can make such juice bombs just like Tree House or Trillium to name a few. So here I have a pour from a growler fill and I will tell you, what I think of this so called, Gold… cheers!
Aromas:
Tropical fruit guava, mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, pineapple juice, kiwi, prickly pears, pomegranates, honey dew melon, papaya, cranberries, cherries, tangerines, lychee, kumquats, Danish cream, sweetened condensed milk, lemon starbursts, orange starburst, lemons, limes, orange juice, lemonade, lime aid, tang, tampico orange juice, raspberries, cane sugar, agave nectar, stone peaches, apricots, dank, garlicky, floral, herbal and grassy hops, basil, lemon grass, vanilla and tangerine gummies.
Flavors:
Rich orange juice, lemonade, lime aid, tang, tampico orange juice, raspberries, cane sugar, agave nectar, stone peaches, apricots, dank, garlicky, floral, herbal and grassy hops, basil, lemon grass, vanilla, tangerine gummies, tropical fruit guava, mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, pineapple juice, kiwi, prickly pears, pomegranates, honey dew melon, papaya, cranberries, cherries, tangerines, lychee, kumquats, orange bang, orange juice pulp, grapefruit pulp, orange blossom honey, almond cream, cashew cream, biscuit bread, Danish cream, sweetened condensed milk, lemon starbursts, orange starburst, lemons, limes, grapes and tropical fruit smoothies.
Aftertaste:
Finishing with rich tropical and citrus fruit flavors that just linger for a very long time with rich hop dankness, honey, sweetened condensed milk hints, honey and more. No alcohol in the taste, Hazy Pale Honey medium body, crisp, clean, smooth, refreshing and velvety mouthfeel with an easy drinkability.
Overall:
Seriously though, what Vatican Deep Vault Scrolls did Monkish unearth to make these grandeur IPAs. Apparently, they somehow brought the magic of the east coast and blended some West Coast mysteries into it because this is damn insane. IF the can releases is making people wait outside on different Friday nights to camp for a Saturday Can release, it must be something that is definitely out there. This must be proof as the fact that this was the first time they released it on tap that soon, there will be enough beer for even distribution to the masses. I will not say this is the best beer in the world, NO, but I will say this type of beer style is definitely up there with my top 10s. Sorry, I love my Belgians to be a hop head but I am a lover of all styles and IPAs are a love of mine as well. Regardless, I honestly think while the beer is supreme and I hope to see more in the future, I would still not camp out to get these beers. Unless you really want to, I say give it some time before this or any other of their IPAs are released to the public or find a way to trade for it. These beers have a low shelf life, even lower than West Coast IPAs so you definitely have to enjoy them fresh. If Monkish still has this beer on tap and you happen to be around the town. GO GET THIS!… This one is a bucket lister… I’m sure their other ones are too.
Anime Corner:
Anime Justice League by artists Wizyakyza (link in the sources) which includes anime characters Kirito from Sword Art Online 2, Naruto from Naruto, Natsu from Fairy Tail, Ryuko Matoi (maiwaifu LOL) from Kill La Kill, Saitama from One Punch Man, Mikasa Ackerman from Attack On Titan, Goku from Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Super, Edward from Full Metal Alchemist and Luffy from One Piece were all used as a statement. The masses seem to be moving forward toward some kind of IPA hop juice Utopia and the name signifies that people will stop at nothing to this brew. Maybe the secret isn’t so secret at all as some home brewers have attempted to mimic some of these beers. However, for being a beer that I damn enjoyed so much (maybe not the way I enjoy my favorite best beers in the world like my Quads and Belgian Dark Strongs or Barrel Aged gold) I still wanted to create a parallel between what people in the craftbeer world are wanting versus what people in the anime world are wanting. A true collision of Beer and Anime awesomeness!!
Sources:
http://wizyakuza.deviantart.com/art/hmmmmmmm-587323705
20th Anniversary Higher Math by Dogfish Head is a 17% ABV Belgian Golden Ale brewed with Chocolate and Sour Cherry Juice.
Label:
Celebrating 20 off-centered years with our luscious chocolate-cherry birthday cake in liquid form.
==Introduction==
Holy Shit! It’s been a long time since Dogfish Head released a super gravity beer. Perfect along with Fort. The last time I tried a high gravity brew that was up in the 16% to 18% ABV from them was Dogfish Head 120 IPA. A crazy insane IPA that I wish I could find again. With the release of this beer, my need to the high gravity (Aside from the Bruery stuff) can be satisfied once again. These are the beers that you definitely cellar for a long time and see how it evolves. Since I don’t wanna wait and bring this to the site to see if you should cash for this one, I will be trying this one and let you know hot it is, like I always do. Cheers!
Aromas:
Dark fruit raisins, figs, grapes, currants, plums, dark cherries, cranberries, raspberries, Chocolate Orange Creamcicle, grilled bananas, dulce de leche caramel, banana cream pie, cinnamon, flan, double fudge cherry cake, honey, maple syrup, cherry cordials, port wine hints, milk chocolate, hazelnut nectar, orange peel, coriander, toffee, rye bread, tangerine preserves on toasted bread, butterscotch and tres leches cake.
Flavors:
Chocolate Orange Creamcicle, grilled bananas, dulce de leche caramel, banana cream pie, cinnamon, flan, milk chocolate, hazelnut nectar, orange peel, coriander, dark fruit raisins, figs, grapes, currants, plums, dark cherries, cranberries, raspberries, toffee, rye bread, tangerine preserves on toasted bread, butterscotch, tres leches cake, Stone fruit apricots, peaches in cream, apple pie, pecan pie, rocky road ice cream, double fudge cherry cake, honey, maple syrup, cherry cordials, port wine hints, grape must, capirotada raisin bread pudding, fruit cake and piloncillo sugar cone.
Aftertaste:
Finishing with rich cherry, orange, hints of chocolate, dark fruits, stone fruits, rye bread, tangerine preserves on toasted bread and rich honey. Slight alcohol in the taste but not detracting from the already rich flavors. Bloody Crimson hazy body, silky, creamy and syrupy mouthfeel and sipping drinkability.
Overall:
Exceptionally luscious high gravity goodness. Warms up the tummy on those late fall/ early winter days. There was so much going in this beer. For being high gravity, you could still taste the complex flavors even if the alcohol was slight. My only regret was that I could not get any more of these bottles. Now I will have to track them down so I can try it again. That or the other high gravity brews from Dogfish Head for sure. Any of them would be awesome. But seriously, if you like these types of beers, this one is king!
Anime Corner:
Android 18 (Lazuli) from Dragon Ball Z was paired with this one mainly for the colors of the beer and label but mainly the whole ABV and numbers relative to the name, Higher Math. The strength is a major as well seeing that Android 18 coming from Dragon Ball Z would be one of the strongest females in Anime History and one hot looking one at that. Next to Goku or Vegeta, Lazuli is my favorite since growing up with DBZ.
Sources:
http://1.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/34/86/f4c98b05a6528bfc1f784dd84235a951.jpg
Knuckle Sandwich by Bootleggers is a 10%ABV World Class Double/Imperial India Pale Ale
Label:
This is a beer that truly lives up to its name! Brewed with copious amounts of North American hops, this Double IPA has a colossal hop profile and an aggressive aroma. Helping round out the floral and citrus notes is a huge malt backbone that provides a great mouth feel to this heavyweight hitter.
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First had this at King’ Row Gastropub in Pasadena California. Back then I wasn’t aware how great and very sought after this beer was. It is brewed locally here in Fullerton California but even the demand for this beer is insane. By the time I wanted a bottle to review, it was sold out pretty much everywhere. I went to the local liquor store in the street where I grew up since I knew back then they had some nice beers but had not been back there since 2011. To my surprise, there it was, the Elusive Knuckle Sandwich. Even so, there was not many left and I am sure they would be gone soon enough. Didn’t hesitate to get this one to be able to do a good review and bring this one forth in another one of my Art and Beer pairings.
Aromas are very tropical and grassy. Grassy, piney, citrus, floral and grapefruit hops, pineapple, mango, papaya, kumquats, lychees, peaches, guavas, dragon fruit, melon, a scent of plum, orange, lemon, biscuit bread, caramel, pepper notes and mint.
The Flavors are of Caramel, sweet bread, vanilla, rich grassy, herbal, piney and chewy hops, followed by very nice tropics of oranges, pineapple, mango, plum notes, cherry notes, papaya, kumquats, lychees, peaches, dragon fruit, apricots, guavas, very mild banana notes and honey dew melon. The aftertaste lingers with a lot of tropics and herbal hops. The alcohol is somewhat hidden does not detract from the beer’s flavor. In fact, it adds like a honey flavor as well. It is quite balanced for sure.
This beer is essentially what hop head dreams are made it. This beer does not disappoint and it is as awesome as the last time I remember it even though I had it fresher back in March. It a fist full of awesome IPA goodness. Dare I call this one, Heady Topper the 2nd? Yes, I just did. The balance is phenomenal and if you are mainly into more tropical IPAs, then this one is to try. I myself love Tropical IPAs as well as Super hop bitter ones as well. This would be in my top list of awesome Double IPAs along with Ruination, Pliny the Elder, Double Jack, Hop Stoopid, Hangar 24’s Double IPA and others I have reviewed so far. A great example in great west coast double IPAs
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Ruby created by DawnBest http://dawnbest.deviantart.com/art/The-Many-Forms-of-Ruby-the-Echidna-345683691
Nitro (aka Milk Stout) by Left Hand Brewing is a 6% ABV Milk Chocolate Sweet Stout. It is the original Milk Stout but using special equipment to bottle it with nitrogen which is responsible for less carbonation and with more creaminess. I think since I poured in a tulip glass, a lot of the foamy head was gone. It is still very creamy though.
Label:
Brewed on the Banks of the Mighty St. Vrain Super Smooth with soft roastiness and Mocha Flavors.
Description:
This English style of beer, also known as Sweet Stout or Cream Stout, first appeared in London in the late 1800’s. The early brewers touted the health benefits of the milk sugar in this beer which today relates mainly to the increased amount of calories(no real health benefits…sorry). The milk sugar adds a well rounded sweetness to this dark beer and makes it an outstanding, year ’round stout.
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One of the nations top sweet milk stouts and for many reasons. On the lines with Moo Hoo Milk Stout but more coffee notes. The aromas are of a very nice coffee, mocha and caramel frappucino fragrance with notes of chocolate milk. Quite nice really. The Flavors are way too creamy and smooth. Hardly any bitterness and goes down very nice. Liquid Frappucino with nice flavors of dark chocolate, coffee espresso, mocha, caramel, whipped crème vanilla, lots of sugar, milk chocolate, and almond milk. Mouth feel in the after taste is coffee and chocolate with hardly anything rough. So much rich creamy goodness. It is soooooo damn easy to drink. People would probably have a hard time deciphering whether this a beer or a cold special coffee. Definite craft beer gateway. It is really outstanding…gotta try 😀