Left Hand 400 lb Monkey

Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Longmont, Colorado USA

Appearance: Pours out a clear, light copper-hued body with a medium-small, but lasting, white head. Slight, slender lacing on the way down. Smell: Initially, a whiff of vaguely sweet-scented malts greet the nose, followed by hop notes of pine needles and oil-soaked, fresh tangerine rinds and a pervasive earthy overtone. Taste: Standard pale maltiness, lightly grainy and sweet, with just a teeny iota of sweet almond. The hop character is predominately earthy, but there’s also tastes of white pine and tangerine oil. Moderate bitterness. The finish is reasonably dry with a lingering hint of raw barley in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Overall, a decent brew to drink; it’s hop-forward, certainly, but not overbearing and could pair with a wide variety of foods. I opted for Taco Mac’s Smothered Kettle Chips. I and other previous reviewers agree that the name is a bit misleading -- it’s less a palate-ravaging 400lb Monkey as it is a Curious George. Ah, that lovable lil’ scamp.

Sampled on draft at Zeno’s in State College PA this beer poured a golden color with a large white head. The aroma was dryish and fruity with a touch of pine. The flavor was dry, tangy, fruity and had light undertones of pine and spice. Medium finish. Medium body. Ok.

On tap at the brewery during GABF 2009. Pours a dark yellow color with thin white head. Aroma is sweet and floral with notes of honey, spice, floral hops, light grapefruit and pine. Flavor is generally about the same. Medium body with a floral hop finish.

Pours bright golden with a mostly receding off-white head. Notes of mango, sour citrus, and pale malt. Medium bodied with moderate resins and lively carbonation.

Petty delicious. Had some from the tap at Rattle n Hum. Pours a nice golden hue, modestly hazy. Nose of hops, pine and some light fruits. Flavor is a lovely variety of hoppiness. Well balanced between hops and some malts. Medium body. Nice, clean finish with some lip-smacking bitterness. Solid.

Tap at the brewery - pours a hazy straw color, with a fluffy, substantial head - fairly tropical in aroma and flavor, with pineapple and apricot being most dominant - potent, spicy, herbal hops - medium-bodied, with a bit of yeastiness, but the crispness of the hops still makes it kind of refreshing - dry, medium-bitter finish, with lingering citrus rind character - a tasty and balanced IPA.

On tap at Shallo’s. Pours clear golden orange. Nose is pretty weak with some floral/fruit notes, but not a whole lot of hops to be found. Taste is very light and similar to the nose...if this is an IPA, where are the hops? Very odd tasting, and really not that bad...a little refreshing in fact, but very dissapointing for being classified as an IPA.

on tap 9/17/2009 at papago. not sure on what to call the color but slightly hazy maple stained-orange-coppery-amber-brownish should work. it has a clingy white head and very faint nose. there’s some pine in it mixed with mild caramel notes, apricots maybe, spiciness from hops, orange and grass. the carbonation is soft and the palate is a touch on the sweet side. this combination gives the medium body a syrupy texture. the flavor is the same as the aroma... fairly mild but really well balanced... which is bad for me from an ipa. this shit is definitely not bananas... 6/4/6/3/13/3.2