Left Hand 400 Pound Monkey
Okay, this one isn’t for everybody – yet. Over the years we’ve been asked to brew a year-round IPA, but have balked at the idea because of the flood of American IPAs currently on the market. If we couldn’t make an IPA that was different what was available, that we personally liked to drink, and one that we could put our personal signature on and be proud of, we didn’t want to do it. So, last fall we brewed a single batch IPA on our new brewhouse and sent it out to 5 different markets around the country to test the response. Which turned out to be pretty positive. So, here we are in 2009, and we’re back playing again with a few new test batches that we’re sampling here in Colorado and a few select markets around the country. What’s in a name, you ask? Well, back in February of 2007, there was an article in there titled ‘Extremely Boring’. Go back and find that issue, and that specific article, and you’ll see why we named the beer 400 Pound Monkey. Happy sleuthing!
3.2
989 reviews
Longmont, United States
Community reviews
Tap (Hopfenreich, Berlin). Piwo o ciemno-zlocistej barwie, szarej pianie, niezbyt obfitej i nietrwalej. Aromat srednio intensywny, lekko slodkawy z nuta owocow tropikalnych. W smaku slodowe z konkretnym cialem, z nutami s?odkich owocow tropikalnych i nuta alkoholu przebijajaca sie z drugiego planu. Goryczka srednia, ziolowa, niczym nie zachwyca z reszta jak cale piwo.
7/7/2010 2:20:58 AM Bottle at Beer Temple. A nice amber body with almost no head. Sweet and spicy nose. Some hops too. The taste is pure hops and pine notes. Lots and lots of hops. Also a bit spicy with caramel. Very good for Left Hand I say.
Reviewed from notes.
This was poured into an English pint glass.
The appearance was a moderately hazy burnt orange color. Lighter colored hues of almost transparent burnt yellow grace along the sides if the glass. The head was about a finger’s worth of white foaminess. After dissipation, moderate sticky lacing eventually slides into the beer.
The smell starts off with a sweet biscuity to breadiness rolling into a sly little bit of a grassy spicy hops. Gets slightly earthy as well. Soapiness of a normal English IPA is there yet tame.
The taste was moderately sweet. Low rolling earthy to semi-spicy hops slide into the aftertaste and into the finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a nice sessionable sweet to spicy feel slyly rolling over a nice low key carbonation.
Overall, for an English IPA, its extremely well done. Hats off to Left Hand for pulling this one off. Pass the fish n’chips!
I agree with what they’re saying. Too many IPA’s are nothing but hop water. I like hoppy, extremely bitter beer. But there also has to have some hint of malt, barley, and maybe other flavors involved. This is a finger in the eye of the brewers that are just putting out hop water and puffing their chest out. It’s good and it’s making a statement!!!! On tap @ 3 Cellars Franklin, Wisconsin.
Bottle @ Flying Scotsman Inn. Dark golden, nice compact white head leaving lacing on the glass. Sweet cookie aroma with pine and orange. Oily smooth mouthfeel low carbonated. Taste got bread, pine, cocoa, ripe orange.
Bottle. Pale transparent orange; light lacing. Muddy caramel malt, fruity, nutty. Dry finish. Light to medium bitterness. Alright, but that’s it.
Aroma is a little weak. The taste makes up for it, balancing bitterness with just a little bit of sweet. Enjoyable offering from left hand, if not all that memorable in the vast sea of good IPA's that are out there.
Pours clear golden with a thin off white head. Bread aroma. Initial crisp fruit hop taste that immediately switched to a grassy dry earthy dry mouth feel. Pronounced switch.
---Rated via Beer Buddy
Pours a clear golden orange with a white head. Head retention is good. AROMA: Malt, pineapple, citrus, floral hops, spice, slight spruce, very light caramel and a slight funk. TASTE: pine bitterness, hope bitterness, caramel, citrus, spice, tropical fruit and pineapple. AFTER TASTE: pine bitterness, caramel light citrus and spice with an oily finish. Definitely expected more from this brew however it’s still a great brew.
BBD 5/13/15. Pours a clear golden with a touch of amber. Normal head characteristics.
Nice, but a bit light, nose of herbal hops with a bit of peppery spice over biscuit.
Light medium body with a smooth texture. Slightly above normal carbonation with a bit of effervescence in the middle and a solid finish.
The flavor profile is unique, intense, a bit complex but not well balanced. It begins with an odd flavor - herbal hops, a mineral aspect and something that tastes old and metallic. A nice biscuit sweetness arrives in the middle under a mild hop bitterness with a bit of pepper spiciness. The finish has a bit of alcohol bite and is also metallic
Bottle pour. Light golden amber with off white head. Aroma is grass, honey, and grapefruit. Medium body. Light bitter with decent salty. A good IPA.
Okay, can you please shorten your official beer description? Ive been drinking quite a bit already tonight, so I dont need such a long introduction.... But its true, this does not come across as a "normal" IPA in many ways, especially the smell & look of it (smells of yeast/beer-in-progress, looks like a lager or other golden brew). Tastes pretty interesting but why are IBUs info not displayed?? "Happy Sleuthing"?? Hey guys, Im not trying to solve a mystery, I just want to have a drink....
Not terrible, but almost bland compared with most IPA I have had. Hardly a scent to speak of. The only pronounced flavor is one I’m not accustomed to, but isn’t bad; just not reminiscent of a standard IPA.
A little different. Aroma and Flavors were hoppy with an earthy malt. Not overly strong but received with mixed feelings. OK I guess.
Cocoa, orange, roasted malt. Low carbonation, orange flower and dark chocolate, floral hops, lemon zest, nutty cake, dry finish. Quite an interesting take on an ipa, does have both the british dark cocoa and american orange fruity edges.
On tap at OBriens in San Diego. Deep gold color, low carbonation. Aroma is dried grass, honey, malt. Flavor leans to a grainy cereal character with sweet caramel and hop bitterness understated. Finishes quickly with low alcohol tones. It's OK.
bottle @ Party Town / Florence KY --- Clear medium amber with a solid off-white 1/2" head, cobweb of lace. Taste is caramel malt that adds mild, but distinct, hops on the swallow. Light carbonation is also present. Pretty simple, just barely enough hops to be an IPA.
Pours a clear amber colour with a frothy off white head. Aroma is hoppy and grassy with some bread malt scents. Taste is mildly sweet and not overly bitter, it’s quite balanced. Medium body, good carbonation, and smooth on the palate. Overall a good IPA.
Dark golden color, thin. Malt smells present. Just a hint of hops with good malt flavor and aftertaste.
12 oz bottle served in a tulip. The beer is a clear golden orange with an inch or so of white head that shrinks to nothing and leaves a little lacing. Aroma is fairly malt forward. Caramel, biscuit, and floral hops are most present, although the aroma is fairy faint all the way around. On to taste. Sour citrus, bready malts, and a little caramel and toffee flavors. There’s really not much else there. The flavors are sort of muddled and underwhelming. As far as palate, the beer goes down pretty easy and is feels fairly light. Overall not the best representation of the style, it’s more like English IPA light.
On tap at Bishops Maria. Golden with white head. Aroma malty, ashy, grapefruit and light cat piss. Taste is similar, bready malt and ash tray dominates
Bottle from Mitsuya’s. Pours an amber with a nice off-white head. Malt forward aromas with hints of citrus hops, floral and tea aromas present as well. Fairly balanced with the malt sweetness and caramel pairing nicely with the citrusy hops and some pepper on the palate. Nice dry finish.
Bottle. Clear light amber color, medium white head. Aroma of light citrus, caramel. Taste has burnt caramel.
Grassy hop aroma with a slight maltieness come from this clear pale golden brew with white bubbles forming around the glass. I get the classic english bitterness followed by the malt then the flor taste of the hops come in leaving. Bitter note in the aftertaste. This beer is mediumish bodied and has good carb. The label says it all. An English ipa.
Bottle picked up from Cotteridge wines and drunk at home. Aroma is ok wet hop, tea leaves, biscuit and light caramel malts. Nice mostly clear golden yellow coloured pour with a lasting sticky white head with big bubble and lace. Flavour is composed of biscuity, pale malts and little caramel, spicy hop, wet hop, hop matter, tea leaves. Palate is medium to lifght bodied with a little malt sweetness and moderate carbonation. Maybe not as fresh as it could be.
A golden amber coloured beer with a thick and frothy white head. A light hoppy aroma, grassy and herbal with hints of pithy grapefruit and lime. Dry mouthfeel. The taste starts off with a hefty hop hit, loads of citrus fruit, grassy and herbal, but this is soon tempered by a slightly sweeter, caramel malt flavour. The final brings back the hoppiness into a lengthy end of the flavour.
Transparent golden orange. Minimal head. Pleasant, but mild caramel, malt, honey, and spruce aroma. Light bodied and smooth. Potent hop characteristics are present immediately upon sipping and they remain for quite some time following the finish. Underlying the hop exists the pleasant caramel malt present in the aroma. Tart grapefruit accompanies the hop as well. Enjoyable.
brown bread kind of aroma, but very faint, amber gold colour no head, sweet citrus blast, sweet cloying aftertaste, yeah its ok.
Bottle. Pours golden amber with a small white head. Aroma of caramel, citrus and light fruit. Flavor of pine, citrus, caramel, grass and a bit of fruit.
Tap, Sharkey’s Radford. Clear, light amber. Not much aroma here, not much taste, light malt, good balance, nothing stands out. Ok beer though.