Monday Night really makes some interesting decisions in their naming conventions. That said, I really admire their can design. Their labels are straightforward and easy to pick out, but they follow a particular aesthetic (most of the time) that makes them somewhat easy to pick out of a lineup. This time, they're coming at me with a double IPA, and my fondness for this style of beverage has not diminished. Let's see what they bring to the table.
First sip is very calm for a double IPA. Ordinarily, these things try to knock you off your feet with flavor, but this one manages to be solid without pushing you over. The hops are here in force, but I find it difficult to pick out any specific kind. Instead, there's a bit of a morass of citrus, tropical, pine, and possibly floral. Is that all the kinds of hops there are? I think it might be. This is certainly not to say it's bad, but a sip is not really getting across a cohesive flavor profile. You know what that means? We gulp!
Tip-in is light carbonation that slowly turns it up as the thick, sweet malt serves as a platter for citrus and tropical fruits. The middle is surprisingly smooth; I say this, as the muddled flavor profile continues in the gulp as it did in the sip, but it manages to be thick and smooth at the same time. The finish is a snap of dry followed by a swelling of bitterness that counterpoints the sweetness that isn't there anymore.
Bottom Line: They describe this beer as savage yet refined. It could probably use some more refinement.
2.25/5
