I love the whimsical label, and Left Hand Brewing Co. has recently joined my list of favorite breweries.
They’ve come up with another fine brew here in 400 Pound Monkey. This is a lovely India pale ale, but despite the name, it does not have the intensity I expected. That doesn’t make it a bad beer by any stretch — it’s just not what I thought I was getting.
From the name, I expected a hop accent with a gorilla’s punch. That was not the case; while hoppy enough by India pale ale standards, this beer did not strike me as an all-out hops assault. Perhaps it was because I’ve been treating myself to Stone Brewing Co.’s Jedi-hopped Ruination IPA of late, or because I recently fell in love with Hopslam from Bell’s Brewery Inc. Those brews pack a hop wallop, and anything short of a dive into the back of a wagonload of fresh hops is likely to pale by comparison.
That being said, once I got over the surprise of not finding the expected hoppiness I was able to concentrate on the beer as it is, not as I expected it to be. (That’s right. I just merged zen and beer. I am awesome.)
400 Pound Monkey — which ought to have a hyphen in the name, but what the hell — is a delicious IPA. There is hops and citrus in the nose. The color is sort of amber, and it produced a nice white head. The taste features the hops right up front, balanced by a very nice maltiness. After that, there is a rich honey taste that kicks in — in fact, my very short summary of this beer would be “It’s Hopslam Light.” I don’t mean that in a detrimental way, though. I simply mean this beer made me think of Hopslam. It presents a similar series of complex flavors, but in a less intense package. If you sort of liked the Hopslam taste but found the hops and alcohol content to be a bit much, you might find a very nice replacement beer in 400 Pound Monkey. If you are looking for a beer that uses your tonsils for a punching bag, this isn’t it. If you want a session beer — one you can drink a few of — well, here you go. Enjoy!
This beer weighs in at 6.8% alcohol by volume. I was not able to locate International Bitterness Units for this one, but it’s in the traditional IPA range and a good deal less than Stone’s Ruination. If anyone has that IBU number, feel free to add it in the comments. Thanks in advance.
— Steve
Brewologist: Craft Beer Reviews 
I’m definitely digging on the 400 pound monkey. I walk down to my local import store and get a six pack once and a while.
Great website by the way, i really hope it takes!
Hey, glad you enjoy the monkey, and thanks for the kind words about the site. Tell your beer friends.
Its an English IPA! Its suppose to be less hoppy. This is an under rated beer, simply because people are ignorant to English brewing traditions. People cant compare this to American IPA. 400 Pound Monkey, is very close to original English IPA.
I’m trying to make sure I distinguish between American-style IPAs and English-style IPAs, because they really are very different.
Glad you all like this one. Respect the monkey!
I hope to get a few more reviews posted here soon. I had another gig come up that has taken up some of my time.
— Steve
Definitely a more reserved taste. Beautiful amber color. Not as hoppy or as pronounced as Sierra Nevada Torpedo, but a tasty brew none the less.
Visited my parents and found some in their local liquor store. I was very excited since I love Left Hand Beers. I was honestly dissapointed with this one. NOt what I expected in terms of flavor profile. As stated, there wasn’t really a hop punch. Still a decent beer. Although at 10.99 USD/6 pack it isn’t worth another purchase. I am going to try their “stranger” brew later this weekend.