Monkish Magical Is The Word
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Tasting Notes
Monkish is known for heavily hop-forward West Coast-leaning hazy doubles, and Magical Is The Word fits that mold — expect a dense, aromatic burst of tropical fruit, stone fruit, and resinous citrus on the nose. The palate leans into ripe mango, tangerine, and a soft dankness, with a pillowy body that keeps bitterness in check rather than letting it dominate. The finish is moderately dry with a lingering hop oil presence that rewards slow drinking. At 8% the alcohol is well-integrated and doesn't announce itself loudly.
About the Brewery
Monkish is based in Torrance, California and has become one of the more sought-after names in the Southern California hazy IPA scene. Founded around 2012, they built their early reputation on Belgian-influenced ales before pivoting hard toward New England-style and hazy West Coast IPAs, which now define most of their output. Their releases generate consistent lines and secondary market activity, placing them firmly in the prestige craft tier of LA-area brewing.
Food Pairings
The tropical and resinous hop character here works well with spicy Thai or Vietnamese dishes, where the fruit-forward bitterness cuts through heat and richness. A fatty, char-edged cheeseburger is a natural match because the hop bitterness scrubs the palate clean between bites. Grilled shrimp with citrus-herb seasoning echoes the beer's tropical notes without fighting them. Aged cheddar or a sharp Gouda provides enough salt and fat to soften the bitterness and bring out the sweeter malt backbone underneath.
Style Guide
American Double or Imperial IPAs take the hop-forward blueprint of a standard American IPA and scale up both the malt base and the hopping rate, typically landing between 7.5% and 10% ABV. The result is a beer with more body and more intense hop character — whether that reads as dank and resinous, tropical and juicy, or some combination depends heavily on the hop selection and dry-hopping approach. It diverges from a standard IPA mainly in intensity and weight, and from a barleywine in that hops rather than malt sweetness do the heavy lifting. The style emerged from American craft brewing in the late 1990s and early 2000s as brewers pushed hop experimentation further.