It may seem a bit strange, but my first experience with Monday Night came on a Saturday afternoon. To be sure, I’ve seen plenty of Monday nights in my day, but it wasn’t until last Saturday that I first enjoyed a Monday Night. Confusing? I’ll explain. The Monday Night in question is a, you guessed it, brewery: Monday Night Brewing of Atlanta, Georgia. I recently tried their Eye Patch Ale on draft at my local Taco Mac in Canton, the first of their brews that I’ve come across.

Monday Night brewing has been in the works for a few years now. The company takes its name from the fact that the three principle folks behind it used to get together on Monday nights to homebrew. They then decided to go pro, and the rest is history. Currently, they don’t have a brick and mortar brewhouse, though they do plan to build one eventually. For now, their beer is contract brewed at Thomas Creek in North Carolina. It’s also draft only and not yet sold in bottles.

The beer I tried (or is that eye tried?), is Monday Night Eye Patch Ale, one of two initial releases. This is an India Pale Ale, one the brewery claims is in the “American Style”. Here’s what they say about it:

A crisp, drinkable IPA. The earthy deliciousness of Cascade and Simcoe hops, combined with upfront malt flavor, and balanced with a pirate’s sensibilities. Our Eye Patch Ale is a uniquely drinkable take on the American IPA – sweet caramel, citrusy flowers and swashbuckling adventure abound with every pint.

This is a moderate IPA in every respect, with just 46 IBUs of bitterness and an alcohol content of 6.2% by volume. In addition to the above mentioned Cascades and Simcoes, Columbus hops are used as well, and malts are English Maris Otter and Rye.

My pint of Monday Night Eye Patch Ale arrived a very bright orange in hue with a medium-sized creamy head formation and a zesty herbal hop nose. Taking a sip I got a moderate hit of caramel at first followed by some herbal, gently resiny hops that become a bit more potent in the finish, finally lingering on the tongue with a long, dry bitterness.

I liked this beer well enough, though I’m certain I would not call it an American IPA. Simply using American hops do not an American IPA make; this one was a bit too mild in character for that. I’d call it an American Pale Ale, though, and a decent one at that. Reasonably priced at $5.25 for a pint as well.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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