Nara Monolith is a 5.8% American IPA from Nara Brewing, based in Nara, Japan. It’s part of their draft lineup though it’s unknown whether it’s a one-off brew or we can expect to see it again. Nara Monolith follows the idea of SMaSH American IPA in that it uses German two-row pilsner for the solitary malt used, and Mosaic hops for both bittering and aroma.
Nara Monolith Aroma and Taste
Nara Monolith came up a light straw colour with a slight haziness to it that was more than likely due to it being served super cold – so of course, I had to let it warm up. The aroma was all Mosaic hops – no surprise there, which meant lashings of passion fruit, mango, lemons, and just a subtle underlying edge of pine to it.
The initial bitter kick to Nara Monolith was quick and sharp, and then smoothed out to a lingering one throughout drinking. The Mosaic hops once again brought their familiar flavours of passion fruit, mango, and lemon to it, while the malt brought a faint biscuit base to the beer. The final lingering mango and passion fruit notes carried on into the after taste but by that time, I was left wanting something a little different.
Nara Monolith The Bottom Line
It’s a nice beer to drink but Nara Monolith suffers the same fate of other SMaSH beers – it was one-dimensional in the end.
