Monkey Paw Pub And Brewery – San Diego, CA

Beers marked with a ★ are currently on tap. Beers marked with a + are in the tanks.

• ★ Money Paw Satanic Chimp

  American Amber / Red Ale — 6.00% ABV

  Satanic Chimp is an American Amber/Red Ale that combines some of our favorite traits. It is a dry ale with notes of roast and caramel on the nose and front of the palate. A mild hop bitterness cleans up on the finish but the bitterness is not lingering. A touch of citrus from the Centennial finish brightens up the profile just enough to enjoy this beer on a sunny San Diego afternoon. Cheers to indulgence!

• ★ Monkey Paw 16th and F

  American Pale Ale — 5.50% ABV

  Inspired by the 50/50 ice cream bar, we offer Summer Creamsicle as the newest addition to the 16th & F Experimental Pale Ale series. We infused all natural citrus zest and vanilla bean into this hoppy pub ale. A touch of lactose and nitro carbonation provide a hint of sweetness and body to round out this refreshing and incredibly unique beer.

• ★ Monkey Paw Brainfood

  Zwickelbier — 5.30% ABV

  We were approached by Matt Thomas & Ron Troyano (Alchemy Restaurant) about the possibility of doing a fundraising beer for the Albert Einstein Academies with part of the proceeds going to help support and assist the teachers with their grass roots funded agricultural program. We decided to make a german inspired zwicklbier but with a hoppy San Diego flair. We brewed and designed this lager in collaboration with local brewers Pat Korn and Doug Hasker as well as Eric March from Star B Ranch who was kind enough to donate some wonderful nugget hops from his farm. Loosely inspired from the Keller/Zwicklbier (german unfiltered/unpasteurized lager) we made a concerted effort to maximize the hop punch as well as add a bit of complexity by using a little malted white wheat (15% of the grist). Unconventionally hopped (65 IBUs)we used both Star B nugget as well as first growth hops from the Albert Einstein Academy program in the mash and with a 75 minute boil we continued to hop generously with Falconers Flight, Nugget, Cascade and Amarillo. We harvested lager yeast from Doug at Gordon Biersch and we bottom fermented cold for 6 weeks. The result was Brainfood a wonderful San Diego Style Zwicklbier. Brainfood is a hazy pale golden with floral and light citrus spice aromas from the hops intermingling with a soft malty/grainy backbone. Well carbonated and refreshing with a punchy hop bite. A San Diego classic in the making and a beer for a grand cause. Prost!

• ★ Monkey Paw Great Ape Nectar

  Hazelnut Chocolate Milk Stout — 5.60% ABV

  This beer exemplifies the ability of a beer’s aroma to trick the mind. The sweet Hazelnut and Chocolate nose create an expectation of a rich sweet experience. What follows is quite the opposite. The light body and strong roasted notes leave dry cocoa and nutty on the palate without being cloying. Of course this beer would go great with desserts, or even as a base for a beer float, but we think it would also pair up perfectly with a nice pork roast!

• ★ Monkey Paw Hooked On Chinook

  American Pale Ale — 5.30% ABV

  The disproportionate late addition hopping truly expresses the beauty and diversity of flavors that can be extracted from Chinook, one of our favorite hops. Grapefruit and pine are backed up with earthy, grassy notes and a very light malt sweetness. The aroma suggests IPA but the ABV and drinkability make this an all day San Diego beer.

• ★ Monkey Paw Howler IPA

  American IPA — 6.70% ABV

  Bright, clean, citrus, floral, tropical, dry… Everything a San Diego-style IPA should be. With a liberal addition of Centennial, Zythos and El Dorado hops, you get a good note of bright citrus and a background of pine. The malt takes a back seat in this beer, and really leaves the hops to be the star. An easy to drink, fantastic IPA for sunny San Diego.

• ★ Monkey Paw Kong Barleywine

  Barleywine — 11.80% ABV

  Kong is a big beast of a beer, from the hop, dark fruit, and apricot aroma, to the bold grass notes on the palate, to the bitter finish. Kong weighs in at 11.8% ABV, and is a beer that can unleash the beast in you if not treated with respect. Despite the size of this beer, the balance of hops and malt are well-executed, with an interplay throughout the beer. Plums, earthy malt, and jam compliment the Columbus hop base. Truly a beer worthy of the name KONG.

• ★ Monkey Paw Low and Slow Rauchbier

  Rauchbier — 5.40% ABV

  Smoke. That’s the first, the middle, and the last impression you’ll get from our Rauchbier. Low and Slow is in the tradition of German smoked lagers, with a bit of a twist in the cherry wood smoked malt we used. The beer has hints of a nice sweetness that harmonizes throughout the beers flavors and aromas from start to finish. Low and Slow finishes nice and clean, leaving you yearning for more. It is pretty much bacon in a glass, so how can you go wrong?

• ★ Monkey Paw Oatmeal Pale

  Oatmeal Pale — 5.40% ABV

  The Oatmeal Pale Ale is sort of an unusual style, and something not often seen in San Diego. Most of our city’s beers are dry, crisp, and bitter. This is a mellower pale ale, with a full, supportive body that gives a strong malt presence with a lot of floral and tangerine rind hop flavors to balance it out. Smelling this beer is a treat, with a big oatmeal and citrus aroma. Creamy and smooth, lightly bitter, a beautiful gold with a bright white head and beautiful lacing. Excellent for those who enjoy a more evenly balanced pale.

• ★ Monkey Paw Rhesus Chocolate/Peanut Butter Porter

  American Porter — 6.10% ABV

  A classic American Porter with a twist: we added over a pound per barrel each of cocoa nibs and peanut butter. This beer is dark and roast, yet light in body. The dark chocolate and peanut notes build as you drink it and really come to life once it has warmed ever so slightly. While the beer has its inspiration from the land of candy, this is not a sweet dessert beer, it is intended to be a everyday/all night drinker. Pair with Thai food, a bacon burger or throw a scoop of ice cream in it.

• ★ Monkey Paw Rich Man's IIPA

  American Double IPA — 8.70% ABV

  All hail the Rich Mans IPA! A bold copper-colored beer with beautiful gold edges, and crowned with a strong white head. The aroma is grassy with a nice orange and malt presence. The mouthfeel is smooth and solid, with malt that backs up the sticky bitterness. The taste is pine, citrus, and a light malt sweetness that all interplays with the alcohol. Hops, hops, hops, and more hops! Occupy a bar stool, the 1% of beers has arrived!

• ★ Monkey Paw Summer Honey Citrus

  Belgian Pale Ale — 6.30% ABV

  Belgian spicy yeast nose of pepper and white grape intermingles with honey sweetness and citrus zest. The beer fills the palate with a wheaty body which quickly dissipates due to high effervescence and appropriate attenuation. Full flavored in the mouth: sweet, spicy and slightly tart. Light, sweet finish balanced by belgian yeast notes and mild hop bitterness. Parings include shellfish (Moules Frites!), fresh goat cheese and crudite.

• ★ Monkey Paw Sweet Georgia Brown

  English Brown Ale — 5.80% ABV

  This beer started as a Southern English Brown, and evolved from there. The nose almost comes across as caramel, but when you drink you will find that it is not sweet. Dark, toasty, and lightly sweet with notes of chocolate, coffee, biscuit, and caramel, this beer is complex but very drinkable. A rustic but balanced beer without a strong hop presence, definitely made for the malt lovers of the old world.

• ★ Monkey Paw The Downs Family Irish Stout

  Irish Dry Stout — 5.10% ABV

  The Downs Family Irish Stout is flavorful and robust despite its modest 5.1% ABV. The aroma is full of coffee, chocolate, and roast. The flavor is bold, roasty, and smooth. A black beer with a strong cocoa-tinted head with endless lacing as you drink. The Downs Family Irish Stout was named after the Folk/Punk mainstays of San Diego. A great beer for a great band!

• ★ Monkey Paw/Almanac SF-SD Bay to Bay

  UnCommon — 5.40% ABV

  A california common is lager yeast fermented at ale temperature unique in its own right but alongside 2 row, biscuit and munich malts we added a bit of dark malt to give it’s black hue. If not uncommon enough we gave it a very healthy dose of citra, amarillo and sorachi ace to give it that west coast/San Siego citrus hoppiness that we’ve come to know and love. To freak out the beer a little more we added single origin madagascar cacaoa nibs from Dandelion Chocolate (bean to bar chocolate factory in the mission, SF) and we zested a slew of blood oranges (sourced from our local farmers market). The beer pours black and the first thing you’ll notice is a bouquet that is dank with orange, grapefruit and subtle lemon intermingling with some soft notes of roast and cocoa. We have curated quite a unique flavor that starts smooth and bright but transitions to a cocoa/hop finish that sits on the mid palate. Much brighter and hoppier than the IBU’s would lend you to believe and a perfect beer for the dark chocolate and hop lover. Brewed with adventurous love with our friends from Almanac Brewing from the bay area. This beer would go great with roasted beef, grilled root veggies or mushroom risotto. We hope you enjoy this UnCommon Ale!

• ★ MPBC/2 Brewer Abroad ANZAC Aussie Pale

  American Pale Ale — 5.00% ABV

  Inspired by the ANZAC biscuit, a cookie traditionally sent to the troops at the front lines, this beer incorporates the use of oats, treacle syrup, coconut and molasses. We had a blast brewing this beer with Steve and Steph(twobrewersabroad.com), Aussie brewers on a road trip across the US. The beer is heavily influenced by the use of Australian yeast, providing a malt forward experience. Slightly sweet,yet refreshing, with the tropical influence of coconut, this sessionable ale is delicious with seafood from the barbie or with toast, butter and Vegemite

• Live Wire Caramel Coffee Milk Stout

  Milk / Sweet Stout — 6.20% ABV

  Live Wire is one of the most iconic bars in San Diego. They turned 20 this year, and we made them a beer. Black, with a big tan head that fades into beautiful lacing. The aroma is sweet, caramel, chocolate, and roast. The flavor is caramel, roast, evenly balanced coffee, and a chocolate/caramel finish that all comes with a nice full mouthfeel. The beer was made with 55 pounds of dulce de leche and 5 pounds of select coffee beans from Ryan Brothers.

• Live Wire Caramel Coffee Milk Stout w/ vanilla

  Milk / Sweet Stout — 6.20% ABV

  Live Wire is one of the most iconic bars in San Diego. They turned 20 this year, and we made them a beer. Black, with a big tan head that fades into beautiful lacing. The aroma is sweet, caramel, chocolate, and roast. The flavor is caramel, roast, evenly balanced coffee, and a chocolate/caramel finish that all comes with a nice full mouthfeel. The beer was made with 55 pounds of dulce de leche and 5 pounds of select coffee beans from Ryan Brothers.

• Monkey Paw Bonobos IPA/SD PALE

  San Diego Pale Ale — 7.90% ABV

  This is no IPA. This is a San Diego Pale Ale. How did we get here? Easy! Take out the the sweet caramel malt backbone and intense bittering of classic IPAs and replace them with a light biscuity malt profile and intense flavor and aroma hop additions. We then dry hop the bejesus out of it and get it out as fresh as possible. Be careful, this 7.9% ABV beer drinks like a pale ale and thats how we like it in America’s Finest Beer City.

• Monkey Paw Cornelius IIPA

  American Double IPA — 9.60% ABV

  Cornelius is an archetypal San Diego IIPA. The beer pours a bright gold with a sticky white head. The aroma explodes out of the glass with pine, orange and grapefruit. The taste follows the nose, with a nice distinct bitterness. A perfect IIPA at 9.6% ABV and 100+ IBUs, with a deceptive, easy to drink side to it.

• Monkey Paw Free Ken Allen Robust Rye

  Rye Beer — 8.20% ABV

  Slightly roasty, a wee bit astingent. Gnarly and unbalanced strong ale. A true “pack it in” type of beer.

• Monkey Paw Jerry's Farewell Mocha Porter

  Robust Porter — 7.10% ABV

  Mayor Sanders has been a huge supporter of the San Diego beer scene, and we wanted to show him our appreciation. So we put him to work making beer with us, and we came up with a great Mocha Porter. Jerry’s Farewell is a Robust Porter with 10 pounds of cocoa nibs and 6 pounds of Cafe Calabria Love Potion blend coffee. What resulted in all of this is a smooth, dark, full bodied porter with a great mocha finish. Easy to drink, so enjoy one or two and raise a toast to our departing mayor Jerry!

• Monkey Paw Low and Slow Rauchbier w/Serrano

  Rauchbier — 5.40% ABV

  Smoke. That’s the first, the middle, and the last impression you’ll get from our Rauchbier. Low and Slow is in the tradition of German smoked lagers, with a bit of a twist in the cherry wood smoked malt we used. The beer has hints of a nice sweetness that harmonizes throughout the beers flavors and aromas from start to finish. Low and Slow finishes nice and clean, leaving you yearning for more. It is pretty much bacon in a glass, so how can you go wrong?

• Monkey Paw Mandrill IPA

  American IPA — 7.30% ABV

  Piney, bright, citrusy, and crisp. These are the first things that come to mind when drinking the Mandrill IPA. Looking at the Mandrill will show you a bright gold beer with a lacy white head. The aroma and taste are both swimming with fruit and grass, and a bit of a floral finish. Complex and evenly bitter, the Mandrill IPA is a classic San Diego IPA.

• Monkey Paw Mighty Joe Young

  American Stout — 6.00% ABV

  This dark ale is aptly named after Joe from the classic 1949 film. A bold, roasty, dark stout with a bright citrus hop character and a San Diego punch of bitterness evident in the finish. The malt holds up the hops, and roast adds a coffee and chocolate taste that makes this an assertive, full flavored stout.

• Monkey Paw Missing Link Belgian Pale w/Kaffir

  Belgian Pale Ale — 5.40% ABV

  The Missing Link is a rustic Belgian Pale that sits around 5.4% ABV. Cloudy and golden, with a long lasting head that dissipates into heavy lacing. The aroma is kaffir lime, clove, pepper, with some supporting citrus hops and a bit of bready malt. Tasting The Missing Link will give you an upfront shot of lime zest, biscuit, and a soft, pleasant yeast character.

  This is a perfect beer to pair with any food, and would really excel with something spicy. A Naughty Monkey, perhaps?

• Monkey Paw Monkey Gose Bananas

  Gose — 3.70% ABV

  K’n'B Wine Cellars was having an anniversary and we were itching to make a unique beer style called a Gose. A rare style not often seen outside of Germany, the Gose is a soured wheat beer with coriander and salt added. Tart, lemony, a little salty, and very refreshing, Monkey Gose Bananas is a great light wheat beer. 3.7% ABV means you can drink this beer all day long. A great beer for the warmer days of summer.

• Monkey Paw Monkey Gose with tart cherry

  Gose — 3.70% ABV

  K’n'B Wine Cellars was having an anniversary and we were itching to make a unique beer style called a Gose. A rare style not often seen outside of Germany, the Gose is a soured wheat beer with coriander and salt added. Tart, lemony, a little salty, and very refreshing, Monkey Gose Bananas is a great light wheat beer. 3.7% ABV means you can drink this beer all day long. A great beer for the warmer days of summer.

• Monkey Paw Patas Pale Ale

  American Pale Ale — 5.20% ABV

  Patas Pale is a classic American Pale Ale. Copper colored and bright with a clean, white head. The aroma is all hops, grassy and tropical with a solid amount of Southern Cross hop from New Zealand. The taste is clean, bitter, citrus, with a decent malt backbone. This is a great classic pale ale, and at only 5.2%, you can enjoy a couple without too much trouble.

• Monkey Paw Pineapple X-Press

  XPA — 5.20% ABV

  A bright and citrusy San Diego session beer regardless of the season. Not too bitter, not too big. The nose is decidedly grassy and tropical. The malt in this beer is not the showcase, but you will get a little hint of a honey sweetness that compliments the overall flavor of the beer. This beer is perfect for those days you want something easy to drink, or to balance out a spicy meal. A great hoppy li’l session ale!

• Monkey Paw Santa's Pet Monkey

  Imperial/Strong Porter — 9.00% ABV

  Nothing says the holidays quite like a big, boozy, chocolate, vanilla porter! The vanilla is particularly subtle but there is no escape from the chocolatey goodness! A quintessential dessert beer and a perfect welcome to the winter! Now you finally know why Santa is able to get thru all those chimneys with a smile!

• Monkey Paw Sweet Tea Session IPA

  American IPA — 4.30% ABV

  Sweet Tea Session IPA is a small beer that weighs in at 4.3% ABV with the flavor and aroma of a bigger beer. Hopped with Sorachi Ace and Simcoe, the nose is earthy lemon and citrus, with a hint of grapefruit and pine. The malt shows up in the aroma as well, with a hint of sweetness to back up the hops. The beer is a ruby red color with a stark white head that is rocky and fades to a good amount of lacing. The flavor is sweet malt, lemon, and citrus with an almost earthy tea quality. You can drink a couplle of these no problem!

• Monkey Paw Thatcher in the Rye

  English Bitter — 4.50% ABV

  Thatcher in the Rye is a bitey little session beer with a lot of attitude. At 4.5%, this is truly a session beer, with a good rye kick that finishes nice and bitter. This is what beer should taste like. A hazy golden copper color with a white head that lingers a long time. A great food beer that you can drink all day long.

• Monkey Paw Tiger Bomb

  American IPA — 6.90% ABV

• Monkey Paw Valentine's Ale

  Winter Warmer — 9.00% ABV

  The Valentine’s Ale was the winning recipe from our second homebrew competition. The beer is based on an Imperial Stout, ringing in at 9% ABV, and spiced with cinnamon, clove, and cardamom. The aroma is distinctly cinnamon, chocolate, and sweet dark fruit. As the beer warms up, you notice the alcohol and some coffee notes. The flavor is a good match for the aroma, with a bold chocolate and alcohol warmth. The beer finishes with a dark chocolate bitterness, and lingers on the palate. Great with dark chocolate, great with a hamburger, great by itself!

• Monkey Paw Waypoint 730

  Summer Pale — 6.20% ABV

  Our shout out to Urge Gastropub for their 2012 Anniversary. Waypoint 730 is our summer pale ale w/coriander, orange blossom honey, and lemongrass. We use a traditional english pale malt varietal with a touch of wheat. This gives the ale a medium body mouth feel with a sweet biscuity appeal and wonderful head retention. The spices and hops jump out and compliment the malt providing a wonderful nose which is reminiscent of lemon pound cake or lemon short bread cookie. The finish is crisp and dry! Waypoint 730 San Diego Summer Pale!

• Monkey Paw/8 Wired The Rhymenoceros NZ Rye Pils

  Rye Beer — 6.00% ABV

  I’m the motherflippin’ Rhymenoceros.

  Soren from 8 Wired brought a bunch of hops from New Zealand and we made a Rye Pilsner out of them. The beer pours a straw yellow with a strong white head of foam. Smelling it instantly gives you a wave of tropical fruit, guava, mango, and a hint of spice from the rye. Tasting the beer gives you a complimentary flavor to the smell, with light, bready notes that work well with the rye and the fruit and even a hint of pear. The beer finishes with a light, even bitterness that you would expect in a pilsner. Get ready for the wild rhino stampede!

• Monkey Paw/AleSmith Ashes From the Grave

  American Brown Ale — 6.66% ABV

  Ashes From the Grave has risen! Ashes From the Grave is a full bodied, rich, smoky, and chocolaty brown ale. The beer pours with a creamy chocolate head, and kicks off aromas of chocolate, biscuit, sweet smoke, and caramel. The flavor is big, bready, and the mouthfeel is round and luscious. This beer was a collaboration with Bill Batten from Alesmith, and we couldn’t love this beer more. Stay tuned next year for the sequel, Monkey From the Crypt!

• Monkey Paw/AleSmith Ashes From the Grave (Nitro)

  American Brown Ale — 6.66% ABV

  Ashes From the Grave has risen! Ashes From the Grave is a full bodied, rich, smoky, and chocolaty brown ale. The beer pours with a creamy chocolate head, and kicks off aromas of chocolate, biscuit, sweet smoke, and caramel. The flavor is big, bready, and the mouthfeel is round and luscious. This beer was a collaboration with Bill Batten from Alesmith, and we couldn’t love this beer more. Stay tuned next year for the sequel, Monkey From the Crypt!

• Monkey Paw/Ashton Ivey Sister Nico's Habit

  Belgian Pale Ale — 5.50% ABV

  Sister Nico’s Habit is named after the cat of our homebrew contest winners Ashton and Beth Ivey. While not everyone is a fan of Nico, we are sure you’ll love the beer. We are calling this a Belgian Session Ale. Malty yet dry, smooth, and complex, this beer is a dark amber with a solid tan head. You will tend to pick up dark fruit and hints of flowery aromas on the nose, complimenting the flavor well. A light brown sugar, plum, and biscuit taste linger on your palate and then leave cleanly, not leaving any heavy aftertaste. Lightly bitter and extremely drinkable!

• Monkey Paw/Eric Hall Drunken Munkee Saison

  Saison — 8.30% ABV

  Eric Hall was one of our two winners of our first homebrew contest. His Drunken Munkee saison is complex, deceptively strong, and delicious. With over 80 pounds of honey, 7 pounds of ginger, and 30 pounds of blood oranges, this recipe required a lot of time and patience with getting the ingredients just right. What we ended up with is a bright, refreshing ginger and orange saison with a lot of character. Candied ginger, bread, orange rind, honey, clove, and spice are all in play in both the aroma and flavor. You can’t miss this one!

• Monkey Paw/Stillwater Bekantan Saison

  Saison — 5.50% ABV

  A collaboration with Stillwater Brewing, the Bekantan Saison is a dry, crisp, floral, and bitey Farmhouse Ale. Hints of hibiscus interplay well with blackberry and grapefruit. Spelt malt gives it a noticeable spice, while the yeast profile rounds out the beer. Great for a warm summer day.

• Monkey Paw/Stone Monkey Stones Black Lager

  American Dark Lager — 7.70% ABV

  Monkey Stones is a collaboration between Monkey Paw and brewer Jeremy Moynier from Stone Brewing Company. After some discussion, we decided to make a black lager, with a bit of Stone flair. This is a strong, 7.7%, black, toasty beer with attitude. Roast, toasted almonds, and a pine-filled hop aroma are first on the nose. As the beer warms up, you notice a lot of chocolate and orange, with a solid hop bite. The taste is similar, but smooth, hoppy, and delicious. This is not your typical black lager. Do you have the stones to drink it?