Brooklyn Monster Ale

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Brooklyn, New York USA

bottle from ol’ reliable... thanks ucusty. pours a brilliant clear rich copper color with a soft toasted almond head. some slug rings of lacing are left on the glass in a horizontal pattern. caramel, sweet grain, berries, orange peel and light piney hops on the nose. the flavor is... strange. balanced but somehow not... light earthy spicy hops, tart fruit, orange and malty caramel-y grains with a dry hoppy finish. malt sticks around in the aftertaste. full bodied and very slick but not sticky. very quaffable though i’d have trouble drinking another. strange... not very complex but the least sugary sweet BW i’ve had to date...

12 oz. bottle (2007). Pours a clear copper color with a smaller beige head. Aroma consists of citrus hops, sweet caramel malt, slight vinous quality, and alcohol. I am a bit disappointed in this one: citrus hops, caramel malt, maybe apricots, acid, and alcohol. These are not mixing well together. I wonder what more age would do for this? A bit on the sticky side. I am on record as being disappointed.

This caught my eye from the tag in Shoprite Liquors that said "last of the batch" or some nonsense like that. It was a discount- $8 per six pack, so I had no excuse not to try it. Have to admit, this was my first Barley Wine. Very good, reminded me of a wine/beer combo. I’m not a fan of wine, so here’s my beer critic review. Pours medium brown, nutty caramel color. Enticing appearance. Very fruity, beer-ish aroma- delicious nose. Apricot, plum, dark cherries. Tastes like a flat beer with maximum dryness- lots of malt, fruitiness in the taste. Feels good on the mouth, smooth and silky. Not thick, but no watery presence- refreshing on the palate. Very enjoyable, but hard to drink. I enjoyed it a lot, and this is far from my ideal beer. " Two thumbs up. "

12 oz bottle into sniffer. Pours a rich amber red with a big barely off-white head, lighter and clearer than I would expect - it also had a thinner pour than expected for the abv. and the style. This stuff smells great: citrus juicyness, chewy malty sweetness, caramel, honey, apricots, and a trace of alcohol. Flavor isn’t as complex and exhibits a much stronger alcohol flavor (though still not too too bad for 10.8 abv.). The alcohol sort of outweighs everything with a sort of watery fruity backbone. It is very strange for a barley wine - the same goes for its feel on my palate. It is very very thin for its abv and its style - little to no carbonation and smooth. but alcohol warms and punches the stomach. Overall: this is a crazy unique brew that seems a bit out of balance, like it needs a lot more heavy malt and maybe some age; worth a try but I don’t think I could have more than 1 at a time. It did seem to get a bit more bearable as it warms. [RERATE] Im gonna leave the same score. Though it does seemed to have improved with a year on it flavor wise. It is not very hoppy and leaning towards the traditional English Barley Wine (and NOT American) style due to the lack of serious hop profile. It is good and easy going for the abv, but a bit thinner and less hoppy than I would like. Though still pretty good with a year on it. I will try another in a year or so.

Over the top, and yet under the bigtop...Malt and abv nose. I see, you tried to hide the virgin blood under the hops...ohhh so clever. Alcohol burn is uneven with the malt and hops mix. Low class, hyper beer production. My ass is already taking precautions for the crap this brew will put me through. Hour on a toilet alone. For shame...

Bottle courtsy of Ucusty, pours an attractive burnt caramel color with a moderate cream colored head. The nose is complex with malt, dried fruits and substantial hops. The flavor is similar with some bitterness from hops and a sweet caramel. It’s a bit sharp with a lingering burn.

12 ounce bottle from Total Wine. Pours a standard amber color with four centimeters of white head. Spotty lacing. Aromas include rich caramel, berries and other vinous fruits, toffee. Same flavors with prevalent alcohol and malts. Coppery, metallic aftertaste. Tastes better over time as the alcohol astringentness smooths over. Full-bodied with too much carbonation for the style. Decent barleywine.

Bottle bbe Sep 2009. Fruity, burnt and slightly sour edge. Dark amber-orange color with thin head. Some bitter cherries and candied orange peel. Medium body and slightly burnt sour flavor of oranges and malt. Alcoholic warmth.