Brooklyn Monster Ale

2007 bottle. Warm caramel aroma. Dark amber color with a white head that stayed awhile. Medium in body with very mild, nigh creamy, carbonation. Flavor is heat, roasted caramel, and enough hop to be noticeable. Finish is pretty sweet, but there is a lot of hop as well. Interesting. A bit vinous. A bit thin for a barley wine. Flavor is good. I’ll buy vivacious.

2004 bottle. Poured crystal-clear reddish-amber with a short-lived cap of off-white head. The age was evident in the aroma, pairing deep vinous notes and plums with aged caramel.. port wine and sherry come to mind.. peppery alcohol warms up the back of the nose.. tobacco and faint earth provide a final impression. The flavor was chock fulla deep, aged malty compexity with no hops in sight.. dark fruit and sherry pair with lesser caramel and peppery notes.. stronger winey notes rock the finish.. mighty tasty! Syrupy foray onto the palate with lower carbonation.. dry with a feel akin to an older red wine across the middle and through the finish.. very dry and warm on the finish, but no overt alcohol was noticed. This was interesting and perhaps a little too old.. I need to try a newer bottle to confirm.

Pours a lovely amber with a modest head which lasts a good 15 minutes. Nice fresh, sweet aroma - notes of alcohol and caramel. Flavour is very complex: berries, alcohol, very assertive spice. Wow! Light hops and lots of astringency and alcohol in the finish. Body is light but well carbonated. This is a very rambunctious barleywine, and I think it could definitely use some aging. Nothing I don’t like here, except I wish it would prevaricate about the proverbial a little more when it comes to the alcohol content.

Vintage 2005. Ruby red with a low head. Strong aroma of caramel, rum and raisins. The flavours are peach, wood, chocolate, dark bread and alcohol with a bitter finish.

3-11-08 bottle shared with lb4lb thanks to The Epeeist!
Thick ruby red pour with a nice cream colored lasting head. Smell and sweet and malty and actually hoppy too. Flavor is quite sweet and has some hops in there too. Mouthfeel is thick and decent. Drinkable but somewhat boring and not very Barley-Wine like to me. A bit boozy for my liking. Overly mild for a Barley wine. Overall, this was a bit boring and boozy for me.

Bottle. Small pale brown head. Dark amber colour. Aroma sweet and malty with notes of ripe fruits. Taste very sweet and malty, toffee, quite thick.

Vintage 2003, Barley Wine blind tasting. Deep amber color. Citrus aroma. Flavor is tangy, caramel and a bit oxidized. Big bitterness. Long lasting hop flavors are still there in the back of the palate.

33cl bottle: Copper with a off white head. Sweet, sticky, oily, caramel, bread/toffee, alcohol, warmth, low carbonation, sugar, hops, full bodied. A solid American Barley wine which is "only" moderate hoppy!