Brooklyn Monster Ale

on tap in a tulip snifter, at Hop Devil’s "Daze of the Devil" festival, 1/19/08 [1998 Vintage] A: Looks like a fermenting tank! A bold orange/copper color with a murky body and very little in the way of head, just thin, swirling wisps of off-white bubbling to let you know that the beer is in fact, carbonated. S: Huge malted nose, wave after wave of sweet bread, toasted biscuits, brown sugar and perhaps some plum. Smells like a candy factory. T/M: Wow, I guess this is what happens to a big, complex barleywine that’s been aged properly for nearly 10 years. Amazingly well-balanced and true to the English style, there is almost no hop presence. Instead, prepare yourself for a thick mixture of brown sugar, sweetbread, toffee, caramel and raisins. I took my time with this 9oz. glass and every sip was well-worth it. D: Dangerous. That’s the only word I can come up with here. Nearly 12% ABV? Come on, there is not even a hint of the alcohol in here. Now if I only had a case of ’98 vintage...

Bottled, 2007 A thick, syrupy barley wine with a lot of fruit and yeah, very sherryish.

The aroma is wow, a little hoppy, sweet, molasses. The head is small and mostly diminishing with good lacing. The body is clear, and a dark amber in color. The initial flavor is a little bitter, swet and creamy. The body is medium and the texture creamy, the carbonation soft.

2007 bottle: Aahh barlewine... Pours a brown tinged amber with little head as expected. So far so good. Large body with rock solid hop representation round the tounge from beginning to end. Brooklyn seems to be changing my mind that they can actually pull some things out of their usual mediocrity. I can only sense a bit of the sherry they speak of in the finish and that is more from the throat. A solid barleywine and welcome on this cold evening.

(2006 Birth): Having a hard time getting a handle on this one. The flavor is a little mellow, with a slight hops presence in the end. Smooth mouthfeel. While the alcohol shows its flair here it is not the major player and does not overpower the other flavors and aromas of the beer. Great brew, but I tend to enjoy the more arrogantly and unapologeticly flavored and hopped American styles. If you like the traditional English style barleywines than this is for you.

12oz. bottle. Pours a clear, dark amber color with a thin, white head that dissipates rather quickly. Heavy aromas of hops, tropical fruits, and spice with a faint alcohol hint. Flavor is rather sweet when hitting the mouth, and has a bitter, hoppy finish with hints of sweet fruit and spice as well. Has a very soft, velvety mouthfeel, and the 10.8% is hidden rather well for the most part. Enjoyable brew.

This is an ager for sure. 2007 vintage. Have a few of the 2006 bottles aging and, from what I remember, those were much sweeter than the current vintage. I think this batch is already much more drinkable. Very well balanced for such a young barley wine. Everything is there, sweetness, toffee aroma/flavor, SLIGHT bitterness from the hops, leather, velvet mouthfeel....etc. There is a brown sugar twang and slight sour note in the finish that’s just subtle enough to notice. Glad I waited to rate this: As I said before, I think last year’s release was much sweeter and very harsh, needing a few years to just calm down. I think the current vintage tastes great now and will continue to mature for a couple years. Am I talking out my ass? We’ll see....

Hazy amber with tiny short lasting head. Aroma is sweet with malty and hoppy notes. Flavor is fruity with malt and hops being the most dominant players here. Ends bitter.