Brooklyn Monster Ale

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

On tap at Map Room, Chicago. I’d guess this beer might taste a ltitle better with some additional aging-- it was a little harsh and the flavors didn’t feel blended. Nothing special jumped out at me-- I compared it to the FFF Behemoith and decidedly preferred Behemoth

1998 vintage sampled at 10 years old. Deep, ruddy amber beer. Aroma is quite sherryish. Softly oxidized with some plum and cherry, there is a bit of leathery dried fruit. Plums and dates. Very sweet and fruity tasting. A softly spicy hop character on the back as well. The flavour is very good, dried fruit, apricot, chewy with a cooling minty hop character. This has held up remarkably well and is drinking incredibly well. Lots of dried figs and warming alcohol. Really tasty right now. 12 oz bottle. Orange-amber colour, white fast-fading head. Aroma is very malty and sweet. Light raisiny fruity, some orange peel, white grapes and sweet honey all over. Fairly light smelling, despite all the sweetness, apple/pear and even a touch of banana coming out. Palate is quite sweet and syrupy, showing grapey fruitiness, raisin and a touch of sweet sherry character. Hops are only present as a slight herbal/spice flavour behind the sweet malts with countering bitterness. Definitely on the sweeter side of the barleywine divide but it’s quite plesant as a nightcap. I’d like to try it again at about a year old to see if it would dry out a bit. 8 3 7 3 15

On tap @ Coles Buffalo NY. Pors a medium copper. Some aromas of caramel, fruit, mild hops. slight alcohol burn but drinks smoothly. enjoyed this

Big thanks to Degarth for giving me this 2006 bottle sent south by crizay. Pours clear copper with a thin tan head. The aroma seems like sweet plum candy, dates, cherries and sweet malt. The taste seems mild for a barleywine. The taste is pretty fruity with dates, prunes, cherries, raisins and sweet apples. The fruitiness is hiding a faint undercurrent of sweet of caramelized maltiness. The after taste leaves a fruity grape, cherry, prune and raisiny flavor behind. Very nice. After about 6oz I can just taste hints of the big 10.1% ABV and the warmer beer yields a bit of alcohol in the nose.

Sweet aroma of alcohol, caramel, and ripe fruit. Flavor is a bit medicinal. Malty with notes of licorice, ripe fruits, and warm alcohol. And as advertised, it does go excellent with a good dark cigar.

12 ounce bottle in Duvel glass. Deep dark amber with quickly receding head. Aroma of alcohol, and pine tar. All the recognizeable flavors of a barleywine (raisiny fruit, toasted caramel, piney lingering bitterness) in their harshest form. Alcoholic and astringent. Full-medium body and medium carbonation. An impressive, intimidating, and mostly unpleasant example of the style.

Tasting at Bruisin Ales; 2004, 2005 and 2007 vintages. Clear amber with a small head. Sherry, caramel, and wood in the aroma. Flavors are the same. I think I actually liked the 2007 better than the aged bottles, seemed somehow denser and not as sweet, but maybe because it was the last of the three tasted. Nice winter warmer, but alcohol a bit too noticeable for my tastes.

2007 Bottle. Pours a clear copper with a small off-white head that fades to a ring and leaves good lacing. Aroma of alcohol, sherry, caramel, light citrus, and lightly medicinal. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium full mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and warm but never hot alcohol. A little young but very good.