Brooklyn Monster Ale

Struggled to put this one down. Couldn’t quite put my finger on the problem, but I’ve taken this opportunity to proclaim that I dislike all barley wines as a result of this. Gimme a little while, I’ll try another, but for now, not feeling ’em.

2008 bottle, big thanks to JoeMcPhee. Pours a hazy amber, big beige head but not much lace. Aroma is very malty, mostly dates and other dark fruits, but with an almost stout-like roastiness also present. The malt bomb is continued in the flavor, again the dried fruit, dates and prunes, taking the lead, some caramel and a hint of chocolate also present. The malt flavors are accompanied by a spicy citrus hop presence and an undeniable alcohol bite. Very flavorful, but its hard for a beer this big to really come together harmoniously. I’m left happily buzzed and feeling a bit assaulted.

Bottle. Nice warming beer but strong alcohol masks the beer’s flavor. Definitely not one of Brooklyn’s standout beers.

Fresh out of the store, I’ve got 5 more that have earned a spot in the cellar. Well, I’ve only had a handful of sips and my brain is already buzzing - guess I won’t be slamming this. I managed to get a decent sized white crown out of the bottle and into my vintage Budweiser chalice (it’s true!!) but it died and lives as a ring, no surprise there. Crystal clear dark burnt orange with more emphasis on the burnt hue. The aroma is not over the top and has some really nice sherry smell along with the usual boatload of malts (quite sweet, bread, background caramel) and a wack of hops (fuzzy peach 5 cent candies, weak grapefruit, possibly lemon and a large flowery presence) with the hops at this point being dominant. The sips are excellent - very tasty and flavourful with the citrus and floral qualities of the hops taking the lead. The malts seem a bit dark, sweet and probably breadlike. The hops, well, at this point, I’ve almost lost them along with most of my motor skills. Pretty close to full bodied. Nice and smooth. Whoa - by sucking my tongue to the roof of my mouth I’ve hit a wealth of woody qualities (no homo) that remind me of bark. Briefly tart, intense bitterness and a bit of heat but it’s not really prominent. Long permanent bitter aftertaste with something that reminds me of walnuts? peacan? I guess I’m not too familiar with nuts... Looks like after a 30 second break in the perpetual sipping that the malts have destroyed everything in sight. Man, this sucker really gets you going all over the board. Very tasty brew, reading past reviews guarantees a long cellaring life. Whadda ya know? I did end of slamming this - I think I’ll drink another one right without even chilling it. God dammit, this is why I freaking love beer. Cheers.

"I also managed to get a decent sized tan crown out of the bottle and into my vintage Budweiser chalice (why does this chalice exist) and as all barley wines the crown reduces to a small ring around the edge. The body appears to be blood orange (thanks Nat for that new color name). First sniff is very woody with mild chocolaty notes, peachy hops, and alcohol round off the aroma. To much alcohol in the flavour for my liking, wow after the first couple of sips my stomach feels like its on fire. Lots of dark woody malts in the flavour, wow this is intense, loads of bitterness in the after taste. Way to much alcohol in this for me and its not hidden very well nor is it the kind that is tasty. For a beer this is dam tasty but for an English barley wine it’s kind of disappointing but my god after one 355ml bottle my head swimming.

Sample from bottle at CBF 09. Deep red body, small head. Wine-like beer with lots of dried fruits and berries in aroma and taste with underlying sweet, dark malts. Bone dry ending with some impacts from the alcohol. Full bodied. In danger of being a bit too sweet (17.05.2009).

In short: A basic by-the-book heavily caramelized American barley Wine. Good.
How: Bottle 12oz. Vintage 2007. Consumed when about 1.5 year old.
The look: Partly cloudy amber body topped by a very small beige head
In long: Pleasant strong nose of toffee and fruity-flavoured hard-candy. Taste is straightforward but effective. Sugary caramel, dry toasted bread, hard-candies. There is a weird but pleasant dryness in the finish that resembles roasted wood and it makes the beer more drinkable. Warm alcohol presence, not annoying but not well hidden either. Very drinkable but very ordinary for the style. If all monsters would that ordinary the Yeti and the Medusa would be gardening and mowing their lawn in a New-Jersey suburb.

Bottle. Clear amber body. Off white medium head. Sweet malty aroma with some dakr ripe fruit. Flavour is sweet malt, tobacco and raisins. Medium bodied. Ends up warm and alcoholic.