Brooklyn Monster Ale

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

Not as complex as I was hoping for. The aroma leads one to expect a sweet barley wine. There is brown sugar, and just a little oak. Quite sweet with caramel and brown sugar; very mild hops, and alcohol, which is present in the aroma, flavor, and on the palate.

Thanks to Richlikebeer for this one. Bottle from 05. Pours a brown color but not a super dark brown with no head. Has a spicey molasses smell and flavor to it. For some reason there was a metallic taste on the finish. Not sure if it was from the bottle or the beer was past it’s prime. Would liek to have another one

Thanks to richlikebeer. 2005 bottle. Pours a caramel brown color with no head. Aroma of spice, malts, and some fruit. A slight metallic taste took away from an otherwise pleasant offering of molasses, fruit, and sherry.

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.