Brooklyn Monster Ale

Pours red-brown with no apparent head. Aroma is powerful, malty and with alcohol tones. Taste is extremely vinious - something that ends all other taste notes.

Bottle. This Monster Ale was born in 2003. Label claims 11%. Aroma is lots of malt, fruits, maybe a hint of cherry, just a touch of alcohol. Pretty nice. The flavor however, doesn’t quite measure up. A little weak, not much to it. Not nearly as much taste as you might think for a barley wine. Mostly just some alcoholic sweet malts. Mouthfeel is not big and chewy like I expected. Even at 3 years this monster could use some more sleep. I’m not sure if that’s going to help it, though. Not bad, but not worth seeking out. Get the Black Chocolate Stout.

From bottle: sweet, fruity, caramel, some apples and some spices, weak dried fruits notes, a good barley wine but not something out of the ordinary, the flavor itself is a bit weak, the alcohol is a bit too noticable and the mouthfill is not very smooth, the hops are noticable only in the end and provide a pretty dry finish.

served at NYC Great World Beer Festival (a Brewtopian Event). pours a deep red-mahogany body with a medium to small beige head. smells of fresh vegetables and citrus hops.mouthfeel is oily. tastes really hoppy and finishes bitter. lots of citrus hops. a little too sweet. some sherry in there for sure. the alcohol hits you at first, the hops finish you off. not bad.

12 oz bottle, 2001 vintage, consumed Oct 2006. Pours a clear dark copper colored body with a few small chunkies floating about. Head was rather small, fizzy, light brown, and faded quickly. Aroma is as expected for a 2001 Barley Wine. Lots of thick syrupy malt with a good dose of oxidation. Some sherry, port, and light soy. Minimal to no hoppiness remains. The oxidation works really well in the flavor. Nice sherry and port up front fading to a light soy with touches of cardboard on the finish. There is still some risidual bitterness remaining, but nothing like when fresh. Mouthfeel is a little thinned out from the years, nearing full attenuation. The carbonation is still rather lively and fizzy surprisingly. Overall, this was a very interesting experiment. Really a textbook example of what you expect from aging. Not sure it’s better than when fresh, but maybe more interesting.

Pours an amber orangey red color with a tiny white head. Aroma is slightly citrusy, unlike an IPA, with fruit and syrup overtones. Taste is slightly sweet, like a sherry, with citrus hop overtones and hints of fruit and malts. Alcohol is present in the taste. Very good Barleywine.

2005 bottle tasted with Terry on 10/10/2006... Color is clear dark copper. Mild carbonation with an ivory crown. Aroma is mostly citrus and alcohol. Flavor is mostly DME, some hints of caramel or something darker, and alcohol. Finish is dry and metallic. Body is thin and fizzy. We initially tasted this back in EARLY 2006 and were disappointed. We thought some age might help, but I think we might have taken a few steps back. This beer is really blah and not memorable except for being the only Brooklyn Brewery beer that I don’t like and cannot recommend. I really like the Brooklyn brews, but this one has to be the most disappointing... 12 oz bottle (2005, 11% alcohol).

Lots of alcohol and barley. Sweet, strong, cerial. Citrus..no. Strong palate, sweet and still no citrus. Not a perfect barley wine, but still good.