Brooklyn Monster Ale

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

Oh, I like this a lot. Very nicel color - opaque amber, bubbly, very generous white head. This is definitely portwinish. A nice drink for sipping.

This monster was born in 2003. Pours a clear ruby copper color, topped by a quarter inch of tan foam. The quickly head recedes to a thin cap and a thicker ring, then disappears altogether. A little lacing at first – then nothing. The aroma is rather mild at first with caramel a light fruit. Later, after its been in the glass a while, a Japanese plum wine aroma kicks in. Well, the flavor definitely is not mild. In fact, it is quite nice with toffee and toasted malts and heavy sweet caramel up front. It finishes with a drier flavor that is earthy and a little woody, and tinged with a little cigar smoke and tart liquer. The flavor gets a high score primarily due to the toasted malt and cigar smoke combination. Nearly full bodied, mildly carbonated, with a lingering alcoholic presence.

Just had a bottle of the ’03. Aged wonderfully and still maitained it’s balance and poise. I can certainly taste the light sherry-vanilla element in the wine. Not a ridiculous hop monster anymore the IBU’s are very intergrated leading to a clean and non-syrupy finish that so many don’t have. Every time I have an aged barley wine I am reminded of how a good beer can reward patience.

Bottle 2000, massive huge yee haa high 5 thanks goes to matt for this one, 7yrs old. Aroma packed with lightly oxidised aged barley wine goodness, you can smell the age from a good few feet away. Taste is sweet but well rounded and fruity esters, but not over powering, hoppy when it should be, incredibly drinkable, this took me to a different level, all round. A silly good beer and one that i want more of!

Clear mahogny, slow bubbles rising. Full malty strength, like an oaky red wine. Dried fruit - riaisns, prunes, apricots. Warming alcohol. Lots of hops, too, the bitterness balances the brew, which means it does not end up on the cloyingly sweet side. A perfect nightcap.

Poured a light amber, orange color. Not a lot of foam, but appropriate for the style. Leaves slight lacing. Not a strong aroma. Slightly malty, very slight hops, slight alcohol. Very Smooth taste. Nice malty backbone, some hops to flavor but not overpowering. Well balanced. High ABV is well hidden. Mouthfeel is warm, very slight carbonation. Alcohol warms as it goes down, but not overpowering.’ All in all, this is a reallly nice example of an English style Barley Wine. IMO, this is by far the best beer in the Brooklyn Variety Pack, with the Dark Chocolate Stout a close second.

Bottle 35,5 cl. I really fancy this one actually! Really nice tones of cherry (or maybe white port) and some fudge in there to. It has a very thick and sweet mouthfeel wich makes it excellent for drinking when smoking a good cigar etc. Well I don’t smoke, but anyways. Excellent!

This is a fantastic classic-English-style Barleywine. I prefer it to Sierra Nevada, I think. I have now added “barleywine” to my MS Word’s spell-check dictionary. As should all beer drinkers, based on this offering from Mr. Oliver & co. Rumor is that they blast the opening chorus from Carmina Burana when they brew it. This is what we call a “fighting beer.” Useful in hand-to-hand combat, I’m sure. Treat it with respect and it will satisfy you long into a cold winter’s night. Try it with dessert, especially if dessert means creme brulee.