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Just a few days ago, I read a review
on Brooklyn Brewery's Monster Barleywine. And I was elated. After all, if he
managed to score some in Tennessee (or did he, his sample was bottled in
2003), maybe I could, too.
So I set out on a mission. I trudged off to Green’s Liquors here in Atlanta,
and lo and behold, they had some. I had never experienced bottled Monster
Barleywine before. My only experience with this brew was at Boston’s
Redbones in 1999,
where I enjoyed it on cask. Here’s what I wrote about it then:
Monster was on cask and like no
barleywine I've ever sampled, surprisingly thin bodied and almost scotch
like with a huge high octane alcohol burn in the finish. Definitely a
sipping brew. Hefty in price at $5 for 10 ounces.
Here’s some background information from Brooklyn’s website:
Style Ale
Malts Scottish Floor-Malted Maris Otter and English Two-Row malts
Hops Willamette, Cascade, American Fuggle
Alcohol 10.8%
Original Gravity 23.7 degrees Plato; 2095
The label gives more information:
Brooklyn Monster Ale is brewed in the traditional barleywine style. It is
made from three mashes of the finest British malt and aged four months,
achieving alcohol of 11% by volume.
Barleywines are among the most intriguing of beer styles. They’re generally
rich and sweet, with complex flavors imparted by the heavy use of malt and
fermentation to high amounts of alcohol. Higher alcohols tend to impart
complex flavors, both with beer and wine.
It’s important to note that the Monster Barleywine I’m drinking was bottled
in 2004, so it’s fairly young. Here are my notes:
Brooklyn Monster Barleywine pours to a deep amber orange color with a
light and creamy head formation and a surprising amount of carbonation. A
steady stream of bubbles rises from top to bottom of my glass.
The nose is yeasty and sweet, suggesting toasty hints of caramel and fruit.
I sip. The body is full, chewy and rich with sweet chewy malt, but also
endowed with a crisp cotton candy character and exotic yeasty component
reminiscent of a Belgian tripel.
There are hints of sugar, and peppery hops. There are strong toasty notes
here, too. The high alcohols lend great depth and complexity to the beer,
and it is permeated with a slightly citric, piney hoppiness.
In the finish, there’s a huge alcohol warmth (the beer is almost 11% by
volume). I’m getting those slightly harsh, high-octane alcohol burn notes in
the finish This is definitely a sipping brew, and perfect as a digestif
after a hearty meal.
This is one heck of a complex ale, and you could spend some time indeed
pondering over its multidimensional character. It isn’t as chewy and
caramelly as say, an
Old Foghorn, though you’ll find some of those characteristics here. And
it’s no way as hoppy as a
Bigfoot, either.
Monster Barleywine is, well, Monster Barleywine. Don’t be afraid of it. Just
enjoy it. And be sure to sock some away, as this is a beer that will only
become more interesting with age.
Update 6/3/2020: So
there it was, staring me in the face in DBR prime: Brooklyn Monster Ale.
This is, I should add, a 2007 Brooklyn Monster Ale. It is a beer I aged
intentionally (hey, I did say 15 years ago be sure to sock some away), though not intentionally this long. I bought it that year
(bottled 09/16/17). It went into DBR prime because I did not have a backlog
in those days as I do today. DBR prime got moved here to Canton from Atlanta
in 2010, and this beer has been up by the freezer compartment for a further
10 years. It is a hefty beer of 10.1% alcohol by volume. Aged 13 years, it
has a delightful nose of sherry and caramel. Taking a sip, the beer is quite
full in body with more of the sherry notes, sweet caramel and brown sugar,
dark fruit and a warming alcohol finish. Simply amazing! I have dumped a
number of old beers as I work my way through my stash in this quarantine,
but wins like this make up for that, and then some.
   
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled (D)=Draft |
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