Brooklyn, New York
Monster Ale
Style: English Barleywine
Availability: December- March
ABV: 10.1%
OG: 23.7
Platos: 1095
Malts: Scottish Floor-Malted Maris Otter and English Two-Row Malts
Hops: Williamette, Cascade, American, Fuggle
Batch info: reads "this monster was born in 2009"
Bottle Text & Info:
Brooklyn Monster Ale is a classic barley wine, a style of ale originally brewed by the butlers to the English and American aristocracy. It is brewed from three mashes of heirloom British malt and spiced with aromatic American Willamette, Cascade and Fuggle hops. After four months of aging, it has a magnificent burnished copper color, an aroma redolent of sherry, citrusy hops and fruit, a soft, warming, complex palate, a spiritous finish, and a strength of 10.8%. It is vivacious when young, but will age gracefully for many years, becoming more complex over time. Brooklyn Monster Ale is a fine accompaniment to cheeses, ice cream, flourless cakes, crème brulee and good cigars.
Tasting Notes:
Pours a rusty amber color with no head. Pretty tight carbonation for an english barleywine. Increases drinkability which has been the main knock on this brew. Mild hops with some grass and grain on the nose. Light mouthfeel with toffee and current dominating til it gives way to a mild, hop finish (definitely Fuggle).
In short, this is an extremely drinkable version of an english barleywine. Like most of Brooklyn's offerings, i find this solid but far from sensational. In the past vintages, beer geeks have complained that this one was hot and not at all drinkable. This year's vintage stands at 10.1% abv down from last years 11.8%. Coincidence? Prolly not...
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