The Vermonster - Rock Art Brewery

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle, no date.

appears a dark clear copper color. massive pillowy white head. head reduces to 1/2" cover that stays. great retention and clumps of lacing. huge hoppy aroma - pine, a little floral.

tastes of sweet caramel, toasted malt, combined with a big hop bite. hops are earthy. not hint of the high abv. medium thickness, higher carbonation. surprisingly easy to drink.

overall , a solid barleywine, and reasonably priced.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 06:02:11 | More by jmdrpi

claspada

New Jersey

2.8/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Purchased in October 2010; cellared for anlittle over a year. No bottle date.

Pours a clearish mahogany-hued body with a small, creamy, light beige head.

Aromas begin with sharp lemon, pine hop nose with, as it warms a tad, some basic caramel malt notes coming through.

Th tastes begin with caramel malts with a fairly restrained sweetness. Citrus and pine resin shoot forward with the hops delivering a caustic, citric bitterness. The alcohol really starts to but up against the other flavors. Dry, heat-packed finish with a prolonged, lingering bitterness.

The mouthfeel is medium to heavy bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Finish is a palate wrecking disaster due to the overwhelming alcohol and bitterness.

Overall this was a huge miss for me. The drinkability is low because of the alcohol and brash, overdone bitterness, leaving this one a slow, grumpy sipper. Little malt depth, hop character, and just tons of coarse bitterness and booze. Not my cup of tea.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 14:41:51 | More by claspada

vfgccp

New York

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A – Plum mahogany body with ice tea highlights. Bone white head has great retention and lace.

S – Sweet malt, hint of cranberry, caramel, and Riesen chocolates. Fairly restrained for a barleywine.

T – Mellow opening of malt and a nice, light caramel sweetness. The center brings out a woody bitterness wrapped around toasty malt. Alcohol gently warms the finish.

M – Super smooth. Rich, medium-full body with a warm and lightly bitter backend.

O – One of the more drinkable barleywines straight off the shelf, especially at 10%.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 02:44:16 | More by vfgccp

TabulaRasa

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this beer after a long day at work - and it hit the spot perfectly. For 10%, an absolutely tasty brew, no taste or hint of high ABV at all. Leaves a beautiful film on the glass. A great winter brew - will enjoy more once we get some more snow... Shout out to FrankLloydMike for buying as a house, er, apartment warming gift. Perhaps I will more intently review this beer sometime when I haven't already had a glass of it...

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 00:05:09 | More by TabulaRasa

cps98

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chilled slightly and poured into a fresh pint glass.

A – Dark brown with reddish hues when brought up to the light. Single finger off white head that tapered off to a nice ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.

S – Heavy malt sweetness followed by light citrus notes from the hops…at 100 IBU’s I expected more hops up front in the nose.

T – Definitely sweet and malty, as light bitterness from the hops and again at 100IBU’s I expected more bitterness.

M – On the heavier side but not too bad. Carbonation was good.

O – At 10%ABV the alcohol balanced well with the malt. Nothing exciting about this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 15:19:03 | More by cps98

y2jrock60

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Cloudy brown with an off white head the fades quickly while leaving behind moderate lacing.

S- Mild pine hops that turns into a dark toffee bittersweet smell.

T- Up front piney hops that lingers till the next sip. Bittersweet aftertaste that reminds me of a water downed brandy. It's hard to distinguish the taste of this brew. The hops are one dimensional and so is the aftertaste.

M- Heavy bodied with high carbonation.

D- I think a 22oz pounder will be more than enough.

This is my first barleywine, so I'm not very accustomed to the style. It's not bad, I really like the 100ibu bitterness. But it lacks depth and character to me. I'm kind of disappointed, the guy at the brew shop talked this one up. Maybe this is an excellent barleywine, I'm not sure. I will definitely try more barleywines in the futures to compare.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 03:30:31 | More by y2jrock60

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very hazy deep brown. Good white head for a barely wine but it recedes kind of quickly. Super super hazy. lacing is superb.

Smells like a 120 minute ipa oddly enough. Lots of minty citric, grapefruit, and passion fruit hops. A really nice bouquet actually, very floral and herbal as well. Slight malt presence comes through on the nose as the beer warms as well as some alcohol.

Wow!

For a barely wine, hop presence is monstrous. Bitterness lingers on the back of the tongue. Extreme beer, as it's name implies.

On the top of the tongue it tastes like orange marmalade covered in dark mint-chocolate. It's bizarre. Huge fizzy chewy body with some dark malts present in the middle of the mouth. The beer finishes with a huge hop presence. It doesn't really balance the beer out, but instead interrupts the flavor receptors and takes over with citric, piney, and minty hops. Tons of flavors, not exactly layered the best but all are really good.

First barley wine i've had that I've truly enjoyed a lot. Probably wouldn't be able to drink more than one but the flavors are so good. The only problem is I dont know on what occasion I'd bust another one of these out. I also want to know how this would taste after some aging. Can't wait to cellar a few.

I'm glad I got past the terrible bottle art and gave this try (Also 5.99 for a 10% abv bomber) amazing!

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 02:38:56 | More by jtierney89

RandyV

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice dark tea,ruby brown color with a two finger head on the pour. Smell skews bready malt, fruit and mild floral hops.

The malt character is forward, taste of grape, mint and grapefruit rind bitterness round out the flavors. The alcohol is everpresent, but not overwhelming. It has a dry finish.

It is interesting to me that a 100 IBU ale can be slightly malt centric. Full disclosure, I am a West Coast DIPA fan (Stone Ruination sets the standard for me), so I am a hophead for sure. Nonetheless, this is a solid, respectful ale from a stellar East Coast brewer. Rock on, Rock Art!

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 01:17:51 | More by RandyV

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep red brown with a tight, light tan head that leaves little chunks of lacing.

Smells of fruity and sweet malts.

Tastes of a good wave of hops with a big malty base. Hops lead off with a citrus and pine character. Bitterness is moderate, but nothing outlandish. The malt base makes an appearance midway through and gives some brown sugar, caramel, and a tobacco like note. Malts also feel substantial with a bread like presence. Some fruits come in and give a bit of raisin and currants. Alcohol is noticeable, but I would not call it hot.

Mouthfeel is full with a creamy amount of carbonation.

Overall, another solid part of the Rock Art lineup that can stand up to most Barleywines.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 03:14:13 | More by ocelot2500

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this one from Timmush, cheers Tim!

Pours an effervescent copper with 2+ fingers of tan head. Murks up a bit, above average head retention & lacing

S: Much breadyness, some apricot & figs, some pineyness once warm

T: Follows the nose, huge malt backbone, dryness & a touch of brown sugar & shortbread up front.
Subtle herbal & woody hops, some cakeyness, grapefruit & orange rind as this warms. Finishes with woody & herbal hops, breadyness that thins out just a bit at the very end

MF: Chewy, fairly firm carbonation, & great balance, nice warming sensation

Very nice, skews malty, but in my wheel house, yum

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 13:36:23 | More by russpowell

SickGnar

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Ruby brown - super dark amber when backlit. Huge khaki head that turns rocky and retains quite well but does not leave much for lace.

S: Robust malty sweetness – scorched sugars (like the edges of slightly overdone cookies), toffee, breadcrust, and some toasty grain. Dark fruits – esp. plum & raisin. Estery alcohol with just a touch of spicy kick – not too boozy though. For 100 IBUs the hops are rather shy –some resin and rind push though and are really well integrated and somehow dark like the rest. Rich malts really carry the nose.

T: Wow. Like the nose, but even more rich, robust, and complex. And the hops come out to just ever so slighty over match the malts. Firm bitterness throughout. Hops start off with loads of citrus dominated by grapefruit and rind. Through the middle – pine & mint mix with medicinal/herbal & spicy notes. Resin dominates the end and lingers on for ages. Resin starts with nuances of tobacco and wood, then it gets earthy, and as it lingers on you start to think of pitch – even tar. Like the nose, the malts is rich and complex and robust. Toasty, slightly nutty, malty base grain plays a little bit bigger role. Toffee and over-backed cookie provide sweetness. The richness is expanded by breadcrusty melanoidans that hint at but never truly get roasty. Raisin and plum dark fruits blend with the estery/floral and spicy alcohol that gets just softly boozy as it warms.

M: A ways over medium, but not too thick (not syrupy at all). CO2 is adequate to help carry this big puppy. Lots of dextrins, hop oils, tannins, and some sticky, lip-coating residual sugars. NO alcohol bite, but quite warming indeed. Resinous hops and alcohol work hard to take this one almost drying.

D: Thank you Vermonster, may I have another. Actually, another would put me under the table with this bews amazingly camouflaged 10% abv. Very robust and flavorful. Nice toasty and very rich malts with incredibly resinous and complex hops. The heft does slow you down with works well for all the character this one has. For the price (in VT) this is superb.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 00:21:39 | More by SickGnar

sprucetip

Alaska

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From notes. Clear, mahogany, thin tan head that doesn't last long. Spotty lacing. Nice looking but not exceptional.

Piny more than floral for fruity, boozy, with mostly buried malt bill trying to be noticed. Mostly hops and booze. Even an American barley wine should be maltier than this.

Bitterness and booze overwhelm the malt. I barely notice any sweetness at all. Bitterness lingers way past the finish and is kind of San Diego style tongue lashing harsh.

Low carbonation, medium full body is hard to detect compared to the rough, astringent bitterness. Moderately strong warming.

I really wanted to like this more, but it's way too dry for my taste. Too harshly bitter and unbalanced. The surely prodigious malty body just isn't sturdy enough to compete.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 03:50:30 | More by sprucetip

SpdKilz

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A big thanks to Drazzamatazz for this beer. Reviewed from notes. I’ve always wanted to try this due to the fact I read about the trademark issue Monster drinks had with it (this happened during an IP law course I was taking a couple years ago).

Appearance – Pours into a tulip with a nice deep red color. About a finger of off white head is achieved with a normal pour that dissipates slowly.

Smell – Heavy caramel and candied sugars, slight hoppy pine presence, dark fruits like plums and raisins, and slight nuttiness.

Taste – The candied sugars hit up front mixed with floral, piney hops. The flavor really does just continue to be quite sweet and cloying to be honest. The dark fruits come through midway but are almost encapsulated by the candied flavors. Finishes with a hint of alcohol and bitterness from the hops.

Mouthfeel – Medium bodied, lower carbonation, slightly creamy.

Overall – Not my favorite barleywine by a long shot, but again, am glad I was able to try this. Somewhat one dimensional to me. Way too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 23:23:04 | More by SpdKilz

beerphan

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle -> american pint

Dark hazelnut with scarlet streaks. Creamy thick mocha head. Thick cliffs of ringed lace

Nose: Sweet candy caramels and resiny hop float

Thick creamy body that explodes. Malts are heavy sweet and undeniable, even with the hop blast that leaves a resiny bitter taste lingering for the duration.

Loved It. Go 'Lers

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 20:05:40 | More by beerphan

MbpBugeye

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Shared by Ryan011235

Appearance
The beer is a dark, ruddy purple. It looks quite muddy, but not fully opaque. There is a short head leaving crackly lace.

Aroma
The aroma starts off figgy and fruity, but not bright and vibrant levels of fruity ale yeast. There is some brown sugar peppered in as well. Oxidation comes around, bringing aromas of dying, dried hops.

Taste
The flavor starts out with aged, oxidized notes that simply seem like staled malts and hops. The back half of the flavor is quite bitter. There are notions of pine and citrus, but the flavors are muffled and seem faded. Caramel and brown sugar lends a malty base .

Mouthfeel
Full bodied and somewhat sticky. The carbonation is a healthy medium. The dry finish is the best part.

Overall
A decent barleywine, but ultimately fairly typical. I can tell this has a little age on it, but perhaps not enough age. It could have been in that awkward phase barlewine geeks so often talk about. Enjoyable nonetheless, even though I prefer less bitterness in my barleywines.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 18:41:04 | More by MbpBugeye

BeerLover99

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: deep tan/amber cloudy body, trace head, nice lacing

S: big malt, barley, ripe fruit, figs, toffee, nuts

T: sweet nuts, toffee, ripe fruits, pine, long slow bitter finish

M: med/heavy, smooth, sticky

O: Delicious; do your taste buds a favor
go out and get this beer or other Rock Art brews.
I will be seeking out more of these beers.
I love barleywines; they seem to be a rare breed.

DELICIOUS, PICK THIS ONE UP!

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2011 20:35:56 | More by BeerLover99

Sean9689

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Forgot who sent me this as an extra...thanks to whoever you are!

A - Pours brown, thin collar, darker cream-colored head, wisps.

S - Pine, slight dankness, booze, sugary syrup sweetness.

T - Huge hoppy bitterness mixed in with a large dose of malty sweetness. This beer is big in every way. Big boozy alcohol notes. Syrupy sweet finish followed by an onslaught of hoppy bitterness. A bit too much for me.

M - Medium to full, good carbonation, very syrupy.

O - Not really a fan of this one. Big on booze, sweetness, and hops with no real balance. Just a monster of a beer that I can't get through. Average, at best. Pass.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 19:23:36 | More by Sean9689

dragonWhale

New York

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up for like 3.99 in VT, which blew my mind. Held onto it for a while, shipped a bottle to my brew partner who told me it was delicious. So on this eve of destruction and flooding, the monster awakens.
Murky vague autumnal color with a creamy head that eventually dissolves to nothingness as I await on this beer to warm.
Ethanol, melanoidin, some pine in the aroma. The alcohol aroma is deep and rich, actually quite pleasant and not biting despite its evident presence.
Starts caramel malty with strong bitterness and finishes with some astringency and pine.
A little sweet but overall not bad, especially for the price. Should I see this again, yes, probably, yes.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 07:20:43 | More by dragonWhale

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a deep mahogany red colour with a solid finger of creamy beige coloured head. Recedes promptly leaving an attractive thin blanket on top.

S: Pine, caramel, toffee, tart grapefruit, some dark fruits (like figs, dates, cherries), and some slight nut-like aromas. Quite agreeable.

T: Loads of bitter piney hops with a dominant caramel/toffee malt taste. Wasn't expecting such a strong malt profile. Slight walnut notes coupled with a sea salt taste (?), albeit strangely not a bad thing. Grapefruit faintly presents itself near the finish, along with an intense bitter and dry taste.

M: Incredibly oily with a maple syrup-like texture and average carbonation for the style. Quite oily but it seems to work OK.

O: Good barleywine that I will be picking up again when in Vt. especially when offered at such a fair price (~$5). Quite an easy-drinking barleywine for a style which I usually find myself struggling to finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 22:21:44 | More by Digimaika2

tdexterc

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Poured slowly, this beer produced a one finger, khaki head which sat atop a super hazy, deep redish brown body. The head had decent retention, and stuck well together in a ring at the edge of the glass.

S- The first hit is of deep toffee malts. Definite esters in here as well. At 100 IBU’s, you’re also sure to get a hop profile, and this is no exception. Clear piney hops come off with a bit of earthy character to them.

T- A big earthy caramel/toffee malt profile is able to make it through at first, but it is quickly subdued by a wallop of piney, resinous hops and a wave… nay… a tsunami of bitterness!

M- Surprisingly smooth for how big this beer is. Obviously there’s an imbalance in hops and malt, but for how bitter this beer is, the malts still manage to show themselves pretty damn well. I’d love to try aging this behemoth. Too bad it would never last long enough in my house.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 12:14:04 | More by tdexterc

OakedCanuck

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle into snifter. 2010 vintage I believe

A - This beer pours a lighter brown with a rusty orange outer edges. Very minor off white head.

S - Lots of pine hops on the nose with accenting caramel and toffee. There is a certain musty earthiness to it.

T - Quite hoppy flavour profile (pine, grass) for being I am guessing about a year old. Caramel, brown sugar and Belgian sugars provide a nice malt profile. Some minor oxidation, but I like that.

M - Drying, sticky sweet, noticeable ABV heat.

O - A good standard barleywine. Slightly hot but some age should mellow that out. I liked it, above average.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 17:39:17 | More by OakedCanuck

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

brown, though you can see some light through it, no head and a nice lace top it off. Smell is hopped for sure, but with a subtle sugary undertone, and a hint of alcohol too. Taste is not very strong at all. There is the natural piney hoppness you would expect from a barley wine, but not too strong, there is also a sugary, nuttiness about it as well. The alcohol is there, and that keeps this a sipper. It is actually nicely carbonated, and not harsh going down, has the warm feeling on the way. Overall this was a good brew,

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 16:00:08 | More by mikesgroove

Pinto21

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a caramel brown. Just about the same as the bottle actually. A 2 finger head that fades fairly quick to a layer on top and lacing down the sides.
Smell up front is citrus hop, followed by a big helping of caramel sweetness.
Pretty nice complex taste. Assaulted by piney hops right off the bat. As that fades, the sweet malt comes in to save your taste buds, then the toasted malts finish it off, even though there is bitterness still around to battle back.
mouth is good for a BW and its not too boozey

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 22:53:17 | More by Pinto21

9InchNails

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Light to golden edges, orangey red to a darker red in the center. Light creamy tan head. The head leaves some sticky foamy lacing on the glass.

Very sweet malt. Bread, caramelized sugar, vanilla, some nutty characteristics show as well. Smells really nice.

This is mostly sweet up front, some fruits, some pine, bread, burnt sugar and a dry bitterness at the end. Quite tasty and the 10% abv. is faintly noticeable.

Creamy medium body. Fills the mouth nicely. Carbonation is on the light side but is noticeable. Ends dry. Alcohol heat isn't really noticeable.

This is a BIG BEER! Sweet and then bitter at the end. Very tasty! If you're a IPA fan, you'll enjoy this even though it's a Barleywine. It reminds me of a Imperial IPA. Although, this is a 100 IBU monster, a lot of the bitterness is subdued by the sweetness, making this very well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 05:39:47 | More by 9InchNails

oline73

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours a dark amber with just a layer of light tan head. The head fades to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Sweet caramel malt and dark fruit with a hint of alcohol. There is some bitter hops in there as well.

Taste: The bitterness really dominates every thing else. The malt was there, but it was completely overshadowed. The finish was very bitter citrus peel and grassy hops along with some warm alcohol.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thick side of medium. The carbonation is tingly and the finish is mildly dry.

Overall: The smell was very nice, but the malt really disappeared behind the hops. Tasted more like an ipa than a barleywine. Good but not great.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 01:38:10 | More by oline73