Brooklyn Monster Ale - Brooklyn Brewery

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2011 vintage.

A-Pours a clear glowing ruby hue. Mild head. Moderate lacing too.

S-Yeasty. Sweet with all sorts of caramel. Apple cider. With the near year of age, any hops have disintegrated.

T-Flavor is better. Sugary sweet with some burn. Caramel, toffee, brown sugar, blah, blah, blah. Has an sorta astringent flavor.

M-Sipper. Dry. Not bitter. Take your time.

O/D-One dimensional. Lacks complexity. Could be better, could be worse.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 04:29:35 | More by VelvetExtract

drabmuh

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter. Beer I've overlooked for years, glad I finally picked one up. Nothing special, just a well crafted barleywine that tastes good.

Beer is brown, darker than expected, tight white head of small bubbles, mildly tan, decent retention, some lacing, nice carbonation.

Aroma is malt, simple, mild yeastiness, mostly malt.

Beer is medium in body, sweet up front and in the middle, mildly bitter on the finish, a decent beer with a nice connectivity and good palate. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 19:01:38 | More by drabmuh

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 Oz bottle poured into a snifter
2011

A- Pours hazy copper color with a half a finger of an off white head. Definite alcohol legs.

S- A lot of caramel, dark fruits and molasses. A slight yeast and bitterness.

T- A big malty beer. A get a huge caramel and molasses up front. Followed up by a lot of dark fruits. There is a lot of plum and fig flavors to this beer. A bit of burn sugar and a slight grainyness. This is a nice feeling and tasting beer but I cant help to think mine has been sitting under a lamp for a while too long. It has a slightly off yeasty flavor. Maybe a bit of age will weed it out.

M- Big, malty, smooth, sticky. A slight alcohol burn. Not bitter at all, very sugary sweet.

O- Nice stuff. I cant help but be a bit thrown off by the off flavor in mine. Maybe its been sitting under a lamp too long, maybe its still a bit young or maybe its just the beer. Worth trying and hopefully aging.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 00:33:58 | More by TwelveOunces

FLima

Brazil

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Date to be enjoyed before November 2014.
Interesting colour, brownish orange. It made almost no head.
I could sense a good quantity of hops in its aroma. Same for its taste, also with caramel malt, some raisins and tofee. The quantity of hops tweaks a little its style, but why not?
The booze can be felt, but also in a good way, warming up your tongue, as one expects in a Barley Wine.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 01:12:55 | More by FLima

ajcarp

British Columbia (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2007 vintage poured into a tulip glass.

A: Muddy brown with a thin, almost non-existent head.
S: Dank. Kind of like a wet mop.
T: Full of raisin, toffee and carmel. Very tasty.
M: Nice alcohol warmth as well as the taste lingers long on the tongue.
O: A pleasant, slightly above average sample of one of my favorite styles.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 03:31:20 | More by ajcarp

Beelzebeer

Newfoundland (Canada)

2.9/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

330ml Best before Nov 2014, making this I don't know how old. 2 years? 1? Served in a snifter.

A - Muddy, toffee-brown with some head that doesn't stick around.

S - Booze, very specific B-grade toffee, brown sugar, burnt sugar

T - Malt, caramel, toffee

M - Dense, with little carbonation. Something is missing.

O - I've definitely had better.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 01:40:24 | More by Beelzebeer

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

poured into snifter.

Vintage 2011.

Appearance: dark orange bodied beer with half a finger of head that dropps quickly to thin ring around the glass.

Smell: Big caramel malts. dark fruits and caramelized sugars. Mild grassy and grapefruit hops.

Taste: starts with big caramel sweetness and quickly transitions into hoppy a bitter finish with grassy, herbs, and citris notes. Its got a really bitter and boozey finish for an English Barleywine. Not a fan.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. This beer is probably a good candidate for aging. Big booze burn, not really all that smooth.

Overall: Not sure what the hype is surrounding this beer. Its a little below average in my book and the hops are to aggressive, in my opinion its not to style.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 20:09:24 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

BGDrock

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: gorgeous light mahogany; very slight haze; pours a good head, but dissipates quickly to a film

Aroma: cranberry, strawberry - red fruits; sweet caramel malt; brandy; very boozy; prune

Taste & Mouthfeel: wow - punch of malt flavour and alcohol is almost a shock, finishing with a spice hop bitterness and remaining booze vapour; closest I've had to wine in beer form - like a rose with some tart red fruit - grapes, currants; very dry; clean mouthfeel with appropriate carbonation, but somewhat rough due to alcohol; caramel malts present throughout

Overall: definitely a beast, drink slowly! the booziness consumes a bit too much attention, but in general it's a tasty beer

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 02:01:08 | More by BGDrock

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2009: Pours dark mahogany with a slight skim head. No retention, no lace.

Nose smells of dark sugar and ..wet newspaper. Some dark fruit. Funk bugs me.

Bitter up front, with some sugars and dark stone fruit to bring up the rear. Bitterness shines thru at the end. Lacks alot of complexity, meaning, it misses in many areas. Some herbal notes, burnt sugars.

A little thinner that I like. Some ok carbonation.

Not great. Too bitter, too lean. Drinkable, but I'm glad this was just a 12 oz.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 23:26:43 | More by OtherShoe2

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle with no date other than "2011 batch" on the label

Look is a dark cloudy brown/amber with rising bubbles. Small frothy khaki head. Smell is dark fruit, apple, pine, rubbing alcohol, sweet bread. Taste is a ton of sweet malt, caramel rolls, orange marmalade, dark berries, piney bitterness, with alcohol throughout. Feel is medium-heavy, foamy but not crisp.

Just an OK representation of the style. Very sweet, dark berries and buttery malt are very prominent. Not my favorite, but I'll enjoy the rest of the 4-pack.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 00:48:54 | More by jimmah120

MadScientist

New York

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This was a 2010 bottle
A: A glowing deep copper and orange beer with excellent clarity and a thin, tan head with excellent retention.

S: Aromas of sherry, toffee and rich malt dominate the nose. There is a spicy and floral hop aroma with light fruity notes. A soft alcohol note complements the rich aroma.

T: A rich malt sweetness and hops bitterness dominate the flavor at moderately-high levels of both. There a flavors of carmel and toffee with a light raisin and grap fruitiness. Moderate spicy flavors, a strong bitterness and some sweetness linger past the dry finish.

M: Medium body with moderately-light carbonation. There is a light creaminess and very light astringency with noticeable alcohol warmth.

O: A good example of an English Barleywine with a dominate yet soft alcohol character and a fairly intense bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 00:54:30 | More by MadScientist

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle served in a tulip glass.

A: Pours a beautiful deep clear amber color forming a small yellow head. Low retention and only few lacings left

S: Sweet and fruity in the nose. Toffee and caramel. Dark fruits. Raisins mainly. End is composed of flowery American hops

T: Sweet as a barley wine should be. Fruity too. Toffee. Caramel malts backbone. End is bitter hoppyness. Not much of alcohol can be felt given the high ABV. Warming beer. Molasses

M: Full creamy molasses body. Low carbonation. Sweet upfront and a hoppy bitter aftertaste

O: Good drinkability. Good quality Brooklyn beer

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 19:07:55 | More by eduardolinhalis

cnbrown313

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Mahogany / caramel colored with a very small head

S - Smells of dark fruit, raisins, and a little bit of spice.

T - There is definitely plenty of sweetness, as the sweet malt and dark fruit flavors hit me first. There is also a sugary molasses taste that lingers too. The alcohol is very well hidden as well and there is very little alcohol burn, which is impressive, given the ABV.

M - The mouth feel is not quite as full as some of the other barleywines that I have had, but it is nice. I would call it a "meduim" body, for a barleywine.

O - I was a little hesitant about picking up a 4 pack of 10.8% ABV barleywine at $8.99, but it turned out to be a great deal! This isn't as complex as some of the higher end barleywines out there, but if you are a fan of the style, I would recommend this for sure.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 18:20:47 | More by cnbrown313

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 355ml bottle with a BB of Nov 2014. ABV is stated as 10.3%. Picked up a couple of months ago from Trembling Madness in York. Time to unleash the beast....

Poured into a Delirium chalice. A deep coppery-amber with good carbonation. Yields a good head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a couple of minutes before reducing to a surface layer. Aroma of rich, fruity malt with hints of toffee, brown sugar, dried fruit and pine. Quite sweet, with a huge whiff of warming, solventy booze in the background.

Tastes of rich, sweet malt with a fruity character and a bitter finish. Notes of caramel/toffee, brown sugar, dried fruit, aromatic pine, stewed hops and a hint of vanilla. A slight port-like quality. Rather bitter, with a seriously boozy flavour upon swallowing - spicy and astringent. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with good body. The alcohol strips the palate - very dry. Aftertaste of sweet, fruity malt and piny hops.

A Monster by any other name would taste as sweet. This is a seriously heavy brew - the malt and booze hit you like an avalanche, while bitter hops add another dimension to the flavour. Fruity, though the impression it leaves is one of excessive alcohol and insufficient depth of character. Nice aroma and body, but ultimately wanting. Perhaps aging it for a while would have improved it? Worth trying, but it falls short of greatness.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 01:14:15 | More by jazzyjeff13

cfrances33

Illinois

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2009 on tap at Boilermaker in Philly on 7/10/12. Poured into a tulip.

Pour: Dark amber ruby body with a finger and a half of tan head. Best lacing I've seen in a while.

Smell: Nice dark fruits with some cocoa and maybe cinnamon.

Taste: Vanilla, plum, light milk chocolate. Really mellow, not much hint of the alcohol at all. Aged fantastically.

Mouthfeel: Mellow with no burn. Silky smooth and quite light for the style. Would never guess it was over 10%

Overall: Much better with age than fresh - turned into a great barleywine IMO.

RIP Monster

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2012 14:37:13 | More by cfrances33

jsisko01

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance - Pours a dark, brownish copper color with a half-inch thick head that lingers for a couple minutes. Leaves a nice, creamy lacing.

Smell - Very sweet and malty, caramel, toffee, and alcohol.

Taste - Extremely sweet up front, like a wine/champagne sweetness mixed with strong alcohol. Toffee, caramel, a lot of hops and malts, with an alcohol bite. Has a strong bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall - This is my first time trying a barleywine ale. I'm not a fan. This is for the people who like their beers strong with a high ABV. In my opinion, this would taste pretty good with the ABV cut in half.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 03:16:42 | More by jsisko01

AleWatcher

Illinois

1.98/5  rDev -46.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

2009 Bottle (almost 3 years old).
Served in Founders snifter.

A bit brackish looking coppery amber colored body with a half finger head. Weak retention. Virtually no lacing.

Smells better than it did fresh, but still not very impressive. A boozy maltiness with a hint of dark fruit notes. The flavor has a much stronger bitterness than I'd remembered-- it helps to cut through the oily sweetness, but doesn't make it all the way. Some big sweetness mixes with a crackery malt note. No real hop flavor.

Feels a bit thin and oily slick. Big old booziness in the aftertaste.

Overall-- meh. I was hoping a bit of age would improve this, but not enough.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 02:48:29 | More by AleWatcher

ksimons

New York

3.15/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-toffee colored with about a fingers worth of cream colored head that quickly disappears to leave some lacing around the top

S-sticky malt, caramel, raisins, and a decent amount of bitter hops

T-Pretty sweet with a backbone of malt with a citrusy finish. The hops don't really come out in the taste as much as the smell would suggest. Some alcohol warming, but not as much as I expected based on the ABV.

M-medium body, prickly carbonation, a strange sweet yet bitter taste is left in the back of the throat

Overall not something I would get again. Is not the best example of an English Barleywine

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 22:31:16 | More by ksimons

brystmar

New York

2.63/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

2009 vintage.

Looks like a barleywine. Decently thin layer of white foam forms a protective layer on the surface. Nice lacing.

Nose is strongly medicinal at first, then green apples for some reason. Malts and booze follow, but wtf is going on here?

Taste disappoints. Lots of malt and booze here, but it lacks actual flavor. A poor attempt at the style -- hard to believe there are >10 years of this.

Had this a few times and was similarly disappointed then too. Avoid.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 00:39:46 | More by brystmar

pmarlowe

California

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This monster ale was born in 2009. Thanks to seeswo for this. Goblet.

A: Pours a nice deep, clear amber, with a thin, fizzy cap of beige head. The head fizzles out within a minute or so leaving a ring and some

S: Red fruit mixed with toffee, and a little booze burn.

T: Rich malt and sherry, red and dark fruit, bone dry with some tannic grip and slight bitterness that battles the caramel.

M: Medium-full body and medium-light carbonation.

O: Real nice flavors, but could be a bit smoother on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 04:41:44 | More by pmarlowe

TubaManJack

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance
A deep brown that is nearly opaque. Very little head formation and carbonation. Very typical strong ale body.

Smell
A malt bomb of various distinct malts. There is chocolate, whole grain bread, and some roasted bits as well. It is very deep and inviting.

Taste
A deep traveling malt show. There are also some dark dried fruits. I like the dark sweet malts that really shined in this beer.

Mouthfeel
Thick and Oilly. Any alcohol or carbonation would have been welcomed in a bigger presence.

Overall a tasty strong ale that brought a lot to the table. I liked how the keg had almost two seasons to come together. I will be butting this in the strong ale rotation this fall for cellering.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2012 01:51:56 | More by TubaManJack

RDAdams

Maryland

3.38/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Born in 2010 with a stated ABV of 10.1%.

Aroma: The most striking features of the aroma are molasses and fruity esters. The malt in the aroma supports both its alcohol and its mild hops.

Appearance: Pours a deep copper color and is clear as copper can be. The head started out as two fingers of off-white foam, receded quickly, and settled into a somewhat decent ring. The carbonation was acceptable. Rather than saying it has legs, it's more accurate to say its lace has legs.

Taste: The taste is a punctuated burnt caramel breadiness. The hops which were mild in the aroma now too have a burnt flavor.

Mouthfeel: This is a full-bodied, smooth and creamy ale with adequate carbonation. The disappointment is the hot, harsh astringency of the finish.

Overall: What started out as a very inviting ale in the appearance and the aroma, descends into a harshness. I purchased a case and am saving most of it to see how it tastes in the next two years.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 03:12:36 | More by RDAdams

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Beer Deluxe.

A - Pours bright and copper with decent carbonation. One finger of lackluster off white head. No lace, no retention.

S - Toffee, caramel, raisins, some hops, dark fruits, boozy dates.

T - Toffee, caramel, some sharp alcohol and hops, dark fruit is less pronounced than the aroma while booze is more pronounced and sweetness really comes through.

M - Good carbonation, medium to full body and a slightly boozy and dry finish.

O/D - Easy to drink and fairly flavourful but the alcohol isn't masked well. Decent enough just not a better example of the style. Rough around the edges yet enjoyable for the most part.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 08:47:19 | More by tbeckett

JChristopher

Vermont

3.35/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I needed an economy barleywine, and I suppose I found it. Brooklyn Brewery, a company I am not thoroughly familiar with produced this particular barleywine in 2011, so technically it has been "aged" a year. Overall it was rather pleasant. It is a ruby red in the chalice I poured into. It had a good finger and a half of head which quickly dissipated (which is not surprising for a barleywine). I can smell the alcohol-- I can smell it quite a bit. Besides that I get raisin, a slight leathery-ness... perhaps even some spicy notes. I can taste the booze too, but the flavor develops a bit in the mouth. I almost get a bit of a candied apple flavor in there along with the raisin and spice. Despite its initial syrupy-ness, It seems a little bit more watery on the back end than I would expect from the average barleywine, but it doesn't detract much from the drinking experience. It's a remarkably OK beer! Go Brooklyn!

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 03:51:48 | More by JChristopher

EnemyWithin

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best before date of Nov 2012. Into Duvlip tulip on March 9, 2012.

Appearance: 3.5
Clear dark copper-brown body with ½ inch off-white head that quickly dissipates.

Smell: 4
Strong presence of caramel, toffee, candy sugar, and biscuit/bready malt, which provides robust and sweet malt background. Fainter notes of pine/grassy hops, with touch minerality. Very appropriate aroma, but a bit subdued in intensity.

Taste: 4
Initially a full-body, rich malt presence that bursts with notes of caramel /toffee as well as candy sugar and biscuit. Then midway through get a moderate soft bitterness, with notes of pineyness more than citrus. Slight presence of alcohol is detectable and adds to the depth of the beer. Finishes with fading general bitterness and a mild biscuit and caramel flavor of the malt. On point for style and more intense than that of the aroma. Very much American barleywine with strong malt and hops presence overall.

Mouthfeel: 4
Moderate thickness with mild to moderate carbonation. Good contrast of sweetness of the malt versus astringent bitterness of hops.

Overall: 4
A solid, if not above average brew. Great, robust flavors that are appropriate for the style and very enjoyable. Alcohol is notable, but overall well hidden. I particularly enjoy the malt profile. I would have this again, although it may not be a truly world-class barleywine.
Recommend

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 12:54:07 | More by EnemyWithin