From Brooklyn Brewing out of Brooklyn New York comes their "Monster Ale" this bottle being a 2007 vintage Barleywine. This bottle was opened on May 2nd 2017 making it in the neighborhood of 9 years and 4 months old if I assume the beer was released in December. Unfortunately this beer was discontinued in 2013 after their cat named Monster passed away. The beer poured a chestnut brown colour with a brown head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toffee, dark fruit, brown sugar, sweetness and some mint. The flavour is of chocolate, toffee, caramel, brown sugar, dark fruit, orange, sherry, mild resin, tannins and sweetness. This beer coats your tongue with every sip. The alcohol content comes in at 10.1% with an IBU of 47. I am really bummed to hear of the demise of this beer as this close to 10 year old bottle tastes bloody amazing!
Commercial Description: 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 10.3%. It is vivacious when young, but will age gracefully for many years, becoming more complex over time.
Food Pairing as per brewery: Brooklyn Monster Ale is a fine accompaniment to a variety of cheeses (especially Gruyere, Stilton and aged cheddar), ice cream, flourless cakes, crème brulee and good cigars.
Here is my review of the same vintage from December 2012.
