Name: Monster Ale

Brewer: Brooklyn Brewery

Style: English Barleywine

Vintage: 2007

Cellared On: January 3rd, 2008

Original Tasting: January 18th, 2008

Coming inside from a cold January evening, I had one thing on my mind - the case of Monster Ale I had picked up a couple of weeks earlier. I knew I needed something to take the chill out of my bones, and I had a feeling this brew would be the perfect thing.

The 2007 Monster Ale poured a clear and beautiful coppery red. Even with a hard pour from your truly, almost no head formed on this beer, and what head there was dissipated very quickly. I didn’t really miss the carbonation, because I was too busy enjoying the aromatic smells coming up from my glass. I could smell the hops, the sweet malts, and even the huge alcohol presence of this brew.

The key word for this beer is balance. The malt flavors, biscuity with underlying dark fruit/brown sugar sweetness, are perfectly matched by the bountiful hop flavor. The interplay between these two components is just amazing, very impressive, and totally delicious.

Even as I was marveling at this brews construction, I managed to notice that it was medium bodied and had a touch of creaminess to it. The heavy alcohol presence, which seemed a bit rum-like to me, started to come in to play as the beer entered it’s long bittersweet finish.

Needless to say, my favorite barleywine yet. I’m glad I bought a case, because I’m going to have to have a few more!

Cellar Outlook: Previous vintages seem to do pretty well over time, which is no surprise given the style and strength of this brew. The fruit and hops flavors will diminish over time, but we should should see some increasing complexity in both the malt and sweetness flavors.

Next Tasting: January 2008

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com