Brooklyn Monster Barleywine

Thanks to Tom for trading me this. Tasted with Logan Beausoleil in accompaniment of an assortment of micro snifters following a days excursion to the Beeradvocate Goose Island meeting. Though we weren't actually a part of it, we were still there drinking beer along side them.

Appearance: Deep mahogany red with a white creamed ring. The beer has some haze to it along with a visible rising fizz.

Aroma: Very sweet and brown or corn sugar aroma. The beer sweetness also imparts a peach or pear. Under attenuation of the light sugars. Some fruity - fructose sweetness.

Taste: Very sweet for a barley wine. More fruit sweetness and esters of pears and peaches. Caramel malt intermixed. A nice alcoholic back burn in the throat. Some vinous and winey character. Tart finish. Some ethanol and almost toffee'd caramel sugar. Perhaps some vanilla undertones permeate as well, but it is difficult to distinguish over the fruit backbone. Tart roasted dates.
Mouthfeel: More of a thinner body followed by a low fizzed texture. Easy and drinkable.
Overall Impression: Nice. This is one of the first barleywines I think I could actually enjoy more than once, or even enjoy in the first place for that matter. It was very estery and sweet and not in the slightest aggressive on either fronts. Granted this is probably a barleywine that would taste better fresh than aged because there wasn't much of a bitter hop profile that would mellow with time.


88/100