Brooklyn Monster Ale

Tonight I had my Brooklyn Monster Ale, their English Barleywine.  This was this year’s (well, 2007) vintage.  It poured a ruby copper color with a thin white head.  Smelled of alcohol, some slight hops, and a little sweetness.  Unfortunately, this beer suffered from the alcohol (10.1% ABV) and it’s a tad too much up front.  While there’s no burn, it kind of takes over the other flavors.  Other flavors include some light hops, some malt sweetness, and the taste of a cognac or brandy, though that’s probably just the alcohol.  This one could use some aging to mellow out the alcohol a bit and bring some of the other flavors forward.  If I can still get it, I’m definitely going to be buying one to store for a year.