I was fortunate to be given a couple bottles of this beer when I stopped by Brooklyn Brewery  not too long ago. Having not tried this beer before I was curious to experience Brooklyn  Monster Ale an English Barleywine that I’ve heard a lot of good things about. Upon pouring  the beer there was low to moderate carbonation along with a beautiful dark red color with  some haze (not totally see through). The aroma was of sweet caramel and toffee along sherry  and some brown sugar notes. While I do prefer the hop character of American Barleywines,  the sweet malty and dark fruit flavors in this beer were quite inviting. As an aged barleywine  (known for high ABV), alcohol esters were present but not prominent. At first I didn’t think I’d  enjoy the sweetness, but after I was few sips I really started to enjoy the beer as a  sipper. Overall: Everytime I try a barleywine I ask myself why I have not tried more of them.  However, with the English style barleywines I’m not yet sure if I could drink more than one  12oz bottle in a session. The sweet caramel and sherry notes make for an at times one  dimensional drinking experience. As for the beer in question i.e. Brooklyn Monster Ale 2008,  my impression of English Barleywines, did not change much. As it warmed up the sweet malt  and fruit notes along with the alcohol esters did not “blow my socks off” nor did they make me  want to buy this beer again in the future. If you like English Barleywines I would still recommend giving this beer a try to see how it compares to beers of this style that you have enjoyed in the past. Rating: 7/10