I have taken a few timid steps toward cellaring some of my beer. Last January I had some Brooklyn Monster Ale and very specifically put aside a bottle to have…oh, about now.
It’s been an awful temptation to see it back for just about all of 2009. This is a bottle from 2008.
Very pretty caramel color and clear. What little head it has falls fairly quickly. There’s some vanilla in the aroma, plus a bit of floral, but mostly it’s significantly malty/bready. It’s thick. Not syrupy, but obviously very high gravity. Big malty flavor with a little bit of heat from the alcohol.
Question is: Is it better than it was a year ago?
I say yes. Most of the “harshness” I found in it last January has certainly mellowed. It’s warm and complex. It’s good. Should I cellar it for longer? I don’t know, but it would be hard to leave it alone for that long.
