Monkey Fist Barley Wine
Growlers

Had this on tap at Growlers in Gaithersburg, MD. Beer is amber to orange in color. Carbonation high (I like a highly carbonated beer). Tight white head that leaves lacing on the glass, carbonation props this head up, looks great. A slight haze to this beer.

Smells buttery, some malt character. Aroma of tis beer is really subtle, there really isn't anything wrong with the aroma, just nothing jumps up. I don't smell the alcohol (I guess that's good). I was expecting some sort of hop here, maybe not.

This beer is smooth and full bodied. There is some heat to it, and a solvency that comes with the second and third drink. The solvent character grows with each sip. More ethanol, more malts, not a lot of hops. There is some hop bitterness in the back of the palate after several drinks, just not a forward flavor. Drinkability suffers due to this apparent off flavor.

Here is how the brewer described the beer, "A new version of an old style, this brew packs a punch both in flavor and alcohol. We dry-hop this malty beer to balance flavor and aroma while adding complexity and character. Beware of the Fist!"

I did not get the dry hopped aroma at all AT ALL! The alcohol turned out to be the winning flavor and not in a pleasant way. There are plenty of good examples of barley wines with greater than 10% ABV that are not dominated by the flavor of alcohol. So yes, Beware of the Fist!