Sea Monster (Barrel Aged)
Ballast Point Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoyed in a taster glass at Papago’s Brewing Up Hope beer festival.

Pitch black, inky as the bottom of the sea. Dark bubbles cascade downward, forming a tight, creamy head the color of cocoa that deposits thick walls of lace.

Toast, peanuts, a little coffee and some sourdough in the nose. Maybe some tangy dark chocolate and a tiny bit of smoke as well, but I don’t get much barrel at all.

Weird flavor. It’s actually kind of fruity, with molasses, toast, vinous oak, smoky wood and some licorice. Again, not a lot of bourbon. A weird, tangy, spicy mix.

Medium body is a little too thin, carbonation is low and electric, alcohol heat warms the throat.

It's okay. I’m not a huge fan of Sea Monster when it hasn’t seen the inside of a barrel, and it appears the wood didn't make it much better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at hollingshead.

Pitch black with a thin layer of beige head. Not much lace, and pour retention which isn't surprising for the abv.

Nose is full of ripe dark fruits, mostly plumbs and raisins. Hints of cocoa and bourbon, but the dark fruits are stealing the show here.

Taste follows nose. Mostly dark fruits, a touch of cocoa and roast. Some coffee, and some bourbon, but still dark fruit ultimately wins out.

Medium to full bodied. Light and smooth carbonation.

Fairly good, but too much fruit and not enough chocolate/bourbon. Probably will pass next time I see it.

On-tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad

A: The beer pours just about black with a tan colored head on top.

S: What a horrible aroma. I can smell it before I even get the glass to my face. Lots of rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, vinegar, and booze. There is a bit of bourbon and maybe some roast, but they're overshadowed to say the least.

T: The flavor is only a slight improvement. At least the roasted malt is more pronounced, but there's still plenty of nail polish remover and paint thinner. Booze, vanilla, bitter chocolate, and just a prevailing harshness.

M: The body is medium with a moderate to high level of carbonation.

D: This was truly bad. Not sure how old this beer/keg is, but I think it's time it goes down the drain.

Draught at Verdugo. Black with no real head and some tan bubbles. Aroma of caramel, wood, bourbon, and light vanilla. Light chocolate male flavor with lots of booze and light wood. Medium-full, smooth carbonation, and hot palate. I wasn't wild about the regular sea monster, ands though this smooths out the rough oat flavor, the booze is just too much. This just needs much less barrel time or a lot more malt to stand up to it.

Consumed on 9/10/2009 on tap at the Scripps Ranch location. This beer is different from previous incarnations. It is a blend of different whisky barrels that have been aged for a year. The beer is black with a one finger creamy light brown head with good retention and lacing.

The nose is of dark and milk chocolate. The coffee is subdued after the barrel aging and only a faint whisper of its former self is apparent. The aroma is rich, with notes of vanilla and sweet malt. The whisky is very noticeable and is pervasive throughout. Some molasses is evident, and the chocolate comes out a bit more with warming.

The flavor is boozy whisky with dark and milk chocolate. Bitterness is at a low level. The sign says 10%, but this tastes closer to 12-13% to me. There's a good deal of whisky character and that isn't surprising after 12 months in the barrel. I don't detect any coffee in the flavor and roasted character is at a very low level. The finish is smooth with notes of chocolate and lingering whisky booze heat.

The beer is full bodied with moderate draft carbonation and a thick, creamy mouthfeel. A very nice beer, but I found it to be quite hot. If this were in bottles it would benefit with some time on it.