Green Monstah Organic Strong Ale
Asher Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had this beer from a snifter in the Asher tasting room. I notice that I have this in common with the more complimentary reviewers of this beer, which may be no coincidence.

Very little on the nose. A bit of sweetness, and a waft of malts.
The taste, however, is phenomenal, with a wonderful balance of sweetness, malts. and subtle hops that entirely hides the high ABV. This one could sneak up on you quickly! Tastes of caramel and I can't remember what else- I followed the first one up with a second one, and then an IPA, so my memory is a bit fuzzy. What I do remember, however, is that this beer was surprisingly good, and probably ranks in my top 20 of all time. Try it at Asher if you can, since it doesn't transport well judging from some of the other ratings.

On tap at Freshcraft, served in an ridiculously over-sized snifter. Light amber-orange with a very thick foamy head. Smells malty and a little bit like alcohol. Taste is bland malts, astringent alcohol, very boring. Overall I had been quite interested in trying an Asher beer since they are organic but this was just lackluster an boring overall.

(Notes reflect 9.2% abv. Unsure of this but I believe that this is information that I got at the brewery from the blackboard listing. I may in error).

Pours a dark amber with a nice white head.

Nose is a pleasant sweet coffee, cooked stone fruit with some burnt toast.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and drinkable with nice balance.

Flavors are pleasant; not terribly complex but pleasing sweet malt, coffee and burnt toast. Finish is a nice bitter coffee.

This is not a complex beer but very approachable and drinkable; somewhat pleasing in all respects.

I have no idea where the Asher Brewing Company is located in Colorado, but I keep running into new beers from them around town. Much like the others I've tried, this one left me underwhelmed. Looked nice in the glass, like liquid butterscotch with a good white head. It was all downhill from there; Unbalanced, astringent, watery and a task to finish. Hopefully this brewery will eventually get it right, but hopes are greatly diminished.

On draft at OB HML&S

A- pours a deep dark brown color. Very opaque, thick looking. Light head, off white in color.

S- light malty, somewhat sweet. Some yeasty notes are present.

T- starts off with loads of caramel, toffee and strong sugary sweet flavors. More bitter down the middle, but no hopping detected. Lots of alcohol warmth. Finishes clean, lightly sweet and caramely.

M- thick and creamy. Little carbonation, and so all the sugars stand alone. Finishes very sticky.

D- a bit too cloying at times for session drinking. Abv will sneak up on you. A big time after dinner drink.

This was listed as hoppy on the menu- I would venture to call this a more malty beer than I have had in a while.

I've only had the Monsta at Asher's tasting room where they run a CO2-nitrous blend.

Appearance. Dense, white, foamy head. Deep amber colored brew. The head hangs around a bit. Very clear for a non-filtered beer. Lacing all the way to the last sip.

Smell. Not as much malt aroma as might be expected from an ale in the upper 10% ABV range...maybe a touch of caramel. Not a whole lot of hop smell either. It's not an Imperial IPA or American Barleywine so I guess it's OK that it's not loaded up like one.

Taste. Here's a surprise. No one component dominates. Malt sweetness, alcohol, bittering, hop taste...no one thing stands out. Hard to believe how much alcohol is in it, unless you have a couple of pints of it...at which point it'll be very evident.

Mouthfeel. Carbonation amount is about right. I let mine sit for a few minutes to lose some carbonation and warm up a bit.

Drinkability. Drinks more like a medium bodied ale than one that weighs in over 10%. Gotta drink it to believe it. Stop at two unless you've got a ride home :-)

Green Monsta is hands down my favorite Asher beer. It's one of my favorite beers period.

Had this at the Rackhouse Pub.
Arrives a deep brown color with a thin cap of white head in a snifter.
In spite of this being served at the correct temperature, this brew didn't have much nose at all. A little bit of sweetness, but that's really all. Odd.
The flavor isn't subdued, though. Sweet malts up front with floral bittering hops in the finish. The menu described this as an old ale, and I'd say that's probably right. The hops are really there for balance. The malt runs the show initially, but luckily isn't overbearing or too sweet. As it warms a bit, the hops/malt balance shifts back to neutral. It does feel a little bit "dialed back" but there's nothing really wrong with it.
Texture is thinner than expected, but that helps drinkability a little.
Not much fire, but a little heat reveals this beer is definitely more for sipping than quaffing.
Not bad, but nothing special either. If you're serious about an organic product, this is probably a good choice. There's nothing really negative about it, but nothing really shines through as being outstanding either.

EDIT: Apparently this beer is 11% ABV! At that level of potency I'd say this brew hides it rather well. There's definitely something to be said for that.

Served in a 10 oz. snifter

A: This beer was a dark golden haze of glory.

S: I'd say that the smell was probably the weakest characteristic of this beer. Slight floral/pine smell. Interesting, however, after you take a drink because its much more potent than the smell makes it seem.

T: This beer is full of flavor and almost no bite for the ABV being over 11%. The malt flavor gives this beer a great caramel flavor (similar to their 'Greenade') and the hops are powerful indeed. Truly a very drinkable Imperial IPA.

D/F: The feel in the mouth is just smooth. Honestly, to have such a high-powered ale this smooth is something unique. The effervescence is light but present. I also let this beer warm up a little and the flavor didn't deteriorate (such as in other IIPAs)

Overall, great imperial IPA. Also, the fact that it is all organic is a testament to what this brewery could produce in the future. I live rather close so expect more reviews. (BTW this is my first review on my new account so no deviation yet.)

Enjoyed at Backcountry Pizza in Nederland, CO. Pours an amberish brown with a thin beige head. Nose has bitter hops, booze and candy malts. Taste has bready malts, caramel, toffee and hops. A bit out of balance. Medium body drinks a bit slow. Needs more hops.