Stickee Monkee
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

4.6/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Sampling a 2017 vintage 12 oz bottle at cellar temp and poured into my snifter. The beer has been in its box in my cellar since I purchased it.
The beer pours a dark mahogany color with some ruby highlights when I hold my glass to the light.
A fizzy and short-lived beige head of 1 cm foams up and fades to nothing after the first few sips of the beer.
the aroma on this is rich and malty with dark chocolate, toffee, prunes, raisins, and plums mixing with a bit of red grape and maybe some port wine character. No hop presence on the nose, with only a little bit of fusol alcohol notes to remind me of the 12% ABV.
First sip reveals a medium body with sticky mouthfeel and fine tingly carbonation. The beer is a bit of a sipper due to ABV, but the stickiness coats my palate and lips and slows my consumption as well.
Flavor is again all malt with toffee, prune and raisin with more brown sugar and molasses than I got on the nose. I also get a little bourbon, but again the hops are absent here.
Booze comes through on the finish with some warming down my throat on the swallow.
This is a sipping beer and I really enjoy the complexity and texture. The dark color makes me think this could easily be in the old ale category as well and the ABV makes this take almost all night to finish my glass, but as I stated, I enjoy this one a lot and find the complexity enjoyable. Get fresh bottles and age, or trade for vintage if you find em.

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4.22/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2017 vintage. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.

Appearance: A cloudy murky dark brown colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly, but left some spotty lacing.

Aroma: Sweet dark malt, toffee, caramel, dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisin, bourbon, oak, vanilla, and a splash of coconut.

Taste: Moderately sweet, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, raisin, dates, prunes, brown sugar, oak, vanilla, coconut, with hints of bourbon, booze and cocoa on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.

Overall: At times it felt a little on the sweet side, but the aroma and flavours are complex and enjoyable, and as a sipper, it was good.

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4.94/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Look: pours with a relatively small head gor a quad nice dark brown color

Smell: bourbon, malt, stone fruit

Taste: wow super interesting all of the things you expect in a quad plus a nice bourbon flavor that adds not subtracts

Feel: super smooth and silky

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4.81/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2018 growler pour. Incredible nose with bourbon, brown sugar, toffees, molasses. Mouth is rich and thick with a sting on the tounge and a burnt sugar, bourbon and molasses long finish. An extremely well put together brew. Glad to have gotten my hands on some. I could run this past my nose all day!!

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4.53/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

2014 vintage. Enjoyed on 11/30/19. This one has aged perfectly. May be considered a quad, but this is completely #BiL after 5 years of aging. Toffee, caramel, creme brulee, Werther's originals, molasses, bread pudding, bourbon-soaked raisin, date, prune, charred oak, smooth bourbon, vanilla, and leather. Wayyy better than I expected. Ages extremely well.

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4.63/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark toffee brown color... A thing layer of tan head... Some carbonation streaks seen towards the top of the glass... The nose is intense... Molasses... Tobacco... Caramel... Leather... Brown sugar... Perhaps a hint of pineapple... The flavor profile is equally if not more pronounced... All the same players are present and compete for superiority... Each sip reveals a new subtle nuance... Full bodied... Sticky... Lightly carbonated... A bit of a chalky finish... Overall a world class example of brewing craftsmanship...

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5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Look: Dark, not too thick.
Smell: Strong bourbon barrel.
Taste: Multiple flavors including bourbon, toffee, vanilla, almost even a slight coffee flavor.
Feel: Strong flavor, light consistency, and lasting aftertaste.
Overall: Absolutely love this beer.

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4.69/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Served in a tulip glass from a vintage 2017 bottle.

Appearance: very dark amber coming off with an off white head.

Smell: heavy whiskey feel which disintegrates into your nostrils and stick with you for a while.

Taste: super complex consisting of toffee, Honey, whiskey and a light dose of yeast.

Mouth: suave carbonation but extremely sticky with a full body, the taste just lingers with you at the place in the glass down.

Overall: I picked this up probably a year-and-a-half ago and I cannot remember where but it is an absolute must grab if you ever see it on a shelf. Salud!

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4.46/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours out dark brown. Some light penetration. Not completely opaque. Half a finger of head that fades quickly.

Smell is huge and delicate at the same time. Bourbon, brown sugar, banana, bready malt, cinnamon, raisin, toffee, a tiny whiff of the soy sauce character that appears when you mix strong malt and barrel aging. Some savory nuttiness on the fade out. These all mix so well, without a strong presence of booze.

Taste is everything that the nose is. Drinking this I could guess why they called it Stickee Monkee. It's like a Sticky Pecan Bun and Monkey Bread all at the same time. The cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuttiness matched with the sweet glazed flavor of banana and raisin packed baked bread. All balanced on a razor's edge.

Fine bubbles create a very smooth mouthfeel. But the consistency is a little on the thin side.

I can see why a lot of people rave over this beer. Compared to Sucaba and Parabola this beer holds a smooth delicate quality over those two. Parabola is aggressive and strong, not to be taken lightly. Sucaba has robust and complex flavors that could be dissected for hours. Stickee Monkee says forget all of that. It doesn't assault your senses, but rather lures you in. And if you follow where it takes you, you will be rewarded.

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4.5/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From tap to tulip, brown-black pour with a cream head that fades fast. Aroma and taste of toffee, raisin, molasses, maybe licorice or anise, malt, caramel. Alcohol is conspicuous, isn't masked by the other flavors in the same way as other beers in this style. Low carbonation, almost a root-beer texture. Overall really nice beer to end my weekend, I was very happy to find this on draft locally.

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4.62/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Another beer courtesy of

Firestone Walker

Stickee Monkee Vintage 2017

Look: The beer pours black. A finger of beige head settles to a thin layer across the top of the glass. The beer is opaque and there is no visible carbonation. A couple spots of lacing but nothing to really speak of. As I drink the beer down the light brings out some ruby and burnt sienna tones.

Smell: First and foremost, dark, dried fruit. The soft sweetness of dates, followed by a hint of raisin. Vanilla and toasted coconut. Caramel, toffee, fudge. My Mom makes a toffee bar with walnuts for Christmas. The aroma of this beer reminds of that dessert treat. Soft alcohol presence.

Taste: Mmmm this is so good. It’s not a terribly complex beer, but the flavor profile is banging. Dark, dried fruit, mostly dates.m with a hint of raisin. Again, caramel and toffee. A marshmallow sweetness. Super smooth. Amazingly so at 12.5%.

Feel: A super smooth and velvety beer with low carbonation. Some warmth on the finish which nicely complements the flavors noted above. Stickee residual sugar on my lips.

Overall: I do not have the advantage of comparing this beer to its fresh self. While I cannot attest to the impact of age on this beer, I can say that this beer was properly cellared. No off flavors. Nice carbonation. Had I stashed these away I’d continue drinking them in the future, based on this experience. This beer is a real treat. As with virtually every spirit barrel aged beer from FW that I’ve had, the beer and the barrel treatment are nuanced. This beer is no exception. And it lands near the top of my list for BA beers from FW.

Dark Belgian beers, especially those aged in spirit barrels and some of my favorite beers, so I’m not surprised, based on the style and maker, that I love this beer.

I will post this in the cellar review thread too.

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4.42/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2018 vintage, 12 oz bottle

pours a very dark brown, with tan colored head. decent head retention for a barrel aged beer. nice complex aroma of vanilla, mild caramel, a bit of raisin, tobacco, chocolate, a touch boozy. similar flavor, slightly sweet, really nice as it warms up. medium bodied.

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4.43/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Very dark brown, headless but does have a ring around the edge. Nice aroma: molasses, alcohol, charred oak, vanilla & caramel. Plenty of sweetness here. Flavor: add brown sugar to the barrel flavors, caramel & a little grain with just a hint of bitter at the finish. Feel is silky smooth, medium thick with some alcohol burn. Delicious!

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4.02/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This bottle label claims "11.4% ALC./VOL." and "12 FL. OZ. (355ML)" with a date of "2018" and "No. 005"

Appearance: The body is black and it sports a very short head which is creamy textured. The head has minimal retention and it fades out to a ring with large bubbles around the edge. No lacing.

Aroma: There is a prominent note of alcohol with some cherry and plum. There is a light bit of caramel aroma and a wet oak scent.

Taste: Up front there is toffee an a bit of carbon. In the middle there is a coffee flavor with rich dark chocolate. It finishes with a lingering caramel sweetness

Mouthfeel: It is medium bodied with a nice even texture across the palate. It is smooth and easy to drink. It has a slightly sticky finish. It does an amazing job of keeping the alcohol content in check.

Overall: There isn't a lot of Belgian yeast flavor to the beer but some exists in the aroma. The beer tastes sweeter than most Belgian Quads but it is done nicely and it is very enjoyable. This is very much a dessert beer and it could easily replace a caramel cake. The label states that this is "BARREL-AGED" and some wood character comes out in the aroma which could be from the barrel. I would drink it again and I would recommend it.

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4.44/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

2016 Vintage. Pours a deep mahogany colour with reddish highlights - small cream coloured head - some debris at end pour.
Aroma sweet molasses, toffee, brown sugar, raisin, date.
Tastes of brown sugar, toffee, dark fruits, bourbon - sweet caramel malt - warming booziness.
Medium full mouthfeel - sweet but not cloying - creamy and deliciously smooth - fantastic.

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4.54/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours dark brown with a very off white head. Good amount of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma brown sugar, dark fruits, vanilla and bourbon.

T - The taste is brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, plums, raisins, figs, oak and bourbon.

M - Full bodied with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a soft smooth finish.

O - Really impressive BBA Quad. The flavors are sticky sweet with a the bourbon adding a nice warming heat to the finish. Highly recommended.

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4.84/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2016 vintage.

Look: Pretty much no head, dark brown body.

Smell: See below.

Taste: Bourbon, oak, dark fruits, brown sugar, mild molasses.

Feel: Medium body, low carbonation, warming alcohol presence. Mild sweetness upfront, balanced kind of sticky finish.

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4.59/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This is the 2018 vintage, for clarification. I expected this one to be significantly different from Sucaba and Parabola, but it is almost as similar to those two as they are to one another. It's also quite delicious. The price point is a bit heavy though.

L The pour reveals a dark cola-brown body, transparent when held to a light source, revealing sparse little globs of sediment floating about. A thing layer of oatmeal cookie colored head disperses quickly, leaving no lacing at all.

S: Like the others, the aroma carries several barleywine notes, particularly of dried dark fruits, molasses, chocolate syrup, vanilla, licorice, leather, booze, coconut, charred oak and tobacco. Centered on the fruity notes, the overall impression is reminiscent of a sweet dark berry jam, like a medley of black currant, lingonberry, and plum.

T: This is my favorite of the three specialty beers I've had from FW, without a doubt. The licorice balances perfectly against the dried fruit and woody notes, giving an overall impression of a gourmet root beer. There's a delicate tartness to it as well, reminiscent of tamarind. The finish is a lovely flourish of charred oak and molasses, with just enough of that lingering jam flavor to excuse the somewhat excessive sweetness.

F: It's more well-carbonated than it looks, with the texture of a cola that's a little too heavy on the syrup. Sticky, but not upsettingly so.

O: Not sure how Belgian the style is, but it is undoubtedly classic Firestone Walker style. A-

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4.27/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Serving: Bottle
Bottled: 2018 (Consumed Mar-12-2019)


A:
It pours clear mahogany that is black in the glass with a short-lived finger of beige head. Meh retention; confetti lacing. (3.75)

S:
Nutty, dark fruits, bourbon vanillins, hint of oxidation. (4.25)

T:
Thick, rich, sweet. Toffee, caramel, dried figs, bourbon sweetness, brown sugar, candied nuts. (4.5)

M:
Sticky, full bodied, coating sweetness, light carbonation, lingering boozy banana bread finish. (3.75)

O:
A very nice, very ample quad of sorts.
This is a big, complex, delicious beer. It is not super belgiany-y in my mind, but it is by no means bad. It does suffer in the look and feel department from this though. It has neither the voluminous head nor the Dumbo-holding-his-feather feel of some Belgian examples and it tiptoes on the edge of cloying. What it does do, though, is balance tons of dark fruit, spice, non-dark fruit, bread, barrel and bourbon flavors. To make a monster supper with a rich tapestry of caramelized sweetness. A hint of warming alcohol makes this one perfect for the colder months. (4.25)

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4.36/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

L-Pours a dark mahogany, little evidence of carbonation.........small 1/4 inch head that quickly dissipates.......mild lacing with little retention

S-dark candied sugars, dark fruits such as plums, figs, raisins, some notes of chocolate, vanilla, caramel, barrel, tobacco

T-Burnt candied sugars, bourbon barrel, vanilla, molasses, caramel, very similar to the nose but the flavors are far more pronounce than the aroma's.........tobacco, dark fruits (cherries, raisins, plum)

F-Mouthfeel fits the style, slight fizz, sticky, semi-sweet but with a nice warming boozy burn........leaves a sweet syrupy coating in the mouth long after the sip is gone

O-Well done, quite enjoyable.......complex, bold flavors

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4.38/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Dark brown with a ruby tinge, some visible carbonation and a half finger of fast fading beige head.

Smells of cherries, figs, raisin bars, coffee, and phenols.

Tastes of bourbon, cherries, figs and raisins, and creme brulee.

Medium, slightly syrupy body with moderate carbonation. Very smooth.

Excellent Quadrupel. I am drinking this in Redding, Feb 9th, 2019.

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3.75/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle: Poured a dark burgundy color ale with a light brown foamy head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma of candi sugar is pretty intense with some barrel-aging notes also clearly identifiable. Taste is a mix of deep rich residual candi sugar notes with light candy-like notes, some vanilla and bourbon notes with light dry fruit notes also perceptible. Body is about average with good carbonation. Enjoyable beer but slightly too sweet which limits drinkability after a while.

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4.58/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2018 batch - 11.4% ABV
LOOK - Dark dark color with a reddish hue. 1 finger head out of a 12 oz. bottle. Some lacing continues on and only a foam ring remains after the initial head recession.
SMELL - Rich plum and caramel malt. Slight smokiness/charred oak. Some bread and yeast.
TASTE - Very powerful blast of dark fruit and caramel. Some chocolate, tobacco, and coffee. Belgian yeast and some spice. Very flavorful.
FEEL - Full bodied. Thick and creamy. Slight oiliness.
OVERALL - This is a very good beer. This barrel aged quad is very flavorful and rich. I didn't let this one age. This one would even improve with a couple more years.

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3.89/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Dark color. Modest tan head with limited retention.

Chocolate and vanilla perhaps some dark fruit. Very sweet aroma.

Very rich and sweet. Loads of chocolate and some subtle vanilla and wood character.

Considerably warm from alcohol. Modest carb. Fairly smooth

Feel like it was too sweet and boozy. But very rich and flavorful. A 10% beer that is less sweet and boozy would be a better quad.

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4.34/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2018 bottle.

Pours dark brown with a finger of tan head.

The nose is licorice, cherry, tobacco, and leather. Intense.

The taste is similar. Chocolate, caramel, cherry, Belgian sugar, and mild banana. Medium+ sweetness with balancing barrel.

The mouthfeel is creamy, slick, and medium-full.

Overall, a nice, rich quad. Tasty sipper.

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