Stickee Monkee
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

 

Pours dark brown with a one finger tan head with nice retention and lacing. Nice aroma with candi sugar, cherries, dark fruit, molasses, toffee, light bourbon, oak, coconut, and vanilla.

The bourbon, vanilla, oak, and coconut show up more in the taste than they did in the aroma and are fantastic. There is also candi sugar, molasses, cherries, dark fruit, toffee, and pears. Very nice. Full bodied with soft carbonation, and a smooth, creamy, almost luxurious mouthfeel, with a sweet aftertaste. An excellent beer.

Pours a murky brown with deep reddish tints. About a quarter inch of beige foam that falls to a hefty ring with wisps across the surface. Great cling to the glass.

Smells of dark brown sugar, sweet cherry, dark fruits, a bit of tobacco, a bit of bourbon, chocolate, toasty malts. Not overly strong but certainly saying drink me.

Taste slightly sweet. I get sweet cherry, lots of bourbon, oak. Dark fruit galore - the raisin, date, dried plum trinity. Some toffee, brown sugar and molasses. There is just a little chocolate as well as a slight tobacco taste. The finish, even at 8-ish years old, is pleasantly boozy. It's got a little red grape and maybe sherry character to it. This is delicious.

At first there's some prickly carbonation. The beer is medium bodied and a tad bit stickee.

Overall, fantastic quad. Hitting many happy places with me. Lesson learned after this one and several others - see a FW beer, buy a FW beer!

Review: 2467
Name: Stickee Monkey
Brewer: Firestone Walker
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Style: Barrel-Aged Quad
ABV: 11.6%
Canned: 2016
Date: 29 July 2025
I am heading back to the cellar to get Stickee Monkey, only to realize this beer is nine years old. It seemed fitting to serve the beer in an Olympia Goblet at a temperature of 48 degrees. The pour created a creamy, foamy, half-fingered light tan head with poor retention. I wasn't expecting much retention, given the beer's age and high ABV. What I saw was sufficient. The beer's color is a dark, rusty brown, charting at SRM 26, and is semi-opaque. The appearance of the beer is above average.
Nosing the beer, I detect notes of chocolate, cherries, bananas, raisins, cloves, bourbon, char, wood, and phenols. Smelling the beer again, I notice caramel, molasses, toffee, dark roasted malts, bread, malty sweetness, a hint of fire, coffee, and earthiness.
The first sip revealed notes of chocolate, bananas, wood, vanilla, medium-roasted coffee, caramel, and char, finishing with a hint of bourbon. Sipping the beer again, I taste bread, cloves, phenols, floral esters, molasses, cherries, dark-roasted malts, malty sweetness, earthiness, and leather.
The mouthfeel is coating and chewy, finishing a bit warm. The body is medium-plus and has a hint of carbonation.
Final Thought: This nine-year-old beer is a stunning example of why I got into beer. The beer does show some age; however, the aging is elegantly refined. The beer has plenty of carbonation, and the ABV is well-balanced, making it a delightful and delicious treat after a busy day at work.

 

Mahogany color.Medium-sized. off-white head.Dark fruits, toffee, wood, and a hint of milk chocolate in the aroma. Balanced taste with moderate sweetness.

 

2016 vintage poured into Teku in 2025

L: Pours a slightly murky very dark brown with Merlot hues. Tan head with mild lacing.

A: Very malty. Rich syrupy bourbon barrel notes, strong toffee and caramel notes, dark tart cherries, stewed fruits and brioche.

T: Flavor follows aroma with dark cherries and toffee, bread crust, some coconut whiskey lactones, dark chocolate and a very mild pleasant finish. Some dry oxidative notes, with restrained esters for the style. Surprisingly fleeting in the finish.

F: Medium plus body with some silky dextrins. Very well hidden alcohol and just enough carbonation to keep the beer lively.

O: What a lovely quad. Excellent example of the classic flavors of the style, with everything extremely balanced to keep it from being cloying, overly oaky or hot. Highly drinkable and highly enjoyable. Firestone Walker knocked this one out of the park.

 

L: Pours a muddy tootsie roll brown color with a very small white tan head and no lacing.

S: Notes of sweet brown sugar, chocolate, caramel and a nice sweetness. Hints of Belgian Candi sugar and a lighter, hints of vanilla and bourbon.

T: Belgian Candi sugar, brown sugar and caramel mixes with vanilla a light chocolate and a hint of bourbon and very little hop. Very enjoyable. The booze is very well hidden in this beer.

F: Big body smooth carbonation

O: As always Firestone hits it out of the park.

 

 

2017 Vintage

Pour is dark amber before settling into a deeper brown in the glass. Maybe half an inch of tan colored head that receded to a thin ring. Aroma is faint brown sugar and molasses, with no barrel to speak of.

Things pick up a little bit in the taste department. Still plenty of molasses & brown sugar, but unlike the nose, there is plenty of barrel coming through, which keeps this balanced. Plenty of alcohol, which results in nice alcohol warming.

Good beer

 

2014 bottle.

Stickee Monkee is a Belgian-style ale brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co. This beer has received much recognition for its complex flavors and rich, dark appearance. It is a sipper, meant to be savored slowly and appreciated for its full range of flavors.

Appearance: Stickee Monkee has a deep, dark brown color with a hint of red. It has a fluffy, beige head that quickly dissipates. The beer is slightly cloudy with visible sediment, which is characteristic of a traditional Belgian-style ale.

Aroma: The aroma of Stickee Monkee is complex and full of depth. The beer has a strong aroma of dark fruit such as raisins, figs, and plums. It also has notes of caramel, toasted malt, and a hint of spicy, earthy hops.

Taste: The taste of Stickee Monkee is equally as complex as its aroma. It has a rich, malty sweetness with notes of dark fruit, caramel, and toasted malt. The beer also has a slight bitterness that balances out the sweetness and helps to round out the flavors. The finish is slightly spicy with a hint of alcohol warmth.

Mouthfeel: Stickee Monkee has a medium-to-full body with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. The beer is not too heavy, but it is substantial enough to make you feel satisfied after just one sip. It also has a slight alcohol warmth that adds to the overall experience.

Overall Impression: Stickee Monkee is an outstanding beer that is perfect for those who appreciate complex and flavorful beers. It has a great balance of sweetness, bitterness, and alcohol warmth that makes it a great choice for those who love a strong, dark beer. The aroma and taste of this beer are incredibly rich and full of depth, making it an excellent choice for those who want to savor a beer slowly and appreciate it for its full range of flavors.

2021 version poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter. After a short absence, I'm glad to see this beer back. It is still the fine sweet goodness I remember.

12oz bottle 2018 vintage that turned up in my LBS this week poured into a chalice at 47°F 11.4% ABV. The beer pours opaque medium brown with light brown head. The head recedes to a thin ring and little else. No lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring candi sugar, raisin, bourbon and leather. The taste is semisweet caramel, bourbon and brown sugar with lingering tobacco, oak and leather on the finish. Minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with just less that average carbonation and a semi dry finish. ABV is well hidden with just a touch of heat on the back end and no ethanol aroma or taste. Overall, excellent.

 

Rare 2015 vintage draught pour at Apex Bar in Portland OR.
Presented flat. No foam at all. Deep brown, borders on black.
Smells great. Dark stone fruits and that famiiar Quad on the nose.
Taste is toes on the line too sweet, but it doesn’t become cloying or teeth-achingly so. I think maybe because it’s 7 years old, some if the nuances intended have been lost. But the dark brown sugar, stewed plums and oak barrel all make appearances throughout the chew.
Feel is very dense, quite viscous, no carbonation.
Overall, good to get a draught hit, but 7 years of hiding has worn its beauty down.