Monster Cookie
Heretic Brewing Company

16oz can from Brewers Haven. Clear, bright amber, small foamy head settles out. Aroma is vanilla and chocolate, cookie dough. Taste follows with more of the same. Real, full cookie flavors. Didn't think a barleywine could pull this off, but it did so magnificently.

 

actually made with chocolate chip cookies, a dessert barleywine thats quite unique, props to my wife for rolling into the bar and ordering this up like a boss, bold move! not much head in the draft format, even kind of thin looking for the style, a pale rust orange color to it and some legs. it smells amazing, sweet toffee and caramel, neat for halloween time, i do get some chocolate here too, sweet as can be, honey notes, not as much grain depth as expected, even a little one dimensional there for the style, and of course the alcohol, which isnt hot but is certainly evident. the flavor is great too, the chocolate chip cookie part can definitely be tasted, sort of even greasy and buttery, real for sure, milk chocolate, chocolate syrup character too, crazy in such a pale beer. the malt is still pretty simple to me, maybe not as deep as a lot of these, and i think the body is light for the style too, so the residual sugar and alcohol both really stand out to me. its sweet and desserty, but thats to be expected with this sort of thing, and i think they have made a pretty cool beer overall here, not like anything i have had before. sticky caramel and butterscotch on the finish, stays with me awhile, pleasant alcohol vapors late too. overall really cool, more carbonation would be great, but this is really fun stuff!

 

That little monster inside of us, the one who loved chocolate chip cookies, the one who was ravenous about dessert... yea, that one is all grown up, so to add a splash of booze to the childhood flavors of cookie is right up Heretic Brewing's alley.

Monster Cookie kicks off with a lighter caramel, honey amber hue. Mostly clear upon the pour, a delicate necklace of foam decorates the rim while a scent of intense malt sweetness, hints of chocolate and dough starts to frame an impression of pastry with a tingle of amaretto spice upon the nose. But its those sweeter flavors that lead into a malty rich and rife taste with a sugary coat of caramel, corn syrup and a hint of butterscotch.

With the ale broadening its influence across the middle palate, the sweetness holds firm and patiently awaits the flavors of chocolate, nuttiness and savory bread crust to frame cookie dough impressions. Fruity accents of cherry, almond, grape and anise spice stem from the alcohol spice, the ale soon trails into a malty-sweet late taste with a light hop spice and a sharper cordial alcohol kick.

Full bodied, sweet and nearly chewy, the beer avoids cloying flavors and feels while finishing clearly on the sweeter side of balance. A sipper for sure, Monster Cookie doesn't really taste like a cookie but rather hints of cookie dough are present with the boozier sweetness of strong ale.

Pint can, poured into a goblet at 40 degrees F and allowed to warm during consumption.

L: Pours a clear and pretty cherrywood / red oak hue. Forms almost no head that vanishes quickly.

S: Cherries and syrup spring out of the glass, with cookie dough and a candi sugar-esque sweetness.

T: Candi sugar hits right up front, over cherries. That remains consistent from sip to swallow, with not much else manifesting. I definitely do not get chocolate of any sort, and not much that could be construed as cookie either. Maybe some notes of medjool date.

F: Toward the full side of medium-bodied, and sticky.

O: I am a fan of sweet beers, so I'm not exactly put off by this. It is thoroughly devoid of any hop presence, so if you're looking for a typical American Barleywine experience, this will not be it. It seems almost like there was an accident involving candi sugar going into a vat it shouldn't have, and a subsequent rebranding rather than discarding. I'd revisit, but I am the diametric opposite of a hophead.

As somebody who's claimed to like barleywine ales that "punch you in the mouth", this should be right up my alley. The only problem is that it's way too sweet. Almost sickeningly sweet. I tried one can of this and ended up cutting the rest 50/50 with a fairly neutral imperial porter to cut the sweetness. It pours a nice amber color and has a nice toasty smell, but then floods your mouth with saccharine sweetness almost immediately, only gradually fading to the silky barleywine mouthfeel and hint of back-of-the-tongue bitters after the overwhelming sweet explosion has faded. If you *really* like sweet beers, this may be for you. Otherwise, I'd avoid.

I am sorry but some people might like this... because it is sweet like chocolate syrup,... but... dude... I saw “barleywine” with chocolate chip cookies... I just think... “Well they probably made a bad barleywine and wanted to disguise it.”

Overall it is disgustingly sweet. Maybe the barleywine was originally sweet and it reminded them of chocolate chips... sure.... so add more... it is too much for me... not the high quality chocolate ones either... wtf... why is it so sweet? It’s an insult to barleywines.

Like... maybe people will like drinking handfuls of chocolate chips mixed with condensed milk... but I... I do not. I am going to drink the rest of the 4 pack but seriously... at least it is 11.5%...

 

Delicious 16oz can poured into a snifter; clear amber/copper pour with a hefty amount of creamy off-white head. The nose and palate on this one are extremely impressive with notes of straight-up chocolate chip cookies. There is a dry and sweet impression of bready malt, with underlying vanilla, caramel, cinnamon and other baking spices. Full-bodied and creamy with invisible alcohol presence. Honestly a very good beer, not cloying at all and very authentic-tasting. Like Chips Ahoy in a glass.