Massive! - Scotch Barrel-Aged
Gigantic Brewing Company

2026-03-06
500ml bottle served in a snulip. 2024 vintage. Bought it a few days ago at Chuck's Hop Shop Seward Park.

Pours murky amber-brown with a small, dense head, fine slow carbonation is abundant. Looks thick, borderline syrupy.
Smell is rich with an oaky sharpness, toffee and molasses and vanilla and nuts. Something almost orange-chocolatey about it. Bark is present but not dominant.

Taste is interesting. First reaction was devoid of sweetness, but that's inaccurate. Boozy and woody for sure, maybe a hint of char. Toffee with toned down sweetness, maybe peanut brittle. Something cola like...but again, low in sweetness. Dark barky bite. Cannot escape the word earthy.

Mouthfeel is big but not heavy -- heavily carbonated, almost abrasively so. Overall...interesting, and pretty good. Has many of the characteristics of a classic barrel aged barleywine, but a very very different balance than most.

 

 

Cellared 1.5 years. Opaque brown body with a tan head. Big toffee, barley and scotch dominate the taste. Nose adds some earth, smoke, dried fig, and a whisper of black strap molasses. Feel is indeed massive, booziness much larger than oak from the barrel, barley punches through too, hard to wrap the palate around it all. I am very glad I aged this

Last bottle of the seven bottle 2020 release for me, mostly split with my wife because old. 500ML bottle.

The bottle disgorges the same dull, muddy red liquid as the balance of the series & the liquid reeks of scotch-dipped fruit. Pretty sure my wife’s dad actually did that.

Massive! Scotch Barrel Aged isn’t one I was excited about. But. The scotch & barleywine are seamlessly integrated, with the big malts playing perfectly off a subdued level of scotch. Big caramel, moderate bitterness, with low levels of oak & (if I didn’t know better) a touch of near-rye spiciness. Once this starts to go down it goes down quickly.

This is a deftly constructed beer + barrel. A strong third of the series behind only the bourbon barrel & Anejo Tequila versions. Excellent beer.

 

#4 of 7 from the 2020 release bundle, 14% abv. As much as I have enjoyed all of these barrel aged versions, I hope I get to try regular Massive! someday. I think I'd like it. The signature massive!ly burnt caramel dominates. There is also plenty bitter pine and a bit of citrus. The scotch barrel notes are interesting. Not as prominent as what I noted in the other versions I've tried so far, but definitely noticeable and certainly unique. I found bits of saltiness, smoke, and wood. Some vague tartness as well.

This was well done and I certainly enjoyed it, but I don't care for scotch all that much. This was my least favorite so far.

A: The beer is hazy to murky dark brown in color. It poured with a short light beige head that left patches of bubbles and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of toffee are present in the nose along with notes of scotch.
T: The taste has flavors of scotch along with notes of toffee.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and a bit smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is some warming in the finish.
O: This beer definitely tastes strong, but masks its alcohol rather well considering that it is over 14% abv.

Serving type: bottle