Monster Mash
Barn Door Beverage Co.

750ml bottle
7.50% ABV
Royal Bank Plaza LCBO Outlet (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
September 20, 2014
$8.95
The beer pours a translucent dark reddish brown colour with a thin creamy light tan coloured head. The aroma is nutty malt, dark fruits, and molasses. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with average carbonation. The flavour is sweet malt, fruit, molasses with nuts and spices thrown in. I like this.

I was reviewing in my room late one night when my eyes beheld an eerie sight. Actually, not really. Monster Mash is truthfully a damn fine looking Doppelbock and fairly classic in how its dark complexion actually reveals a warm chestnut tone and pristine clarity when held into light. Its head rises and then remains strong at a solid finger's worth.

Nothing showcases maltiness like a Bock. And being the richest, darkest, densest of them all, Doppelbocks expose the ingredient's flavours and complexity arguably more than any other style out there. Weaved alongside a heavily toasted dark breadiness, this example flaunts dried date, fig, and raisins as well as nutty and caramelly undertones.

What's especially brilliant about this is how little sweetness factors in. Despite flavours of dried cherries and prune, as well as notions of rum, molasses, and treacle, never once is there the taste of sugar. Likewise for roast; although the malt is dark and toasty with possible overtones of chocolate or coffee, there isn't the sooty, roasty qualities to match.

Doppelbocks are traditionally spring-time beers so it first struck me as odd to release one as a Halloween seasonal. But you know something, this dense, ultra-rich maltiness and the 7.5% strength is perfectly suited to the short days and cold nights of autumn. Besides, who needs another Pumpkin Ale? I'll take this bad boy in my loot bag and refuse to share.

Being a brewer is opposite to the elementary school math student who's told that arriving at the right answer isn't as important as showing the steps in his work. How are inherently sweet flavours preserved without their sweetness? How can it be that such a rich, high-alcohol beer be so smooth and sleek? All that matters to most is that it fits those descriptors. And this one does.

With beers like Monster Mash, Barn Door Brewing should catch on in a flash. Seriously, each of their first three offerings have been extremely solid examples of some not-so-easy styles. This Doppelbock certainly pays homage to the German monks credited with creating it and, likewise, is hearty, wholesome, and delicious enough I'd have no problem fasting off it for 40 or so days.

 

Purchased at the LCBO for around $8.00 for a 750ml bottle. Served at 4deg C in a tulip

A- Open well but pours little white head that's gone fast. Very dark brown

S- Lots here. Some hops good roasted malt.

T- A bit of a hit here. Has some caramel and roasted malt happening but a bit of a blend between a Belgium dark ale and a bock. Not a lot of hops to compete on the IPA end.

M- Ok. Nice blend. Good balance though

O- Pretty good but not worth the money.

Food Pairing

This ok beer went well with...... Goat curry in a Dahl purri.

Enjoy

 

750 ml bottle from the lcbo. Colour is a dark brown colour, good initial tannish head with pretty good lace and retention.

S - has a gourdy aspect, allspice and nutmeg spice to it, bready malts, toffee and a robust caramel aspect, baked figs, with a clean german yeast in the back giving it a firm fruity character, plums and brighter stonefruit. More booze come forth as it develops, bringing cherry and mulled xmas cake and dry fruits.

T - chocolate immediately, with plum and complimenting fruit, apricot, robust maltiness, big and grainy, with a thick molasses like caramel, toffee and an interplay of some light spice toward the end, drying out with some floral bitterness. Some fig and date notes with a coasting caramel maltiness and a gradual bitterness that is mild but balances the beer especially at the finish.

M - hefty and malt forward, with a slight boozey feel to it but not in an unpleasant way per say. It does have a moderate carbonation and despite the heavy flavours it is quite drinkable and satisfying with a long finish.

Enjoyable, a pretty nice Doppelbock with a hefty kick of mulled dark and dried fruits to it, fairly dominanay caramel malt profile and doesn't show a huge amount of complexity there with a sweetness that persists, but it is quite drinkable for the strength and for a sweet and malty beer does carry some nice fruity and yeast spice to it. Pretty good.

 

 

 

750 mL bottle picked up at the LCBO; no freshness info given. Served slightly chilled.

Pours a deep, clear ruby-brown colour, topped at first with two fingers of fluffy, light beige-coloured head. It recedes slowly but surely over the next five minutes or so, leaving behind a frothy cap and collar, and a wide swath of lacing. Looks great, and the aroma is quite inviting, too. Molasses and brown sugar sweetness are very prominent, with toasted, nutty malts, dark chocolate and raisin also detectable.

The first sip does not disappoint; this is a delicious doppelbock. Bready malts, toasted nuts, baker's chocolate, caramel and molasses provide an excellent range of rich, malty notes, with hints of raisin and fig newton. A little boozy toward the finish, with a toasty, somewhat spicy finish, and a lingering molasses bittersweetness in the aftertaste. On the thicker side of medium-bodied, with restrained carbonation and a smooth, enjoyable feel on the palate.

Final Grade: 4.21, a solid A-. Barn Door Brewing's Monster Mash is an excellent strong lager, along the lines of their Spring Bock, although I'm enjoying this one considerably more. The malt profile is much bolder, with a lot of roasty, toasty notes that work very nicely with the mildly fruity sweetness, molasses and ethanol heat. While I wouldn't put this on the same level as the upper tier German examples of this style, it's definitely one of my favourite out of Ontario. A delicious strong lager that all fans of malty/sweeter beers should consider well worth a shot.