Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee-May 27th

Ran across Stickee Monkee in a bar last night. Paid a silly markup to split a bottle with the wife. We both really loved it. Some how we managed to get our hands on a couple of bottle of Bravo and Parabola this year, but no luck on the Stickee Monkee. Glad we at least were able to drink it once. Although, would love to get a chance to buy some more.

 

I've had multiple vintages of Stickee Monkee, fresh and cellared to the extent chronologically possible. I think this year's is my least favorite, but not on account of being hot. I just had a bottle, and it was cloyingly sweet to an extent I haven't encountered before; it also somehow already tasted moderately oxidized, with more notes of black tea and orange gumdrops than bottles I've had that were a couple years old.

That said, I can't say whether it has anything to do with acquisitions, Boulevard, or anything else specific. I also thought that, to my tastes, this year's Parabola was the best I've had fresh in years.

 

I found Parabola to be hot, in hindsight I wish I had let it sit for a couple months. I plan on letting Stickee Monkee sit for a while.

 

Grabbed a bottle of Stickee Monkee at a local bottle shop and then grabbed another bottle while grocery shopping at HEB (local big box grocery store). First time I've seen that beer there. I didn't find the Monkee too hot or sweet. I didn't get a lot of the Belgium Quad in it though. Fantastic nonetheless.

 

I also thought this year's Parabola was really hot out of the gate, but this year's Stickee Monkee is goddamn phenomenal fresh. I did a side-by-side of 2015 and 2016 shortly after last year's release, and I liked the aged bottle better, but I am genuinely glad I popped this one fresh this time around. It's aggressive but incredibly balanced and deceptively smooth.