Last chance to try Brooklyn Brewery’s Monster Ale this week

For those of us who knew Monster the Cat, the Brooklyn Brewery’s official mascot cat (mascat?) and tasting room host, the passing of the fine feline in 2012 was a sad day indeed. It was day  brightened only by the knowledge of his liquid legacy left behind: the Monster Ale, a barleywine created to age gracefully for many years, much like Monster himself. Sadly, Monster Ale is a non-renewable resource since Brooklyn Brewery ceased production of it a couple of years ago. So when it’s gone, it’s gone. The good news is that Brooklyn Brewery is inviting us all to drink what they have left of it this week at Matchless, which is what we imagine a Viking funeral is for beer.

Brooklyn Brewery stopped making Monster Ale in May 2013 and while it’s continued to exist in rare bottle and keg form, the brewery announced last week that Monster Ale is running out for good. So if you want some, you can catch some of the last sips of the stuff at Bar Matchless (557 Manhattan Avenue) for what will forever be known as Monster Week between today and Friday.

The momentous occasion of Monster Week will feature vintage Monster Ale brewed between 2003 and 2008 for five days, through Friday, January 16 with a different keg tapped each day—’03 on Monday, ’05 on Tuesday, ’06 on Wednesday, ’07 on Thursday (Monster’s favorite) and ’08 on Friday—at around 6pm, give or take, depending on when the keg arrives.

This stuff is strong (upwards of 10%) and will increase in strength throughout the week, so pours will be on the smaller side ($7 for 7 ounces) and supply will go fast. We recommend getting there as early as you can, because the bar predicts the beer will sell out before the night shift and unless you managed to get your hands on a bottle and age it in your closet for years, this is the last you’ll ever see of Monster Ale.

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail