Rock Art Vermonster
Ridge Runner’s big brother. Watch out. 100 IBU. 10%.
3.6
275 reviews
Morrisville, United States
Community reviews
Love the name! Dark pour with a ridiculously rocky head. Good but not great aroma - a little fruity and metallic. The taste is hoppy, but not harsh. The taste is hoppy, but not harsh, and not that complex either. Some spinach, iron, cat piss hops (Simcoe?). It seemed as much like an IPA as a barleywine to me. Maybe they have to use a lot of hops because it is a Vermont beer? High alcohol is well hidden, and there is some warmth in the close. Good.
Aged 2 years, really mellows out and has a wonderful smooth flavor. Not too sweet and not too hot, overall a very nice barleywine.
Bought a bottle of this along with a bottle of Russian Imperial when I was in Vermont last month. This one is good, but not as good as Russian Imperial, loved aroma of Russian Imperial more, but appearance of Vermonster, is more brown then black like Russian. Wish I could find Rock Art in Delaware, mabe they’ll get here eventually. Until then I’ll stick with the Delaware super good Dogfish
A sea of unfiltered sediment in a brown-red liquid. Not too much border or lace. Smell is yeast, stone fruits, roasted malt and hop. Taste is the same. Bitter and acidic. 100 IBUs! The flavor turns to earth, then funk. A sparkling wine this one!
Hazy brown in the glass. Really nice hop and malt balance, potent resiny hops blend with rich caramel and toast/roasted malt.
My favorite kinds of barleywines are those with exceptional hopping and this certainly qualifies. Lots of vanilla, dark fruit and brown sugar breadiness, but with great bitterness.
Pours the color of dark brown sugar with a deep ruby hue. Good clarity and a fat tan head of foam from a vigorous pour that fell quickly. Nose is lovely. A light bit of crusty bread, some sweet caramel and a smidgen of toffee. A hop floral and fruitiness that starts with a tropical note and subsides into an earthy citrusy note. Dark fruit. Taste is layers of rich and intense malt. it seems to unfold broadly yet stay very friendly to the palate. The caramel is soft and simple, the toffee is light over that. The bread crust makes it homey. The fruit is vibrant and at times with the hop floral it’s very fresh with some pine as well. The citrus seems to peek out every now and then with a bit of earthiness. It’s strong and has a bit of peppery alcohol to finish it with a lingering hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is silken and not the least bit heavy but it is full and soft. There are even some tea like qualities that develop as it warms. The alcohol is a bit of warmth and a touch of flavor on the very back end.
I really liked it. Layers of malt flavors accented by some dynamic hops. This one is dramatic but in way that’s a bit slow. it unfolds and you realize it as it does. Then you think on it a bit and it makes you smile because it’s forceful and it doesn’t seem so.
(bomber bottle) A gift from my neighbor Jim from Vermont ski trip this past winter. Pours a brown deep amber complexion with white head and glass lacing. Earthy aroma includes hops and some alcohol. Not as bitingly hoppy as described with 100 IBU. Balanced and mellowed with malt character. Flavor is less distinctive but full and earthy. Seems a hybrid of DIPA and Barleywine.
Pour is dark than what I expected, almost brown. It is topped by an offwhite rim that leaves some lacing. You can summon a bigger head by swirling the glass but it doesn’t stay for long. Note is a little fruity, a little earthy and overall not really refined. Some aroma I associate with grain husks or straw. Taste is sweet and bitter, not cloying or harsh but still a little brash. Alcohol isn’t burning but it is really noticeable. Body was medium, carbonation too. I didn’t expect much and I didn’t get much, it’s kind of a mess in fact.
bottle shared by mathieuc, thanks bro. pours hazy light brown-reddish with a small creamy light beige head, good retention and nice lacing. caramel and nutty sweet malts, slightly garbagy, minty and resinous, earthy and piney, acrid fruitiness, fairly sweet and linear - brown sugar. moderate carbonation, medium body - oily and sticky, harsh grassy-spicy-earthy-piney finish. blah.
Deep brown, abundant lacing.
Full body, little flavor, fairly long on palate.
Dryish, mild bitterness, more evident in the finish.
Aromas of vanilla and bourbon. Thin white head, very tasty beer, 10% is hidden well. Nice overall
Blind #11 - bomber
I think this rounds out the beer for me - can’t find #12 (think my wife gave to my father in law - sonofabitch)
A: As soon as I crack this one I know this is gonna end well. Without pouring I’m going to guess either a Barleywine or an Old Ale - well aged and malty as fuck. Pours out a dirty brown ale with excellent clarity. Single finger of cream foam falls quickly to leave a spotty surface of the same. Can’t tell lacing because I keep swishing this one. (4)
S: Yummy! Caramel malts, crystalized sugars, figgy pudding, slightest hints of apple skins, maybe some wood. Some brown sugar and molasses provide a near BBQ hint at the very finish. I can’t seem to get enough of this into my face-holes. (4.5)
T: Oh yeah, this is good. I’m gonna go with American Style Barlewine at this point - heavy hops. The bittering hops are still very present. Still plenty of the above rolling over the palate, but add a bit of alcohol bite (unusual unless this is young in my experience...). I feel like theres oak on this - very woody. (4)
M: Medium to viscous with moderate to low carbonation. Leaves my palate slick like a loogie. Slightly warming with the ETOH. Nice. (4)
O: I’m really digging this beer, it seems to get better as it warms, and I’m all about a slow sipper. I feel like the hop intensity is barely too high for my preferences in a Barleywine (I’m an English style guy) but this is nonetheless is quality craft. (4)
Guess: Only thing I can equate to: OG BW by Stone - but probably not given the woodiness.
Reveal: The Vermonster by Rock Art Brewery - no wood - but excellent brew!
Serving type: bottle
05-30-2011
Bomber, 2012 bottle. Pour is a deep amber, murky with a khaki head which is thin but long lasting. Good lacing. Smell is caramel, citrus hops, some pineapple and fig, and maple? Has an earthy aroma, a spice that's hard to identify. Taste is quite good. Lots of caramel dark fruits, sweetness that is pleasant but doesn't linger. The sweetness in the middle fades into a slightly spicy hop note which gives way to a cascade finish. I've had their Ridge Runner which to me doesn't qualify as a barley wine. This one does and is impressive. Thick and chewy mouthfeel. Mellowing out for over a year I'm sure helped the flavor, still tastes like an American barley wine, and a good one.
From 10/23 notes. On draught at the brewery. Pours a very dark brown with a hint of orange. Nose is fruits, plum, bread. Mouthfeel is very malty, creamy. Taste is earthy, grains, malt, dark fruits, has some nuttiness. Finish is bitter plum with a bit of boozy warmth. Nice.
WOW 100 IBU. 10%.Need I say more... No longer available in My state (AZ)
Cloudy amber pour. Aroma of dark fruits, raisans and prune. Taste is malt, bitterness and long drawn out hops. Complex smooth. Very good
Pours a dark cloudy amber color with a tan head leaving heavy lacing. Aromas of malt, spice and fruit. Very malty at the start with fruit and spice noted in the middle and a slightly bitrer finish. Very decent beer.
22oz bottle, shared by dudeabide. Clear amber red color. Lots of particles in the body. Thin off-white khaki head. Bigger body. Smooth, lighter crisp carbonation. Lightly dry, big dark fruit, lightly spicy aroma. Lightly hoppy, some red IPA-type aromas. Moderate sweet taste, light spicy, light alcohol warmth. Solid big red ale.
Bomber to snifter (thanks dudeabide). Looks good; a cloudy amberish brown with foamy off-white head that dissipates into sticky lacing. Smells sweet, hoppy, and boozy with notes of caramel and toffee. Tastes like it smells with a solid mouthfeel. Good, not great.
Nice flowery aroma! Very hoppy but not overly sharp. I enjoyed this beer! This would be the perfect beer for sitting in the shade on a hot day.
---Mr. Dizzle
Bottle at Jack and Leighton’s Birthday Beeorama, one gathering dust in my stash, 13/04/13.
Hazed dark chestnut brown with a thin light tan head.
Nose is dark toffee fudge, dark fruits, grain, demerara sugar, syrup.
Taste comprises dark malt, brown sugars, dark toffee, touch of booze.
Full bodied with moderate carbonation, the finish carries a good kick’o’booze!
Overall - drinkable but not a class act and glad to have split this with more than a few others. The alcohol was a bit too obvious in this one!
Bottle shared at CBC Clerkenwell, London during the Birthday Celebration of Jack & Leighton - thanks to Colin for this biggie. Pours clearish amber with a fine, tan cream head. Nose of sweet bread, toffee, rubbing alcohol and leaves. Big sweet flavor with toasty bread, earth, leaves and dry toffee. Full bodied with fine carbonation. Warming finish with sugary bread, mild earthy bitterness, leaves and caramel. Fair.
Bottle. Yet another doff of the cap to Colin for bringing this. The taste is muddy brown with a tiny white head. Pretty ugly looking beer, to be honest. The nose is red apples, rich toffee. A bit of churro cake. Some pumpkin pie and Werther’s Original. Rough woody char in the taste. Mild oxidization. Hints of stale caramel candy. Mildly boozy through the finish. Full body, hot. Sort of lifeless on the palate. Overall, life’s too short.
Bottle at Jack & Leighton’s birthday celebration, thanks to Colin. It pours deep red-brown with a small beige head. The nose is wood, varnish, pine, sweet toffee, honey and spice. The taste is wood, varnish, leather, alcohol, earth, rye bread and some bitterness with a very dry finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. Not much to it really. Not enough body and a bit too alcoholic, but ok.
50cl bottle shared by Colin at CBC Clerkenwell. It pours clear copper with a smalloff-white head. Foam disappears quickly. Aroma is sweet with caramel and some piney hops. Flavor is much sweeter with figs, dark fruits, caramel and molasses. Very little hops in this one. A tad of booziness, but not overwhelming. Overall, quite decent barleywine in the very sweet category.
Poured from 22 oz. bottle.
Clear, dark rusty red brown with huge khaki head and and excellent lacing.
Aroma of caramel, toffee, dark fruit, sweet dark malt and pine.
Taste of bitter piney hops and sweet malt. Specifically, pine resin, brown sugar, caramel, butterscotch, brown bread, sweet toasted malt and bitter herbs.
Full body and low/medium carbonation.
It pours out of the bottle a brown/red color with a purple hazy bottom. There wasn’t any head even after several aggressive pours. The lacing is very light and spotty. Some sediment at the bottom appears. The smell has some dark fruits, malts and a light roasted chocolate. The taste has the hops come out pretty strong with some nice malts coming in to play. The palate is medium with a subdued carbonation on the tongue and mouth, moderately drinkable. Overall, I liked this for me, and its good for style as well.
I believe this was a bottle from 2010.
Aroma has lots of malt character. Some caramel, toffee and raisin. A hint of oxidation showing with some honey an a touch of wet cardboard. The hop character is quite subdued with just a hint of a dank, woody hop note. A hint of a chocolate character as well. Light alcohol note.
Pours a rather cloudy brown with some amber highlights. Thin, slightly off white head that recedes to a thin layer. Slight lacing and moderate legs.
Flavor starts with sweet caramel and toffee with a hint of a cracker note. A light roast and burnt toast flavor present as well. Some sweet fruitiness - raisin and plum. Medium spicy alcohol flavor in the finish. Moderately strong bitterness, but quite balanced with the alcohol and malt. A touch of hop astringency. Light woodsy hop flavor.
Mouthfeel is medium full bodied with medium carbonation. It's a bit thin and watery though. Alcohol warmth is moderate. Astringency is low but present.
Overall this is a good barleywine but nothing amazing. It has a $5.99 price tag on it and for that price this bomber is a steal; I imagine it costs more now. The hop character has mostly faded away but there was still a bit to the beer. The oxidation is starting to show, but in a decent way - more honey than wet paper.
Pours deep honey to dark from the bottom with a thick foamy and clinging head. For it’s ABV it’s extremely palatable, with deep roasted notes and a wonderful after taste. Best barleywine I’ve tasted so far.