The Bruery Black Orchard

Brewed by The Bruery
Style: Belgian Ale
Placentia, California USA

On tap at Live Wire 16th Anniversary party. I really liked this. Kind of reminded me of a mix of a Wit, a Stout and a sour ale. Easy to drink, dare I say refreshing and supremely sessionable.

G.A.B.F. 2008: Murky deep brown with a creamy tan head. Mild cocoa and roast in the aroma with dark wheat as well. Creamy feel on the palate. The flavor is interesting- a mix of subtle crispness from the wheat accompanied by soft roast/cocoa character, making it very drinkable. Unique and tasty! This is a great brewery that I finally got to try at the 2008 G.A.B.F.

On tap. Interesting dark beer. Pours with a nearly black body, and a fluffy light brown head that leaves just a thin cover after a few minutes. Aroma of coriander, chamomile, and roasted malts. Taste is very yeasty with coriander, orange peel and toasted malts. Dryish and slightly fizzy.

750ml from WeeHeavySD - thanks, Jon! Serious gusher, almost like some of those legendary bottles from Heavyweight. Vibrant dark pour, with a dingy tan head that rises and rises. Carbonation ultimately gets under control, thankfully. The nose is tart, like black currants and boisenberries, with some pleasant yeasts and spices in there for measure. Decent body, though the mouthfeel’s just a bit too active for the flavors to come through effectively. Slight smoke and roasts in the finish make this a quirky one. Maybe not the Bruery’s best, but I still take my hat off to them.

bottle by way of the dirty_martini...great packaging reminds me of the burgundy grand crus... gushes out to reveal a cloudy opaque almost black woody brown. it’s topped by a tan head which lasts exactly fourteen seconds before becoming just visible carbonation. aromas of musty wheat, wet burlap sack, grain, black raisins and other sweet dark fruits, spice, lots of floral hops (and flowers, i guess) and a light smoky char akin to a sweet smelling campfire. flavor is strange as it doesn’t taste as good as it smells... roasty grain, some banana, lemon, tartness from CO2, flowers and floral hops and smoke in the aftertaste. light body with an over carbonated prickly mouth feel. interesting but weird... kinda reminds me of papago’s bridalweisse only not as good.

750ml bottle from South bay Drugs. Pours a dark cloudy brown with a big beige head. Faint aromas of wheat, Belgian yeast and some spice. Flavor was lightly spiced with yeast and a touch of hops. Beer was not as good as expected, not bad, and very drinkable.

Pours thin, almost black with a light tan head. The nose is sweet wheat and spice with some floral notes. The flavor is quite the same with a touch of a brown sugar like influence along with some coffee in the finish. (?) A little thin in the body.

Bottle. Pours, well gushes, brown with an average, frothy, light brown head, mostly lasting with fair lacing. It took this one a few minutes to settle down after opening. Aroma is heavy malt (bread, straw), average hops (flowers, grass, herbs), average yeast (barnyard, earth) with notes of plum, cherry, and wood. Medium bodied, sticky texture, lively carbonation, and a chalky finish. Average duration, light sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.