The Bruery Black Orchard

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

750 ml. bottle. Pours a froathy short lived tan head over a clear dark brown (SRM 25) body......nose is malt, bubblegum, bit of coffee.....taste initially mild sweetish malts moving on to pineapple and pear, becoming slightly burnt malt bitter,finishing with a bit of hop type bitterness....mouth feel is very light, very highly carbonated, reminiscent of ginger ale. Burps taste like a Brown Ale. This is hard to place. It certainly is not a Wit. i guess calling it a Belgian is best but????

Thanks Rencelas! A very dark brown colored brew with a large tan head that fades steadily but requires patience. The last pour found a good amount of yeast in the glass. I don’t get wit aromas but rather roasted notes and light chocolate with some yeast. While not big the nose is pleasant and interesting. On the other hand the flavor does have notes of wheat and coriander. I also tasted anise, over ripe apple, sour vegetable, and dark Russian bread. Warmer temperature helps and maybe the solids of yeast do, too. But not enough. Perhaps this beer tries to break new ground and perhaps it just tries to do too much. Either way it falls short of expectations. A beautiful bottle and label can’t save a mediocre beer.

On tap at the brewery. Black body. Yeasty aroma, with some dark fruits as well. Flavor is vegetables, nutty, yeast.

Black body with off-brown enormous head. Mlaty and oatmeal aroma. Fluffy mouthfeel, but also aggressive carbonation. Taste is cerial and some spice, and mollasses. Only so drinkable, needs to be shared. This BTW was a gusher.

Bottle from SL. Totally not what I expected, as this thing was nothing witbier-like, much more a Belgian type stout. The malts were far more than toasted or lightly roasted, we’re talking full roast. The pour was dark brown, big head, lots of carbonation on display. The body was airy and light for a stout, but bigger than most Belgian-style ales, period. There was some coriander in the aroma and flavor, but the chocolate elements dominated and felt quite out of place with the Coriander and advertised base styl. Meh. Have I mentioned before my dilemmas with this brewery? I just can’t get a consistent opinion of them. That Saison de Lente and the Trade WInds worked so well for me!

Very dark with an almost creamy tan head. Aroma is yeast wrapped dried plums and raisins. Spicy flavor augmented by wheat and malt. A bit too thin and over carbonated for my tastes. Ok.

Blind tasting at Papsø’s
Dark brown color; medium head. Aroma of cabbage, vegetables, spice. Dry mouthfeel, quite thin; light vegetables flavor, light liquorice. Not very good.

From 750ml bottle...a true gusher, a portion of this one ended up on my kitchen wall. Pours a deep brown bordering on black color with a robust off-white head that quickly recedes into a heavy film. Aroma is light but enjoyable with notes of yeast, malt, spice and some sour note..nothing seems to overwhelm the other and it melds into something odd, yet good. Flavor is odd, but good in a similar fashion. Malt notes are at the core, but there is a good dose of yeast, some roasted nuts, chocolate, and fairly heavy spice throughout, especially orange peel. Another sour note towards the end, but it is a bit more subtle. Moderate body...I left this one very confused (where did they dream this up?) but pleased. This one went well with some burgers off the grill as well as a stand alone.