The Bruery Black Orchard

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

From a 750mL Bottle. Gusher. Pours a somewhat transparent, medium brown color with a huge head of foamy tan. The first pour brought so much yeast sediment to the top, my beer had enormous yeast chunks floating around, stirred by the carbonation to the point where it looked like a fresh fermentation at high krausen. The next pours were all fairly clear, leading to a more pleasurable textural drinking experience. Aromas of chocolate, coriander, and black pepper spice. Doughy yeast aromas, which blend with the spicy yeast characters to create an intriguing peppermint quality. Slight rubbery note. The herbalness of the coriander also seems a bit awkward when combined with the chocolate malt notes. Medium light bodied, heavily carbonated mouthfeel with a dry, yet full texture. Flavors of chocolate and leathery yeast up front, followed by herbal coriander and a touch of rubbery yeast in the finish. Pleasant amount of chocolate malt character, in that it doesn’t get overly roasty, but it doesn’t seem to fit in well with the yeast profile or the herbal coriander. The spices add an interesting complexity that doesn’t overpower the other dimensions of the brew. The flavors, while enjoyable, aren’t as complex as the White Orchard, but the drinkability is equally high.

Brown bottle, 75 cl, via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savoured on July 19 2009; eye: black with burgundy reflections, opaque, beige head that disappears completely, no lacing; nose: yeast, bread, light spices, light floral, roasted malt; mouth: wheat, yeast, bread, spices, roasted malt, finale in roasted malt with presence of wheat, medium body, refreshing, slick, fizzy; overall: bizarre FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 75 cl, via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savourée à ma fête 2009; œil : dorée, légèrement voilée, bonne effervescence, mousse blanche crémeuse, pas de dentelle; nez : levure, pain, léger coriandre, léger floral; bouche : levure, pain, coriandre, léger floral, finale en coriandre avec légère présence florale, corps moyen, rafraîchissante, coulante, pétillante; en résumé : bizarre

Interesting beer. Cola-ish taste lingers. Lots of wheat without the traditional wheat spices/flavors. Not a heavy beer.

Bottle shared by turdferguson and Carolina Crew tasting. Very dark brown pour with a bubbly off-white head. Very unique--floury, yeasty, bananas, grain. Malty. Reminiscent of German chocolate cake. Another interesting beer from the Bruery.

Bottle picked up in Santa Barbara.

Bottle explodes with overcarbonated exuberance, spilling into the sink and filling the first glass with 90% head despite a very careful glass-edge pour. Slightly sour, phenolic, stewed vegetables along with mild wit spiciness and some raisin sweetness. Overall, I appreciate that they tried this experiment but I cannot pretend that the experiment ended well.

Bottle from South Bay Drugs. Pours a dim black color with fizzy patching of foam. Aroma was sweet with light roast and caramel style malt but not that appetizing to the nose. Flavor was tart and unripe with a bland roast malt flavor I didn’t care for at all throughout the entire drink.

750mL bottle poured into a tulip. This was a serious gusher. Despite the fact that I opened it close to refrigerator temperature, the foam gushed out for a good 30 seconds. After things calmed down, it settled in as a dark, dark brown body with a huge creamy tan head that lasts forever and leaves only spotty lacing. The most notable thing about the aroma for me is the spices - a combination of pepper, coriander and herbs. There is a healthy caramel sweetness and some deeply roasted malts as well a hint of orange zest. The taste amps up the citrus with the orange and lemon presence coming out a little more up front. The big roasted malt backbone starts to come through after that and really leaves a toasty finish that mixes interestingly with the big spiciness of the coriander. The mouthfeel is no surprise given the other Bruery year-rounds I’ve tried - super carbonated with a relatively light mouthfeel overall. Probably a little too much carbonation for my liking. This is another very original beer from the Bruery though the taste doesn’t quite come together perfectly with all the disparate flavors competing for attention. Not my favorite but still good.

On-tap at Stone. Pours dark brown with red brown highlights, smallish offwhite head, decent retention. Smells dark malty and bready, dark fruity sweet. Tastes yeasty and dark malty, some spice, some dark fruit. Medium, somewhat dry body, fizzy carbonation.