The Bruery Melange #3

Brewed by The Bruery
Style: American Strong Ale
Placentia, California USA

Tap at Spuyten Duyvil - this beer has balls, probably more so than any beer I’ve had in quite some time - of course, that’s not always good, but this one worked it out okay - a lot of bourbon and vanilla in the nose - flavor is vanilla, coconut, charred oak - dark fruits, black cherries, dough, brown sugar - sweet, but not as much as you’d expect in something so strong - it actually gets a little tart and tannic in the long term - some british barleywine character through the middle - tannic again in the finish - reminds me a bit of Capt. Lawrence NorEaster, but not quite as complex or balanced - quite palatable for its strength, though.

2009 Boulder Strong Ale Festival: Cloudy brown. Extremely rich malts: molasses, brown sugar, chocolate, toffee and many dark fruits, such as raisin and plum. Sweet rum followed, providing a really nice overtone. Hops were zingy, resinous and aromatic, with notes of grass, fruit (pear, apple, coconut) and spices. A fruitcake-like sweetness lingered on the lips. Very good stuff. One of my favorites at the fest.

In short: An over-the-top very alcoholised roasted beer of some kind with just about any flavour element you can list in a beer. Good but too much for me.
How: Tap at Boston Extreme Beer Fest 2009
The look: Almost black body topped by a small tan head
In long: Big nose of burnt dark fruits and alcohol fumes. Taste is a bit too much. Burnt wheat, backed dark fruits, molasses, a lot of alcohol, burnt sugar, vanilla, burnt wood and I could go on and on. The beer is trying to pack too much in one glass. It is extremely boozy. Certainly not highly drinkable. So roasted and alcoholised that I was getting a burnt plastic sensation. This is a mix of three beers aged in beer barrel. Each individual beer might be fine and the barrels might be in great shape. However if I take a delicious potage, a big juicy steak and a yummy cake, run it all through a blender and put it in the oven for 6 hours I’m not creating the greatest meal ever.

Draught at Boulder Strong Ale Festival. Pours black with an average, rocky, light brown head, somewhat lasting with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (toffee, caramel, bread), average hops (flowers, perfume), average yeast (dough, earth) with notes of vanilla, alcohol, figs, prunes, dates, and brown sugar. Full bodied, creamy texture, lively carbonation, and a sticky texture. Long duration, heavy sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. Please God bottle this and send it all to me!

Draught, Boulder Strong Ale Festival. This bad boy poured with a brown color that left a thin, creamy light tan foam. Nose of rich caramel-like malt and wood barrel. Flavor is very rich & chewy, with notes of caramel, toffee, apple, vanilla and sweet fruit. Sweet, strong, lots of barrel presence. Keep em’ comin’

Umn. Super bourbon, cocoa, vanilla, nougat, nuts, rum and bourbon all over this thing. Nose reminds me of rum balls. Hugely sweet nougat and vanilla up front, overly sweet bourbon throughout with a slight alcohol burn.. definitely a high octane dessert beer that I’d love to have a few nips of for cold winter nights.

On tap at Boulder Strong Ale Fest poured a hazy brown with a small lingering tan head. Aromas of bourbon, dates, plum, carmel, vanilla and toffee. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a lightly syrupy finish. Flavors of brandy, plum, raisin, toffee and carmel with a smooth warming lingering sweet fruity finish.

Tap at Rattle ’n’ Hum: Headless deep brown- can’t see through it. Huge aroma- nicely oaky- soft despite it’s size- toasted vanilla, plum wine, toffee, & bourbon sweetness. Slick and warming, but not quite cloying. Altogether it’s reminiscent of plum wine- and also has notes of bourbon, toasted oak, vanilla, molasses, raisins- fairly complex all around- but it’s quite hard to drink more than a few ounces. Not my style, but it’s well a well integrated concoction of a huge ale, bourbon and oak.