The Bruery Papier

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

Appearance: Pours out a very dark brown body with a few large, migrating bubbles on top that quickly evaporate. Smell: Rich, expressive aroma. A veritable deluge of sweet-scented notes, everything from caramel sauce to chocolate powder to those lil’ charred crème brûlée tops. And such a wealth macerated fruitiness, too! Why, it’s a real treat to be sniffing around this glass. Taste: Sweet fusion of deep, dark caramel and vanilla beans with burnt, cauterized sugars and a good pinch of Dutch cocoa. The brew warms the palate nigh instantaneously and this easily makes way for the crashing waves of oaky, bourbonesque flavors to roll on in. And this one has quite a pronounced fruitiness (not that it was a surprise given the nature of the aroma) -- plenty of juicy figs, raisins, plums, and sweet cherries. Perhaps there’s maybe even a small hint of smokiness in there as well. Certainly has an abundance of sweet fruitiness on the warming, heady, oak-laden finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Mild carbonation. Lightly sticky, almost chewy mouthfeel. Drinkability: A slow, but oh-so satiating sipper. Plenty of oak character, but also heaps of bourbon barrel character as well even though it only represents 25% of the blend. Definitely give this one a try if you come across it!

Bottle at Sune’s - Thanks Joergen. Cloudy red/brown - offwhite edges. Roasted, sweetness, caramel, dried fruits, alcoholic, bourbon, wood, oakey, ryebread, high malty, too much barrel, dried fruits, bourbon, high sweetness.

Bottle 75cl. @ post Borefts BF 09 hotel tasting
Clear medium brown color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, cocus, berry, wet wood, moderate alcohol - bourbon. Flavor is heavy sweet, light acidic and heavy bitter with a long long duration. Body is medium, texture is creamy and sticky, carbonation is soft, finish feel is heavy alcoholic. [20091031]

From the Bottle at the Cheeky Monk Belgian Cafe, Denver 26/09/2009 with the kind compliments of the guys at The Bruery. Some bourbon aroma. Mid brown coloured very strong in alcohol and a little sweet on the palate with a sherry flavour. Crisp and chocolaty warming malt finish.

Bottle at Sune. Hazy red brown coloured with a small off white head. Fruity aroma of caramel and dried fruits with notes of berries and dark chocolate. Sweet and fruity flavour of caramel and dried fruits with notes of bourbon, dark chocolate and alcohol. Warming alcoholic finish. Too sweet.

Tan body and small head. The barrel aging is obvious at the first sniff. Slight tartness in the flavor. Not overwhelming barrel aging. Light caramel.

Bottle pours caramel color with no head. Aroma is caramel, slight oak and bourbon, dark fruit, and some sweetness. This beer is flat. Flavor follows the nose and finishes with a caramelized sugar sweetness. This is ok. Could be better and was just ok. Not much more to say than that. As sweet as these beers are from this brewer they must be the southern tier of the west coast. Granted, these beers are better than southern tier beers. I just can’t help make the comparison because of the cloying sweetness in these beers.

Bottle. Ap: Nice brown-red-purple color. No head. Ar: Chocolate, dried fruit, matured cheese, butter. Fla: Vinous, fruity, alcohol and lots of woodiness.Pal: Big and smooth.